Job Discussion Forums

[ShanghaiSurprise]

Hello there, I'm new to posting on this forum but I have been reading threads here for a long time. I'm a Canadian that was considering going to Korea but I'm not sure if I want to deal with all the problems over there.

I have a few questions I'd appreciate some assistance with, and rather than starting 4 threads, I'll ask them all in this one and hopefully people can answer depending on the knowledge they have regarding specific questions.


[b]Topic 1) [/b] I have a phone interview in a couple days with an international school in Shanghai and their pay starts at around 12000 RMB with free housing. What have been your experiences regarding contract negotiations?

Should I negotiate on price? Housing? Vacation? What kind of issues do schools tend to bend on versus being strict with?


[b]Topic 2)[/b] Let's say that my salary starts at 13000 RMB, what would my take-home pay be? What about if I start at 15000 RMB?


[b]Topic 3:[/b] How do I get my money home to Canada to off my bank loans?


[b]Topic 4:[/b] What are you finding is the rental cost for a decent 2-bedroom apartment in Shanghai? I'm curious in case I decide to get a nicer place for my gf and I, and might look into the housing allowance.


Thanks in advance to anyone that can help me.

[kev7161]

The first year can be tricky. Some schools may not want to negotiate with an unknown. Once you've established yourself as a reputable teacher, contract #2 may be better for you. I negotiated a NET salary - - what I would like to take home every month so I have my GROSS pay stated in my contract and I walk away every month without feeling the pinch of taxes.

Yeah, sure, there are a half dozen ways to get money back home: mail by EMS or FedEx (just don't tell them it's money), bank wire transfers, Western Union, to name a couple ideas.

[jwbhomer]

There was a thread a few months ago about sending money to Canada. You can get a bank draft in Canadian dollars from the Bank of China, but the faster and easier way is to use Western Union. Convert your RMB to US$ first. You'll lose a bit converting money twice and on WU service charges, but getting a draft and waiting for it to clear your Canadian bank is a hassle.

[ShanghaiSurprise]

[quote="kev7161"]The first year can be tricky. Some schools may not want to negotiate with an unknown. Once you've established yourself as a reputable teacher, contract #2 may be better for you. I negotiated a NET salary - - what I would like to take home every month so I have my GROSS pay stated in my contract and I walk away every month without feeling the pinch of taxes.

Yeah, sure, there are a half dozen ways to get money back home: mail by EMS or FedEx (just don't tell them it's money), bank wire transfers, Western Union, to name a couple ideas.[/quote]


Thanks to both that have responded so far...

To Kevin,

Did you by chance mean that you have your NET pay listed in your contract? I see that you said GROSS, however I'm assuming that is what every contract lists.

Also, can someone tell me the types of deductions they tend to have on their monthly paycheques.

Thanks to all that can offer advice or information.

[kev7161]

No, I asked for "X" amount to be the money I take home every month when I negotiated this most recent contract. This is the amount I would be happy with for time served. The school then calculated what a gross amount would be, less tax to equal my net salary and they entered the GROSS amount in my contract. On paper, it looks like I make about 1300 more a month than I actually do. Good for when I want to exchange currency at the bank - - especially at semester end times when I suddenly have a huger wad than normal.

[bdawg]

[Surfdude18]

It might be an ESL post at an international school. I work in such a post and the pay is almost exactly that amount. It's a good deal as ESL goes but not as much as the full teachers get.

[ShanghaiSurprise]

Bdawg, Surfdude,

Actually I'm not sure of exactly what role I will fill with the school.

Their pay range starts off at 12000 and goes up to about 18000 it seems.

Do you guys think that's a low-paying school?


Bdawg, what would you think an international school should pay?

Thanks

[The_Hanged_Man]

Pay and benefits at international schools are usually non-negotiable as the well organized ones often have a fixed pay and benefits schedule. It's still worth a shot, but I wouldn't be surprised if you don't get anywhere.

Are you a certified teacher back in your home country? If so, that offer is at the low end for Shanghai. I am an international school teacher myself and would not accept a salary of 12,000 (only about $20k USD annually), and 15,000 would probably be the minimum I would accept.

For your reference Shanghai Community IS pays between $25-36k USD to start and Shanghai American School pays $32-48k. These are both established international schools, and the people that I know who work at them have good things to say about both. Personally I consider SCIS's pay to be average and SAS to be quite good although not exceptional.

[bdawg]

I'm in agreement with Mr. Hangman. The International Schools in my city pay in the same range as those he mentioned. I can't speak for the ESL positions, but I also wouldn't accept anything less than 15,000RMB. These schools recieve top dollar from their clients (One of the schools here apparently has a tuition of 155,000RMB/year).

I would clarify the job description, research the school more and move from there.

[Surfdude18]

[ShanghaiSurprise]

Wow,

Great posts.

Okay, to start, I'm not a certified teacher back where I'm from. I have a BA and an MBA.

I have also learned that I am getting housing plus $2100 USD per month as a salary.

There is a funny thing though.

I only sign a 10-month contract.

But at the end, they do pay me an annual bonus (apparently 1/2 after each semester) which can be up to $5200 USD for the year.

I have enquired what my annual bonus will be.

Right now, based on a 12-month schedule, I guess that's about $25000 USD per year not including annual bonus. (I Know that technically most schools give a severance allowance so really I'm not getting anything special, but at least I'm not getting screwed for just working 10 out of the 12 months).

I assume I'll pick up other work for July and August when I'm not on contract with the school.

Any tips of pieces of info about those other private schools in Shanghai that you mentioned?

Do any of you work for those schools?

Thanks for the help so far guys.

Cheers

[james s]

send money by B.O.C.

just keep the pets out.