Job Discussion Forums

[sv6mile]

Hello,
I have just been offered a job in Shanghai and the pay is 10, 560 RMB pre-tax. Housing is not included.

The contract is for 96 teaching hours a month with 24 hours a month other "administrative" duties.

Assuming the contract is on the up and up, is the salary reasonable for Shanghai?

Will I be able to cover living expenses and have some savings?

Thanks

[AussieGuyInChina]

Equal to 8,000 RMB per month with accommodation for 30 hours per week, in Shanghai! If you do accept the job please let me know because I think you might be interested in a nice block of swampy land that I'm trying to sell at a very reasonable price.

[eslstudies]

For a standard university 16 hour week [64/month], that's what I started on in SH 6 years ago!
For the hours you quote, it's pure exploitation, but if you want to go ahead, that's a liveable salary there.

[Surfdude18]

That's a load of old nib. I get more than that post-tax in Dalian with free house and considerably easier workload, and 4 months' paid holiday.

[kev7161]

Let's see, I think once you have tax deducted, pay rent, utilities, food/groceries, other misc. things such as transportation and entertainment and travel, you should easily have about 26 or 27 rmb leftover every month!

[China.Pete]

I have both good news and bad news for you, OP. The bad news is that the number of contact plus administrative hours will get old pretty fast. The good news is that, since you will be working most of the time, you will have little time to spend your earnings and will, therefore, be more likely to save money.

[The Great Wall of Whiner]

Administrative duties.

Have they spelled out to you what that means? Could mean anything from teaching in the office, to being farmed out to other schools, to just sitting there in the office doing nothing and having NOTHING to do, yet you can't go home.

Without an uncertainly, ask them to tell you what it means.

I should point out that people like Surfdude18 and I make more than that with housing provided.

Personally, I wouldn't take it unless you are desperate or afraid to negotiate.

[sv6mile]

for saving me from making a big mistake.

Any advice for where I should be looking for job opportunities. The job board here have no ads offering more in Shanghai.

Thanks!

[bearcanada]

To sv6mile;

I think this board should apologise to you for the above unhelpful and rude contributions to an honest search for information.

It will cost you 5,000 to 6,000 a month to live alone (and quite well) in Shanghai if you are not too close to the downtown (Puxi), and maybe not very near a subway stop.

So, yes you can do it. However, the figures you gave us suggest that you would be underpaid and overworked by a great margin. You can do much better. My greatest concern for you is not the salary and hours, but the character of the people who would suggest them. They know that only someone very naive would accept that, which means they already plan to take advantage of you in many other ways.

For that reason alone, I advise you to look further.

Good Luck,

.

[China.Pete]

"I think this board should apologise to you for the above unhelpful and rude contributions to an honest search for information." -- Bear Canada

Er, I think what the OP, who gave not the slightest indication of being offended by the advice given, would like to know at this point is, where can he find better-paying jobs in Shanghai? The fact is that the pay scale offered is actually not bad for here; it's the hours for achieving it that would seem likely to wear heavily on the FT over the course of a year. I'm in no better a position to help in in this regard. But I would suggest he maybe look at a position with fewer hours (even if that means less pay) and the opportunity to moonlight--or at least look for a better position when his contract ends and he's gained a bit more experience.

[kev7161]

Okay, well let's break it down then, shall we (so as not to seem rude or offensive to the OP)?

10,560 (what an unusual amount offered by the way) before taxes. I certainly don't know the exact amount, but let's over guesstimate and say 1000 gone = 9,560

Now let's take out the amount for a somewhat decent place that's not too infested or dirty or 100 years old. You Shanghaiese people can help better, but I'm going to throw a figure out of 1,560 (just to get rid of that 60!) = 8,000.

Monthly utilities? Depends on the month/season of course, so let's say an average of 500 for electric, propane cooking, water, drinking water (if you go with those large containers atop a water dispenser), cable TV (maybe), and internet/phone. I'm just assuming that since you are paying for your own place, then all the other costs will be yours to bear as well. = 7,500

Food - - well, this can vary quite a bit as it depends on whether you eat out a lot or stay in and live off mac and cheese (or the Chinese equivalent of fried rice or noodles). Also, what kinds of foods will you be eating? Chinese fare all the way or do you like your corn flakes in the morning and Mexican food at night? Again, a ball park figure, but I'm going to say a thousand a month for eating = 6,500

Transportation - taxis, subway, buses aren't all that expensive, but can add up over a month's time (esp. taxis) so let's put aside 500 for that (if you don't use that much, you can splurge and go out for dinner instead of having noodles . . . again!) = 6,000

