Job Discussion Forums

ShanghaiSurprise · Joined: 03 Mar 2008 Posts: 47 Location: Korea...soon China

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 · Joined: 06 Feb 2004 Posts: 5880 Location: Suzhou, China

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 · Joined: 14 Dec 2003 Posts: 876 Location: CANADA

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 · Joined: 03 Mar 2008 Posts: 47 Location: Korea...soon China

[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. Smile

kev7161 · Joined: 06 Feb 2004 Posts: 5880 Location: Suzhou, China

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 · Joined: 25 Feb 2004 Posts: 526 Location: Nanjing

Surfdude18 · Joined: 16 Nov 2004 Posts: 651 Location: China

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 · Joined: 03 Mar 2008 Posts: 47 Location: Korea...soon China

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 · Joined: 10 Oct 2004 Posts: 224 Location: Tbilisi, Georgia

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.