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gonzo84
Joined: 21 May 2015 Posts: 13
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Posted: Fri Aug 14, 2015 11:35 pm Post subject: What is the least amount of money you would accept a month? |
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I worked for a dumpy slave labor place before 5 years ago and was only making 5,500 RMB a month. What is the least amount of money you accept to work in China for personally? |
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Non Sequitur
Joined: 23 May 2010 Posts: 4724 Location: China
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Posted: Sat Aug 15, 2015 4:10 am Post subject: |
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Think 'package'. |
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Jmbf
Joined: 29 Jun 2014 Posts: 663
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Posted: Sat Aug 15, 2015 8:43 am Post subject: |
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The question is a bit vague, different people have different expectations and lifestyles so you are going to get quite varied answers. What works for one might not work for another. Costs of living vary from place to place as well so that also has to be taken into consideration.
With the assumptions of living in a Tier 1 City, living well (means able to go out regularly, enjoy western dining, some travel) and still having enough to save away I would personally expect an absolute min of 20,000 RMB / month. |
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China2
Joined: 04 Jun 2015 Posts: 56
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Posted: Sat Aug 15, 2015 8:55 am Post subject: |
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I would not accepts less than 21,000 a month after tax. However, it also depends on your age, where you are in terms of yr EFL career etc. |
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Jmbf
Joined: 29 Jun 2014 Posts: 663
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Posted: Sat Aug 15, 2015 9:15 am Post subject: |
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Interesting - that's quite a similar response to mine.
Still, 20 - 21K RMB / month doesn't translate into much money back in the western world. Given that max teaching salaries in China top out at around 30,000 RMB / month there's not much room for growth is there? |
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tony87
Joined: 21 Jul 2015 Posts: 43
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Posted: Sat Aug 15, 2015 10:11 am Post subject: |
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I think this all depends on hours of work, surely?
5k + apartment for 12 hours a week with 5 months holiday a year is significantly better hourly wise than 15k, no apartment, 2 weeks holiday a year, for 40 hours a week. |
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Jmbf
Joined: 29 Jun 2014 Posts: 663
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Posted: Sat Aug 15, 2015 10:27 am Post subject: |
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tony87 wrote: |
I think this all depends on hours of work, surely?
5k + apartment for 12 hours a week with 5 months holiday a year is significantly better hourly wise than 15k, no apartment, 2 weeks holiday a year, for 40 hours a week. |
Depends on your point of view. A good hourly rate is important for maintaining a decent work / life balance. But in terms of absolute income and putting away savings for retirement / investment, more is always better right? |
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Aristede
Joined: 06 Aug 2009 Posts: 180
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Posted: Sat Aug 15, 2015 4:12 pm Post subject: |
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China2 wrote: |
I would not accepts less than 21,000 a month after tax. |
The only catch being that 5% of the schools are willing to pay it. |
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China2
Joined: 04 Jun 2015 Posts: 56
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Posted: Sat Aug 15, 2015 7:49 pm Post subject: |
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JMBF - I think that is true for EFL as a whole i.e. does not translate into much money in the Western World. If u are looking for a very big salary then don't choose EFL unless u are willing to live and work in the UAE or Qatar...lol |
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Non Sequitur
Joined: 23 May 2010 Posts: 4724 Location: China
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Posted: Sat Aug 15, 2015 8:53 pm Post subject: |
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Frankly I find this an extraordinary thread.
Even dividing the topic into state uni and vocationals and language chains would be a start. |
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Jmbf
Joined: 29 Jun 2014 Posts: 663
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Posted: Sun Aug 16, 2015 6:37 am Post subject: |
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China2 wrote: |
JMBF - I think that is true for EFL as a whole i.e. does not translate into much money in the Western World. If u are looking for a very big salary then don't choose EFL unless u are willing to live and work in the UAE or Qatar...lol |
or Hong Kong  |
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China2
Joined: 04 Jun 2015 Posts: 56
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Posted: Sun Aug 16, 2015 9:30 am Post subject: |
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I was under the impression that u needed PHd to work in EFL in a university in Hong Kong to earn a big salary. What sort of salaries are u talking about? |
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D-M
Joined: 30 Nov 2013 Posts: 114
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Posted: Sun Aug 16, 2015 9:51 am Post subject: |
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Non Sequitur wrote: |
Frankly I find this an extraordinary thread.
Even dividing the topic into state uni and vocationals and language chains would be a start. |
Agree.
My minimum would be 3000 a month, perhaps a touch less.
However, if you were to offer me a job in Beijing, teaching children in a language school which offered evening and weekend work and without accommodation, I would be looking for something in excess of 30,000 per month.
With such a variation in the type of work on offer, and the geographic diversity across a huge country ... its a pointless question.  |
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creeper1
Joined: 24 Aug 2010 Posts: 481 Location: New Taipei City, Taiwan
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Posted: Sun Aug 16, 2015 9:52 am Post subject: |
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China2 wrote: |
I would not accepts less than 21,000 a month after tax. However, it also depends on your age, where you are in terms of yr EFL career etc. |
It's posts like this that give warped ideas about salaries in China.
You would probably need a PhD and work at a top notch international school to earn this.
Most in China are on about 5k and struggling to make ends meet. |
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Jmbf
Joined: 29 Jun 2014 Posts: 663
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Posted: Sun Aug 16, 2015 1:43 pm Post subject: |
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China2 wrote: |
I was under the impression that u needed PHd to work in EFL in a university in Hong Kong to earn a big salary. What sort of salaries are u talking about? |
Not true that you need a PhD to earn decent money in Hong Kong. I believe Hong Kong still has good opportunities for teachers due to the following:
Starting salaries at language centres tend to be in the HKD 15 - 25K per month range. Yes, living costs are high and you will have to work hard and live frugally for a while. After a bit of experience gained this income will rise gradually to a maximum of around HKD 30K per month.
Above that, there is the govt EDB NET scheme which starts at approx HKD 40K and increases to approx HKD 70K per month (including accommodation allowance).
Larger international schools and ESF institutions offer even higher salaries for senior teaching posts.
If you are willing to think long term, after 7 years you will be eligible for Permanent Residency which allows you to work without restriction. With this you can freelance tutor, open up your own language centre, do corporate training etc etc. I know guys in this range (including myself) who earn very decent money (think above HKD 100K per month).
Is any of these easy to do? No.
Will you have to work hard, commit to improving your skill set and make some sacrifices? Yes.
Is it possible to eventually make very good money and have a decent work / life balance. Yes! |
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