Job Discussion Forums

[suzeyski]

Is it normal for a Jr High in China to tell you that you will only be receiving 50% of your salary during the summer vacation months?

[Alien abductee]

[roadwalker]

[kev7161]

a. My school pays me half salary for July and August and I need do absolutely NO work for that pay.

b. When I was working for them over the summer, I always negotiated for extra "bonus" pay on top of the half salary.

Question: Are you doing any work for them over the summer or is this essentially "free" money?

[Shroob]

If you were returning to the school I'd negotiate for full salary. It's been the standard for my contracts and the people I knew.

[Capt Lugwash]

I get paid every month provided I am returning for another year. There are contracts out there which specify no or reduced pay for spring festival etc.

You need to weigh up whether the normal salary you will receive will compensate sufficiently before accepting such a deal.

[jimpellow]

Actually I am a little confused. Are they keeping half the salary to help ensure a return of the teacher, or are they paying half the normal salary? I have heard of both in the ESL field though along the lines of the second is more the norm.

It is probably normal that a position is initially budgeted for a teacher to receive full pay, but somewhere along the line someone found it an easy way to skim said salary.

[Alien abductee]

A lot of contracts here are only 10.5 months, running from 1 Sept to mid-July. If you sign a new contract with the same school it'll start again on 1 Sept, so for a six week period over the summer you're technically not under contract. Any money, full salary or otherwise, paid over that period is really just free money.

[Capt Lugwash]

Or perhaps because they don't have to spend money advertising and/or paying an agent plus splashing out money on documentation for a new teacher to come over.

Free money? Really? The wages are kept artificially low so they can laud the fringe benefits.

[Capt Lugwash]

As long as I renew every year I am paid every single month. Artificially low?

Perhaps you can explain then why the CTs have had a decent pay rise during my 4 year tenure while the FT's have not? I am intrigued.

[kungfuman]

Count me as lucky - Get full salary 12 months a year even though we get about 3 1/2 months vacation a year.

Makes it hard to leave the job.

[Alien abductee]

[buravirgil]

I have trouble with the phrase free money because the interpretation seems to be no classes=no work but a character of EFL positions has always been related to the travel and displacement involved. It's an interpretation convenient to bean counters and I'm averse to it.

A year's contract is typical because it is traditional and fiscal and accomodates all the challenges of bureaucracy and settling a guest worker. Having traveled around the world, I am not responsible for a nation's holidays. I've made myself available for a year and an expectation of compensation is reasonable.

When I hear about ten month contracts, I shudder at the notion they might find acceptance and why I've bothered to take issue with a terming of free money.

[Capt Lugwash]

Not an unexpected reply I have to confess. I am guessing you are not at a state school.

I have been here 4 years and just signed for my fifth. The other English chap has just signed up for his 6th year and the French teacher for his third.

Maybe we are not worth it because we show no commitment.

[GoEastOldMan]

It doesn't sound like that bad of a deal.