Job Discussion Forums

[naturegirl321]

Maybe all of you on Dave's should band together and refuse to accept contracts less than X.

[vikuk]

Naturegirl we'd never get passed the argument concerning the figure X. And apart from that 99% of FT�s will never read one line of this discussion.
And anyway the kid is right - good luck to those folk who use FT employment for their gentler less economically motivated lifestyles. Both sides of the argument have no right to dictate to the other side what kind of wage scale is appropriate for leading a preferred lifestyle (even though the profits we generate are used by employers to focus in on their lifestyle preferences � so however disinterested we are in money, the most important reason we�ve been invited to China � is to earn money).
But at least a bit of whining and argument over the issues opens eyes to what's really going on out here - and what can be done out here - especially for those folk like you who are considering a future of settling in China on a serious family wise, non holiday, type basis.

[Anda]

Ah, so the magic figure that I work for being 4,500 is bad huh. Well I have a three bedroom apartment in the centre of the city. I am 10 minutes by foot from work. I get my water and electricity plus phone paid for. I get my airfares paid. I do 15 hours a week. I have two months off plus another month where I only work 6- 40 minute classes a week.

Costs in my city for accommodation is about a 10% of Shanghai. I can get about town by bus for 1 RMB. The place is cheap.

Local Chinese couples that both work and earn around 3.000 RMB combined can get a nice apartment together and live well. Yeah a car is out but then most can't really afford a car these days back home in Oz.

China isn't back home but if you get married here then you can become a multimillionaire if you have what it takes. You can also invest here and make millions. Then again you can loose the lot just like back home. Business is business.

Personally I don't know why you go on and on about money yet intend to work here or stay here when you can, like I can, earn 22,000 RMB a month plus holidays airfares medical 50% along with an apartment as a level one EPIK teacher in South Korea. If you are so much into money then you need to go there. Oh, and yes I had my own car there for over 5 years there. Second hand cars are cheap there and mechanical work is cheap also but good.

[tw]

[Katja84]

Just a question... for those of you staying with the same employer long-term, have they really not given you any significant bonuses after the first five years or so? It does seem like Chinese employers appreciate long-term committment more than particular qualifications (at least that seems to be the case with Chinese employees that are gradually given higher salaries or alternatively extra bonuses?) but if the foreign teachers who DO stick with an employer (anyone on this board?) do not get the same privilages it does seem that starting a family in China would be quite a challange...

I can't complain about starting salaries in China for those of us without TESOL-masters at least.

[vikuk]

TW if there was a standard fee for public education (even though the government claims that this is the case � but in reality all schools charge different) - then your argument could hold water. And though this inventiveness regarding fees I'm afraid those institutions that employ an FT usually try to cash in - maybe even in an indirect way through yearly fees rather than specific English with an FT fee. There are universities, middle schools, primary schools that employ no FT's - the fee to attend these institutions are generally much lower. And where does that extra fee money go?? Well a small proportion into our pockets - the rest of it - well go and take a look in the car-park - you don't just find shiny cars outside the mill

[vikuk]

[Zero]

[Anda]

Ah dear Vikuk you will be happy to know that five Americans are working in the next city to mine for 3,000 RMB a month and have to share an apartment between two and only get one month off a year. Now I'm way out in front of them.

As William Wallace says wages have been going down here for some time. Just tell me what big city do you live in and how much do you get paid. I can't see you retaining a fat pay packet here for much longer. However if you open up your own instutite you might be able to make the big bucks.

[SnoopBot]

Expect to get worse, many churches are sponsoring missionary teachers.

You can do a web search and find at least a few dozen programs and another dozen or so university sponsored programs.

Add that to the long list of recruiters that now charge 500-1000 USD for the free experience of teaching in China.

The missionaries are paid by the churches a real wage, so a 2500 RMB salary is not even a concern. They get over 1000 USD from the church groups. Most are highly qualified with home country teaching experience. The Godless country of China is a magnet for these groups to "save."

In a few years we will be paying our schools money just for the opportunity to teach for them.

It can't get much worse than that

[Anda]

No real threat SnoopBot as the CCP won't let them make a noise. I have a goverment position and I sign on my contract that I won't bible bash or goodbye. They don't mind on open conversation on religion where a class will talk over something and express their opinions but pushing the subject down their throats will get you on a plane quickly.

People who want to be party members have to sign or whatever that they do not have a religion before they can goin the party.

[SnoopBot]

[tw]

My school hired two of those last term. They were a married couple, and the woman had taught highschool and ESL in her home state of Texas. She used the excuse that because she was in a new country, she didn't want to be overwhelmed by too many classes. As a result, they were assigned twenty hours combined plus about six or eight extra hours a week at the branch campus. They managed to baptize two students before they went home for her to have her baby.

I knew they were trouble the moment they started doing the Jesus-said-I-am-the-way routine during their first visit to the school's English Club weekly free talk night.

[SnoopBot]

[bdawg]