Job Discussion Forums

[Itsme]

Take a hypothetical situation.

There is job A with 10 vacancies. 20 teachers apply for the job. 10 teachers know that 100 RMB per hour is too low and want 200. The other 10 are fresh off the plane without doing any research and are told that 30 RMB is a really good price. They take it.

So which teachers will the job take???

Now. What if 10 teachers asked for 800 RMB per hour and the other 10 asked for 400 RMB per hour???

What if all 20 teachers demanded 800 RMB per hour? Then perhaps the jobs would start taking into consideration other things such as teaching ability and experience as opposed to seeing which person they can hire for the least amount of money?

How many topics do you see with people asking what a good salary is? How many topics do you see with people telling others what they make???

[tirelesstravelerasia]

I see where you've tried to start this topic up in at least one other thread - and it seems no one is game! I think maybe it's hard to say what I'd 'have to have' or what I feel is fair. It depends on a lot of variables - how convenient the location is, how many students in the room, availability of materials, age of students, whether it's conversation, IELTS, Business English, what perks go with the job -- and on and on and on. Maybe this is why no one is willing to jump on the bandwagon.

In the States, language school ESL stuff pays 15-20 bucks and hour, sometimes a bit more in Boston or NY. These jobs have no benefits, no housing, etc. Rent starts at a grand a month and only goes higher from there. Comparatively, making 120-160 yuan an hour here, tax free, 1500 yuan apartments and 5 yuan lunches -- is a heck of a deal. Provided you're willing to work a 20 hour week, you should be able to live comfortably on this wage range, even put a bit back.

People with absolutely no experience and no real interest in teaching but are here for cultural / language reasons -- well that's what those 3500 yuan a month uni jobs are for.

There is work out there that pays a lot more - twice or three times as much by the hour. Usually, there are a few requirements that go along with these jobs -- advanced quals, lots of specific teaching experience, a lot more marking / record-keeping / office hours - you get the picture.

Or the job is short-term; several times I've been offered a VERY generous hourly rate for 3 hrs a week or so for maybe a month. You have to think about how much you'll end up with at the end of the month and balance that against what you'd make if you accepted a lower hourly rate but a guarantee of many more hours.

You've got to think about your quality of life when taking a job -- why did you come to China? If you want to teach 25 to 30 hours a week, put in 20 office hours a week, and still mark essays on the weekend - you should be very well compensated for it - but you won't have much time to pursue other interests.