Job Discussion Forums

[Roger]

If you are not an idealist, then teaching is not good for you - or you are not good for teaching!
Yes, sometimes I can make a lot of money, and the temptation to burn some of it grows almost proportionately. Back in my second year in China, going to a McDonald's was quite a financial challenge!
This month, however, has been rather good from an income point of view! Here is how it has gone so far:

1)
Regular income: Main job 4000 RMB (a little less, in point of fact, but the "little less" is more than compensated for by various freebies that others don't get!);
time input: 9 hours (18 periods, oops: Corrected, now 16 periods spread over 5 weekday mornings);

2)
First secondary job: Corporate client, 3 afternoons a week, three hours each time, at 150 RMB;
that's 36 hours that pay 6400 RMB every month;
yes, I pay 20% tax on this income (because the corporation is a foreign-owned business, and foreigners are the preferred taxpayers as yet);

3)
Second secondary job: Practise English with primary school pupils on weekends. Six hours on Saturday, 3 hours on Sunday, at 100 RMB an hour, that's 3600 RMB (or more if the month has more than 4 Saturdays or Sundays);

4)
I still have Monday and Tuesday afternoons and evenings off. For some time, I was seeing a private student for two hours an evening. She only agreed to paying 60 RMB per hour (although she drives a BMW, and her husband drives another car!), but I never regretted this as she was not only very smart and in many ways unconventional - she showered gifts upon me, for example on day one, she brought a 200 RMB fruit basket;

5)
A former student contacted me to enlist my help in manning his company's stand at a trade fair! You know how important connections are, so you oblige!
I negotiated double my regular salary of my regular job after I had secured our principal's gracious permission to take leave for one week, I sacrifice one week's basic pay), plus I demanded that I be allowed to leave early from the trade fair so that I could take care of my corporate client and others - and I got both these requests granted.

Thus, I made well over 14'000 RMB. There were absolutely no overheads to pay - all trips to the trade fair and to the corporate client were by limousine, (the corporate client is still my client). All lunches and dinners were free. During the trade fair, I requested - and this request was graciously granted - to eat outside (not like my Chinese colleagues who ate their food from polystyrene boxes in the presence of hundreds of fair visitors). My employer gave me 20 kuai to spend as I saw fit.

But, was it worth my time and troubles? Not sure about this!
It was a week devoted entirely to making money. I had to get up at 6 every day, 7 days a week, and returned home at 8 p.m. from my teaching job at the corporation, or 6 p.m. from the trade fair and from my weekend job.
I barely had time to read the newspaper in our estate library and to soak myself in the sauna! Worse still, I had absolutely no time for my favourite pastimes like long-distance running, playing a round of chess at home, reading in that novel, Olivia and Jai by Rebecca Ryman, nor to cook dinner for myself and enjoy it with a glass of Bordeaux!

I am really, really looking forward to seeing my kindergarten darlings tomorrow, and a more leisurely lifestyle!
Money - thanks, but only so much!

[whitjohn]

And a wonderful lesson in free enterprise!! Those who are smart about it and work hard succeed. Good for you Roger.

[wOZfromOZ]

Good on you Roger. You earned it and deserve it mate.

If you're qualified and display competance and diligence, as you no doubt can , you can make a difference in people's lives. ( and earn a few bucks and look forward to the Hols.)

wOZfromOZ

[MartinK]

...

[davis]

Roger. I have mixed feelings about your post.
First..I commend your work ethic and feel that you are a good example of how it's possible to make contacts and money too
Second...All work and no play can make Roger a dull boy
At present my primary pays 4000 rmb for 18 hours teaching and I work at home on the internet about 2 hours a day and make 2000 rmb. Not rich but comfy

[Roger]

Dear Davis,
I see eye to eye with you over the ratio of work to recreational activities!
I also think 4000 RMB is a decent salary, and if you can add another 2000 for 2 hours a day that's perfect.
I posted my experience primarily because we have seen so many posts here of people bragging how they can make 14 K and save it all.
I think teaching is a job for people who can strike the right balance between time on the job and time away from their place of work but still, perhaps, be involved with their work. It is a lifestyle question. If you are not relaxed enough you can't deliver enough. I can't work more than 5 hours a day, because teaching is a lot more demanding than moving furniture or tending to vines (I have done both these jobs, and they require up to 12 hours of hard physical labour a day).

The classes I had were extremely different from one another, thus making it impossible to recycle lessons. The most exacting classes were, you guessed it! - with the employees of that German-owned factory!
Today, to my pleasant surprise, their FAO emailed me good news: The lessons held last week - the busiest week ever! - were "the best so far".
Well, nothing spurs you on more than an honest and positive appraisal! You don't often hear that your students are totally happy with you! You are more likely to hear bad feedback.
This good news puts me in the mood to try to satisfy them again this week, which should be a lot easier now that I have a more relaxed timetable!

[davis]

I'm glad your bosses were good enough to say you did well. Way to go. Our school had a teacher's meeting today and word came down that all the students like the foreign teachers and their classes very much....but...they don't want to learn so many new words...go figure. On the other hand I'm thinking about adding a private class of 5 adults at home. 1 hour classes,twice a week. Just not sure if I want that extra commitment. Nice to have opportunities though.

[Roger]

Dear Davis,
but that's how it usually starts out! Take those private students - it's a lot more fun to teach self-paying, better-motivated learners than those who waste their time at a school that Daddy pays for.

And a tidbit of advice: Make them take 2 hours at a time!
And, have them pay upfront. This ensure that they are going to respect their engagement to you much more!
Give them no discounts for coming late, or not showing up at all!
I made a good living this way for quite some time!

[davis]

Roger. Thanks for the advice. I'll make sure everything's up front and no discounts. To be honest though I' m not sure I'd be as effective doing 2 hour classes. My thoughts were to have 2 lessons a week,with about 15 minutes for review at the beginning of each class. I suppose I could go 90 minutes per class. I suppose I'll have to just see how it progresses. If everyone is comfortable and the time seems too short maybe I can bump it up to 2 hours. Anyway,thanks for the post...I feel a little more motivated toward making the commitment.