Job Discussion Forums

DosEquisX · Joined: 09 Dec 2010 Posts: 361

When pursuing a job last year, I never saw a contract that contained a utilities allowance. This appears to be more common in contracts this semester. Normally, it's around 200-240 RMB per month. Is that enough to cover things like electricity and gas?

In my opinion, a major plus to working at a university is that I don't have to be a bean-counter when it comes to evaluating my electricity and gas usage. The university takes care of that on its own.

I am also seeing contracts with a probationary period in which the teacher is paid a lesser sum for the first month or nothing at all. I also don't see where that spare money they withhold gets reimbursed. I would expect this for private academies, but not universities.

Contracts are also less specific about these "events" you have to partake in such as speech contests and lectures to local teachers. They do not tell you how often you have to do them or if you get paid for them.

Some universities offer a table of salaries relatives to your average number of teaching hours. One I got goes from 12 to 20 hours. Is this chosen by the teacher or does the dean give you the number of hours? When I see a maximum of 20 hours, I automatically assume that I will be teaching 20 hours. Is this a fair assumption?

7969 · Joined: 26 Mar 2003 Posts: 5782 Location: Coastal Guangdong

Baozi man · Joined: 06 Sep 2011 Posts: 214

Depending on your location and situation, winter heating costs can run into thousands of RMB. Either way, through electricty or the hot water wall heaters. I would not agree to a contract like this unless I was in a mild climate area such as Kunming. Summertime cooling costs can also be expensive.

The only reason contracts like this are offered is because people are dumb enough to sign them. In cold weather climates, your flat will be like an icebox. No insulation. Tile floors are like ice. The cold is actually painful.

Really that desperate?

Tasmanian_Tiger · Joined: 27 Oct 2011 Posts: 3

I�m currently negotiating a contract to work at a private school. There�s a sentence that reads �The teacher must attend important school functions (without pay).� It does not specify how many or often these �events� are. I changed it to read that I would attend up to 5 events without pay and any additional ones I would be paid 120 RMB per hour. I just sent them the contract changes I would like to make and am waiting to hear back from them. I would definitely get the number of events quantified if you aren�t being paid for them. Good luck.

jaydizzle · Joined: 25 Nov 2011 Posts: 57

If any school asks you to work for the first month or any probationary period for free, RUN. Do not walk. I mean, where else have you worked where you would put in a month of your life and receive zero compensation for it? Is this a joke?? They are just trying to see if they can get something for free, and if you give it to them, you're a fool.

Baozi man is right. Electricity can run into the thousands, especially in the weather, and he's spot on about how painful the cold can be. I would not sign on with a university that wasn't going to pay for me to live there. That's part of the upside of an ESL job. They are making a ton of money collecting tuition from parents who want their kids to be taught by a foreign teacher, far more money than you probably imagine. It is well within their budget to provide your living quarters and utilities, and though they will oft complain about any spending, they can afford it. Don't let them convince you otherwise.

As for school functions, again, I don't do pro bono work (unless I really like the student I'm helping.) If the school wants me to do it, it either needs to be in the contract, or I need to get broke off a little extra somethin'. My school has English Corner in the contract. I don't mind that. It's clearly laid out, even though the school rarely makes me go. I count that as part of the duties for my salary. Other things I will do if I so desire, and if I don't care for them, I won't do them. If my contract stipulated a lot of meetings each week without pay, I would just simply refuse to sign. There's no way I'd agree to that.

Guerciotti · Posted: Wed Nov 30, 2011 9:05 am Post subject:

Tasmanian_Tiger · Joined: 27 Oct 2011 Posts: 3

That's 5 events for the length of the contract (one year)

Guerciotti · Posted: Wed Nov 30, 2011 9:59 am Post subject:

Thanks Tas.

As far as the escalation, perceived or actual, of contract requirements you, me and every other FT should say no or rewrite the clause to our satisfaction. There is no reason for an increase in duties without an increase in pay.

One unpaid (FREE) month of 'probation' is ludicrous. As another poster said, this is just giving away your time. This is a deal killer in my view.

I know little about utilities in China because I don't pay for mine. At a university I think they should pay all utilities. This seems like a way to shift expenses and effectively reduce your pay.

I recently noticed a uni position advertised with "holiday pay or airfare reimbursement". No. I admire the creativity, but I would look elsewhere.

Another uni job lists duties as among other things, the obligation to assist senior students with their dissertations. Imagine if only half of, for example 100 English majors ask for your assistance with their dissertations? I imagine a few will define 'assist' as "to write an entire dissertation for another".

Watch out for this stuff.