Job Discussion Forums

[xiao51]

Things have become a little bit more stringent but still with some acumen and experience, it's still a great job market.

True, university salaries seem to be stagnating or going down - I have also noticed that for sure.

Salaries in primary schools and middle schools, both government and private, are rising however, and are IMHO and experience, higher than several years ago. Nonetheless, the placement process has become more rigorous.

[Hansen]

I was specifically told by the FAO that the vice principal who oversees my department had denied me a raise because "He's an American and they brought a financial crisis upon the world."

Possible that he said that; however, the FAO is a pathological liar and he may have simply made that excuse to put the raise intended for me into his own pocket.

[Raindrops]

The minimum a U should pay you in China is 8k, accepting less is simply wrong doing.

[YAMARI]

I feel bad as my friend got me a uni job but when I got the contract it was 4000 for only 10 months. I hate when they do that 10 month thing. If they are going to give low wages they can at least pay some holiday pay. I feel they just want young punk recent university grads and don't want to pay for quality.

[That Canada Guy]

The university jobs I have looked at online usually offer 4500 - 5500 RMB per month. That begs me to wonder how much it costs to have a somewhat average lifestyle in China (Outside of Beijing and Shanghai)?

[The Ever-changing Cleric]

[Robin53]

The first post in this topic is dated 2004 which is evidence that this topic is not new, and that university salaries have been low for a long time.

The general idea I have is that salaries for all university staff, not just FTs were frozen in the 1990's. At the time, universities were told they could expand and were allowed to borrow money to fund new buildings but had to pay back the debt themselves. A need was felt for more graduates, and two spinoffs from this are the freeze in salaries, and the lowering of standards due to much larger classes full of students who would not have been admitted before the decision to increase the number of graduates.

Another general idea is that there are two types of job in China. One is the university/college/high-school option - 16 classes a week, free accommodation and utilities, 2 to 3 months of paid holiday, salary range 3-4000 in less developed areas, and 4 - 5000 in the more developed eastern part of the country. The other type of school is private with higher salaries, but far shorter holidays and much higher teaching hours, and more likely to be located in an impersonal, large, more expensive city. Take your pick - I prefer the more laid back option in a remote area for various reasons, one of them being less stress. I've tried the other option but found it wasn't good for my mental health, although I did save more. My cost of living also went up due to having less time and being more extravagant.

As for Yangshuo wages being the lowest - you can hardly call Yangshuo a normal part of China. Its always been a magnet for foreign travelers and those already resident in the country. There are hundreds of foreigners packed into that small town, particularly in the school holidays. I'm not the only one who has had a little working holiday in Yangshuo during college holidays - not for the money but for the free accommodation and having most of my costs covered from the job. I was happy with the deal my school there offered me - I got 4000 a month for 18 classes a week plus free accommodation, and had a non-stop party after school most of the time I was there. The young Chinese clients were paying 3000 a month and were attracted to Yangshuo by the low school fees and abundance of foreigners to practice their English with.

[The Ever-changing Cleric]