Job Discussion Forums

limits601 · Posted: Sat Oct 09, 2004 4:58 am Post subject:

All this talk has made me calculate my hourly earnings. I teach 17 classes, 40 mins each. My pay per teaching hour per month is 154 RMB, so if i were asked to teach more classes, that would be my rate. Shouldnt it be ?

Roger · Joined: 19 Jan 2003 Posts: 9138

17 teaching units of 40 minutes each, at RMB 154;
tell me: how much do you get paid?

Is it RMB 2618?

Maybe you should factor the valuer of your accommodation, food and airfare into your sums!

kev7161 · Joined: 06 Feb 2004 Posts: 5880 Location: Suzhou, China

Or is it 17 hours x 154 x 4 weeks?

limits601 · Posted: Sat Oct 09, 2004 2:37 pm Post subject:

lol, i think i did the calculation wrong but i get paid 4000 RMB per month. Plus i got a HUGE free western style apartment, free airfare in Business Class on China Eastern, free 3 meals a day at the school, free utilities, free sheets for the bedroom and they are changed pretty often. I also get 2200 RMB travel bonus. And then all the bonus's like free tickets to a chinese play, dinners, outings. Too much to list. This private school is very very nice.

lao hu · Joined: 17 Sep 2004 Posts: 11

Three things stand out in your last message. (1) It feels good to know that you're not trapped (in a bad situation); (2) you and your employer were misled by the recruiter; and (3) your boss is really a nice person and appears to want to do the "right" thing.

All of these are important things to keep in mind as you consider job opportunities, negotiate contracts, and try to do your job. The second seems to be a frequent problem. Does anybody know of (a) recruiting firms that have an especially good track record of integrity and/or (b) those from the opposite end of the spectrum who teachers and schools should be particularly wary of?

The Great Wall of Whiner · Joined: 29 Jan 2003 Posts: 4946 Location: Blabbing

This whole thing about people earning from 3,000 to 5,000 really irks me to no end.

Why are you people accepting such lousy-paying jobs? I just don't get it.

If the boss says "We can't afford it" that's a load of pure, unadulterated bullshit.

Universities pay a great deal of money every year for the department heads, deans, etc. etc. to party it up. They use University money on everything from bai jiu to cigarettes, KTV girls to a facial and a perm (for the women).

Private schools are money-making ventures. Ask your boss before you sign on the dotted line how many students there are. Also, you might want to know how much per month the students pay.

Let's take my school for example:

343 students. Multiply that by 150 RMB a month. That's well over 50,000 RMB per month my boss is making off of my back.

If he offers me a paltry 4,000 RMB, I would laugh at him at walk out immediately. And so should you.

The Great Wall of Whiner · Joined: 29 Jan 2003 Posts: 4946 Location: Blabbing

Sorry, didn't mean to stray off-topic.

Chris_Crossley · Posted: Mon Oct 11, 2004 4:07 pm Post subject: Paltry salary offers

lao hu · Joined: 17 Sep 2004 Posts: 11

I concur wholeheartedly with the last couple of posts, at least in spirit if not in specific detail. There's no question that my wife and I were taken advantage of by what we didn't know how to negotiate in our job compensation, working conditions, etc., and I'm sure that, having learned by experience, we will do much better next time around (next year, we think). That is why I've put in the time to post my comments and my experiences on this site -- to help others do as well or better than we did the first time out.

One other thought: there seems to be a big difference between the universities and the private schools -- for example, lower pay at the former, higher pressure and less time off at the latter. But they are all ultimately fishing in the same river, so you can use what one is offering to bargain with the other. It IS a seller's market, at least until after the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

wetwet · Joined: 22 Mar 2006 Posts: 11 Location: Beijing, China

Original Poster, are you indeed on the Memphis-based program, as someone alluded to?

I am considering joining this program. Although I understand 4000RMB/mo is not competitive w/ my credentials (degrees & 3 years exp. teaching ESL in an inner-city high school) I do not speak chinese, have never been there, and work 70+hrs a week, so I have limited time to research options.

Anyone have any advice on the Memphis Program or other well-structured programs for newbies?
Question

Thank you in advance...

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

given that the original post is nearly two years old, your chances of a reply to the above question are slim.