Job Discussion Forums

[The Great Wall of Whiner]

On Dave's Job Board:


JOB 1: 13,000 a month, private housing,etc. 20 hrs. a week.

JOB 2: 6,000 a month, shared housing. 20 hrs. a week.

Both jobs ask for the same qualifications. (Degree +2 years exp.)


Please explain why some are taking the crappier of the two.

My guess:

Some of you may not be qualified or else you would go to Japan, Taiwan and/or Korea to make a lot more and work less.

Am I wrong here?

I have applied for jobs and every time they say "They found a teacher who will work for less"

Why are some undercutting themselves?

Not all..., but some of...

Explain. Why do you take jobs for 5k, when you can get a job for 10k. You don't like money?

[edited to appease the faint of heart]

[Miajiayou]

I'll be honest. I don't have a degree (which changes this spring) and I make 10k a month, 14 hours a week, before tax, free apartment, long holidays, etc. I also have three years of experience here and excellent recommendations.

China cares about student satisfaction, to a degree, and the school's face, to a degree. Everything else is negotiable. People who are making less than I am after putting in any kind of time are either shortsighted or they just don't care.

Usually, it is the latter.

[Shroob]

[choudoufu]

for some of us, 5K vs 10K isn't all that important. if'n it were,
we'd go back to the states to earn $10-15K.

what are the other factors? how about location and climate?

sure, i can get 10k in freakin' mongolia, with my very own
private yurt with hot and cold running rats. or i can have
a modern shared apartment in sanya, with bikini models
as bunkmates.

you say nothing about class size, or fao support, or required
office hours or school activities.

what if the 5K's twenty hours are the same class repeated
over three days? four day weekends, minimal prep time.

that 10K job? twenty classes, a mix of 7 different subjects,
teaching weekends and nights and days at various schools
spread out over the city.

it's all in the details.

[Miajiayou]

For me, the difference between 5k and 10k is saving over $1,000 a month or saving about $400 a month. In time, that WILL make a huge difference. I could make more back home, and I have, but I would save less.

[GuestBob]

This is a good question Whiner - I don't think there is enough open and frank discussion of this kind of thing.

Most of the comments in this thread will relate to the difference between public and private or University and non-University teaching though.

I have a shiny 1st in English Literature from a Russell Group University and I teach for less than 10k per month. This is down to me never, ever, wanting to work in the private sector and relishing the fact that I get to teach one or two "content" or "subject" classes every semester.

Seriously, the opportunity to teach History, Media Studies or Literature is worth at least 1k/month to me. As is how I am treated. One of the reasons I have fewer complaints than many on this board is, I think, due to the fact that I am willing to take a lower paying job which I want over a higher paying job which I don't (and we have opened the worm can ladies and gents.)

Working in Universities also fits in with my career plans and previous experience.

For a wild card element; I prefer to work in less developed parts of China, where the pay can often be lower.

[Miajiayou]

People can make money without compromising on location, subjects taught, or the quality of students. Some of it is luck, some of it is having a walk-away point. Public schools do have a discretionary budget.

[GuestBob]

[Miajiayou]

[GuestBob]

[Non Sequitur]

The OP is a very experienced poster, but I bet that if you tracked ALL of the conditions (including location) of Job A against Job B, the difference would not be as stark as just a comparison of the salary and some conditions.

[7969]

I'd like to see the two links posted - the ones advertising Jobs 1 and 2.

[SahanRiddhi]

I am a Mormon and I am not too concerned about the salary.

[Miles Smiles]

Doesn't Dave's ESL Cafe have a long-standing policy against discussing FTs with fake degrees?

I have several degrees, but I'm not bullet-proof as some members seem to be.

[Silent Shadow]