Entertainment - just like food, it depends on what you like. You may end up spending more at first being new here and exploring. Do you like going out to movies? Reading? Dancing and clubbing? Out drinking and playing pool? Nice massage (or even "special" massage)? Join a health club? Live theater? I'm sure in Shanghai the possibilities are endless so I'm going to give you another thousand to use on that = 5,000

Toiletries - really, you aren't going to spend a lot on the basic necessities such as shampoo and toothpaste but once you get into deodorant, facial wash/care items, colognes, or any sorts of "luxury" items, you can easily rack up the yuan. But I'm going to say 300 a month for this stuff on average = 4,700

Clothing - if you are, ahem, "big-boned" you may be going to tailors or shopping online. In Shanghai there are bound to be occasional shops that cater to larger people. If you are somewhat normal sized, you should be able to shop more easily. I'm not going to put in much here as you don't go out every day or week to buy new clothes (or do you?) but remember, a single pair of Nikes can run you some big bucks. Let's say 200 = 4,500.

Travel - Once again, being new to China, you may actually want to have some weekend excursions once or twice a month. The Suzhou gardens are nice. Since travel is a luxury more than a necessity, it's hard to say how much to deduct. However, by the time you pay for bus or train (or plane), hotels, food, taxis and such, souvenirs, etc., you should at least factor 500 per trip. Once a month or save for a grander trip a couple times a year so I'll say 500 a month to spend or set aside = 4,000

Girlfriend (if you're a guy or, well, you know) - will you have a pretty little thing hanging on your arm? If so, that's going to cost some dough, but I'm not going to deduct because that's just something to think about as opposed to what we are advising here.

So, we're down to 4000 for savings, medical things, unexpected expenses, and any other misc. thing I can't think of right now. So, yes, you can save a little IF my estimates were anywhere near accurate. Again, Shanghai people can probably paint a clearer picture than I. Let's take an extra 1000 out for all but savings = 3000

So maybe you can save up to 3000 a month which is roughly $400. Honestly, that's not too bad when it comes to savings. If you have no debt back home such as credit cards or whatever, then there you go. If you stay here for a year, you could save 4 to 5 thousand dollars.

But again, everything I've listed above is sheer guesswork so take it all with a grain of salt.

[mgafunnell]

if it is your first time in china, you should be fine. your salaryshould easily cover your monthly expenses. i make roughly the same. i support my wife and don't have to budget that much. if you are single, you should be able to live a comfortable lifestyle.

[kungfucowboy83]

a note i have only visited shanghai.

Kev is being fairly optimistic in assuming that you will not indudge in the high end of shanghai, spend too much at the bars or eating at all the wonderful, international resturants. with his plan you will have a simple, but reasonably enjoyable time provided you are not a spendtrift like me. Also the rent seems a bit low (but agian from me this is third hand) as most i have talked to seem to pay around 3000.

the way he suggests living would be very reasonable for a smaller or middle sized city and very easy to follow as well. but imo shanghai has too much stuff for that.

on the other hand with your hours being so high maybe you won't have any time or energy to spend money

[bearcanada]

In Shanghai, an apartment that is reasonable to most Westerners (2-br, fullly-furnished, 100 square meters gross;70 net) will cost about 3,000. This will be 30 minutes or more from the downtown. Another 3,000 will pay the utilities, food, an ayi, transportation and normal monthly expenses including a reasonable amount of eating out.

It will not include purchases (other than minor things for the house), entertainment in bars, money spent on girls, clothing or travel.

So far as the rent is concerned, to live downtown in Puxi, between Zhongshan Park and People's Square, 7,000 or 8,000 a month will get you a 3-br, 150 meter flat in a good location with good transportation. Depending on your tastes, you can pay 15,000 or 25,000 for much the same thing.

In terms of income, there are always training jobs open at companies - large ones like Siemens and scads of smaller ones, many foreign-owned, that offer a minimum of 18,000 a month for full-time. It is not so difficult to find several part-time jobs of this kind that pay at least 250 RMB per hour and up to 400, depending on the student level. High-level private students with money are also not difficult to find - 250 and up per hour.

You can live well in Shanghai for 10,000 a month, but if you're considering anything approaching full-time work then the income should be double that.

Any good English teacher in Shanghai who wants to work, can earn 30,000 a month without killing himself.

.

[renzobenzo1]

SO WHERE ARE ALL THESE HIGH-PAYIGN CHINA JOBS TO BE FOUND?

ALL THE JOBS ON DAVES ARE UNDER 10K-SURE IT MAY BE CHEAPER TO LIVE IN OTHER REGIONS BUT THAT IS STILL NOT MUCH AT ALL....

WHAT'S THE SECRET OR DO YOU FACTOR IN PRIVATES ON TOP OF THAT AMOUNT...?