Job Discussion Forums

[Bat_Guano]

Private School in Beijing

* 15 class hours per week in our Elementary program plus two evenings a week (2 hours each evening) at one of our Early learning Centers
* You will be assigned two classes between Kindergarden and eighth grade which you will stay with for the entire year (ie, homeroom teacher), plus one class at one of our early learning centers
* No more than 15 students in each class
* M-F work schedule - Teachers teach only from 8-11:30 OR 1-4:30 at the elementary school, plus four hours per week at one of our training centers (22 teaching hours in total)
* Teachers are fully supported and trained

Min. Req:

* Bachelor's Degree
* North American Accent (we use an American method)
* A teaching certificate OR
* At least two years relevant teaching experience

Pay and Benefits

* 7,750 RMB / month, 1000 RMB bonus with a Master's or two years ESL teaching experience
*Flight reimbursement up to $850 (USD)
* RMB 2250 travel allowance for Spring Festival
* Health Insurance provided
* Furnished Western-style apartment (including utilities)
* Transportation to / from work each day
* Paid holidays includinng one month durinng Spring Festival

The school is CardenChina... a search of this forum brought up one thread inquiring for opinions/reviews or info, posted roughly three years ago (there were no replies.

www.cardenchina.com


Anybody know anything about the school? If they are not lying / misrepresenting about the hours, RMB 8750 for 22 hours M-F + apt with utilities paid sounds pretty reasonable to me. I know the salary could be considered slightly low for beijing (then again fat_chris posted that gig offering 3700 yuan a month... WTF? In Beijing? Seriously???)

Any thoughts? This one doesn't seem nearly as easy to pick apart as the last one I posted, unless someone has the goods on the school and they ain't that pretty at all (free Warren Zevon plug there).

PS: I added the (22 hours per week total) myself... apparently they can't add too well, which could be a bit worrisome (or more so) 'cos 3.5 hours x 5 days is surely 17.5 (not 15), plus four hours is 21.5... and I know they haven't been explicit about actual working hours required, just teaching hours... so more information is definitely needed.

[muffintop]

Without nitpicking small details the salary seems OK but I don't know how far that will get you in Beijing. You mentioned this yourself.

I would certainly ask about travel time to/from work and summer holidays.

You know the drill....get in contact with at least one current teacher. Ask the school for an email or qq number or anything just be sure you eventually get them on the phone.

[zactherat]

the thing is with first tier cities: yes, you can live fine on 1000 yuan per week (after your apt is taken care of) if you really want to stick to wet markets and noodle shops, but the problem is that you are surrounded by temptations, and scores of people rich enough to be enjoying them - this kind of perspective doesn't exactly favor job satisfaction or a general feeling of fulfillment. I've done the first tier city thing. A lot of money slipped through my fingers and although I had a lot of fun, I became increasingly bitter towards people saying I was 'just' a teacher, and didn't have a proper job. It's no fun being at the bottom of the food chain.

If you're looking at under 10k per month, I'd recommend looking at tier 2 and 3 cities.

[fat_chris]

[mnguy29]

I agree completely with zac!!

[JZer]

[GreatApe]

I agree with the comments about temptation, cost of living and expense when it comes to calculating how much (or how little) you really make living and working in China or how much you could save in Beijing.

Personally, I've never worked in Beijing, but I don't think I would accept the contract in the OP because the salary's too low, IMO. I worked in Huizhou, Guangdong in 2010 at a Language Mill and made 6,500 RMB at a job with similar hourly requirements and basically the same qualification demands.

I cannot imagine anyone could save money living and working in Beijing on 7,500 RMB a month. I don't think I could do it in Shenzhen ... I KNOW I couldn't do it in Hong Kong. And neither of those cities is Beijing. I may be wrong, but I think it would be extremely difficult.

--GA

[fat_chris]

[NoBillyNO]

I too think of the pay being too low (even with the bennies)(my advice first and foremost is to consider the money and only the money) but sometimes when positioning oneself for the next employment it is better to look at potential earnings. For example if I had the choice between Beijing and a lessor city on the same pay level, I would choose Beijing due to the entertainment value available as well as females of a more advanced nature. I would also choose Beijing due to the availability of connecting to another type of employment or even advancing to a university franchise job which would pay in a western currency. I think it pays to sometimes...and I cannot stress the word "sometimes" more....to think outside the ESL box. I do date often having never been married and most of the time dates cost little to nothing (a Russian girl I date has let me buy her coffee all of one time) and with the availability of places that are cheap-2-free, to go, such as 798 art park and the hutongs off-of Ghost street, inexpensive get-always, the mountains nearby with bus routes leading to small towns and villages, chump-change and women are of little worry, unless you substitute money for "game".

[Bat_Guano]

Thanks for the replies... all in all, I suspect you are right, or at least in the right direction of right, that is maybe completely right for the average bear and at least somewhat right for me. I do have more than two years of teaching experience, so with the additional 1000 per month the salary would be almost 9000 / month, and free housing plus utilities included would take care of the biggest concern and expense of living there. As far as temptations and money out, well I dunno... I'm not a yogi or saint or any other type of ascetic, but I'm not a party boy either and my tastes and needs are fairly simple and inexpensive. In the ten months I spent in a tiny unknown town in Xinjiang, the only temptations I regularly gave in to, besides basically eating to stay alive, were cigarettes and beer, both of which are extremly cheap there and wouldn't be that much more in Beijing as long as I don't drink in bars and clubs, right? plus I don't drink anything near what I used to, for several reasons and it is a situation I'm pretty content with. I would want to eat Westerny food sometimes yes, but not necessarily in trendy or expensive restaurants and I don't have a burning need to "go out and spend money" more than say, two or three times a month... but yes, I understand "resisting temptation" is a different thing in a half-horse town in the middle of the desert and in Beijing.

A couple of posters mentioned dating and girls. ("women of a more advanced nature"... yes, I do believe I understand what you mean). While I am not theoretically opposed to such activities, the situation has been somewhat complicated by my marriage a little more than a year ago, rendering them somewhat inappropriate in my case... yes that means i have two mouths to feed, as my wife is Indonesian and unlikely to be working outside of that domain. And we are trying to make a bairn, so far with no result for all our efforts (I always thought it was so easy) but if successful that will be another big factor in the expense budgey.

I think the realistic upshot here is that with my / our mindset and fiscal temperament and under the salary conditions I quoted, it would be possible to not only survive there but also to save at least a little; but I require a situation where we can save more than "just a little", and for that I think the advice about second and third tier cities or else a higher salary is probably on-the-spot... thanks again to all for the advice.

[ecubyrd]

Just a little perspective on living in first tier cities (Shanghai in my case). My first job (left that one within months) paid roughly 16000rmb with housing allowance included. I was single then and got the downtown, desirable high-rise apt, went out a bunch with co-workers, blah blah. I saved next to nothing. Fast forward to now where I'm married to a C national, moved a little away from the city center (apt is much bigger and nicer imo-I pay rent here as my school gives me 5000rmb towards housing), and don't go out so much. I still buy anything I want; just don't need so much now that I'm settled. I also make a good bit more in salary now (and, yes, the package is 10x better to me than the old job), so it is much easier to save. I'm looking to save about $2000 a month this year. If you want to live like you did wherever you are from, then first tier cities will drain your $.

If your housing is included and you are grounded as you say, then 2nd-3rd tier cities should be good for you.