Job Discussion Forums

[davidjfrancis]

[Zero]

I don't recall the poster saying it was off the books. Part-time work is not illegal if you are otherwise authorized to work. If the poster were American, the private lessons, although conducted in China, would be reportable to the IRS and taxable as self-employment income. Perhaps if the poster could show that taxes had already been paid on the income, to the Chinese government, then the income would be deemed exempt from U.S. taxes. Point is, the taxes have to be paid to one government or the other.

Reporting it to the IRS is a straightforward process; there's a form for it. How self-employment income might be reported to the Chinese tax authorities, I don't know. Anyway, I don't see where any laws are necessarily being broken either technically or in spirit. Laws might be broken if the poster is either not authorized to work at all or isn't paying the taxes anywhere.

[samhouston]

[sharonariel]

Um, is it just me or does something sound fishy here?

1. 25,000 per month is the equivalent of 125 hours at the rate of 200 per hour. In a city like Guangzhou, there are so many people that I can't imagine the need to pay that much for a foreigner.

2. 125 hours per month works out to about 31 hours per week (31.25 to be precise). Imagine that is over 15 different jobs and one hour of travel time is needed between jobs. That works out to about 46 hours per week. The perfectly reasonable amount of 40RMB per trip (20 going and 20 coming) works out to 2400 per month in trip fees. If you say that you have a car in China, then you have a license. And if you have a license, then someowhere along the line you need papers to be in the country legally.

3. 30,000 in Shanghai? Give me a break. The cities where everyone wants to be are the ones where wages are lowest. They probably have people working in Shanghai for 6-7K per month *because schools can find people at that price.* Two idiots that left a school at which I worked before had to spend some huge amount of time in the police station getting a student visa because the school that they were working for (in Shanghai, part time) couldn't be bothered to get them a working visa.

[Mr. English]

Well as I said, just over 30 hours a week at just under 200 per hour. Perhaps your imagination is lacking; my speciality is law and I get this rate regularly; there are many lawyers in Guangzhou who must communicate with foreigners in writing and speaking. There are well-off people who want not just anyone as a teacher but someone with the right skill set, and not just lawyers; many of my students are lawyers but by no means all. I also work with designers, financial analysts, and children. I do not spend one hour traveling from job to job. Many come to me, and most of those who do not are within a 15-minute walk. I do not have a car and do not need a car. 30,000 in Shanghai? Definitely do-able.

[The Ever-changing Cleric]

[A'Moo]