Job Discussion Forums

[NYCESOL11211]

I'm applying to Chinese and Middle Eastern Universities for the fall of 2010. I graduate this spring with a TESOL-related M.A. and I have a few years experience teaching adult language learners.

As I'm looking around, I see more and more there is an incredible discrepancy between university gigs. On one hand, I know of a university in China that pays almost 2K (USD) per month, with very good benefits and long vacations. That place only hires experienced M.A. holders in TESOL and TESOL related fields. On the other hand, many universities that advertise on this Website pay about 1/3 of that. Those places seem to hire pretty much anyone. Yet many highly qualified teachers seem to be at those lesser paying jobs.

What's up with that? Are some universities just blessed with much higher budgets? Why are there M.A.'s out there working at jobs similar to the latter when China has much higher paying positions available? Yes there are reasons, and I understand teaching hours and cost-of-living are all concerns. Still, it doesn't really account for the a 4,000 rmb vs. a 12,000 rmb difference. Does it?

[LanGuTou]

You would be lucky to find a public sector foreign teaching job in China paying 12K rmb per month. High end salaries are generally paid within the private teaching sector.

Huge discrepancies are not uncommon in China. There is, for instance, discrepancies in pay between Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou and poorer rural areas. So one key factor is location. Do not, however, assume richer, more developed areas means higher salary. In fact the opposite can apply. Qingdao and Dalian are attractive areas for foreign teachers so supply and demand allows universities to get away with paying salaries as low as 3000 to 3500 rmb. Impoverished areas have greater problems attracting and retaining teachers so pay a little more.

As a general rule of thumb, most university or public school teaching jobs will pay in the region of 4000 to 6000 rmb plus accommodation. In the south-east of China, you may get more but usually around 7000 to 8000 rmb. Occasionally, you will come across some university jobs in the north of China that pay 7000+ rmb but working hours and conditions relect that.

To earn five figure salaries in the public sector usually means having some high demand, low supply teaching skill such as mechanical engineering. Even with MA/PhD. + Teaching Certificate, you are unlikely to receive such salaries as a foreign language teacher.

If salary is your main concern, then you should aim at the private sector and training establishments. It is very possible for you to achieve salaries in excess of 20K per month but the working conditions will be more demanding and probably less free time.

If you have found a public sector institution paying 12K per month, I would say it is worth looking into. On the surface, that sounds like a good deal.

[LanGuTou]

One thing to add when you see high salaries advertised on job boards:

There is no effective way to stop false advertising and dishonest claims in China.

Unscrupulous recruiters and sometimes even the universities themselves advertise salaries higher than what they expect to pay. Recruiting foreign teachers is a competitive business.

Watch out particularly for the tactic often referred to as "bait and switch" on this forum. A recruiter will advertise a non existent position with good salary and excellent conditions. When you apply, they will tell you that the university has already filled the position or are not interested in your application. They will then try to fob you off to some other institute that does have a vacancy on a much lower salary. They are highly skilled and glib tongued. They will fill you with all kinds of BS about this being normal in China and your salary will be reviewed very quickly etc.

I don't want this to sound like I am preaching to you. If it is teaching granny to suck eggs, then I apologise but still many people fall for it.

Maybe your 12K does not even fall into this category and is a genuine, excellent offer. You can find that out for yourself!

[Laurence]

Also,
some people just don't seem to understand job search and application procedures, regardless of their qualifications. Without adequate research, people might be led to think that the "come and experience China's ancient history" positions are all that is available.

I have had people actually ask me

"I'm interested in teaching English - how do I apply for a job?"

er..

hello?

[thefuzz]

If you want to make money working at a university, China is not the place to be. I myself spent a year in the Middle East working for a college and made/saved more money there than I ever did in China. So if you're in it for the money you can't beat the Middle East.

[Zero]

There are some on the board who would say you shouldn't accept any less than 12,000 RMB a month, housing included, with summers off, for no more than 16 teaching hours a week. Where they find such jobs, I don't know.

[randyj]