Job Discussion Forums

[goldhair]

I was wondering what the average monthly/yearly salary in China was for a teacher.

[eslstudies]

Chinese teacher or native English speaker?
Public school, private school, language mill?
Tertiary, secondary, elementary, kindergarten, corporate training?
How many classroom hours, 12 or 40?

Depending on answers to the above, you are looking at a range between 600-20,000 RMB a month.

[brsmith15]

Gold One,

Your question is a bit too broad and there has been mountains of past posts.

So much depends on

Location: You're paid more in the big cities because the COL is high. Less in the rural areas.

Your education: No degree, BA, MA, PhD The more the higher.

Your teaching experience and types of courses taught.

Any certificates you might hold like TEFL and that breed.
School: Private, public, language mill, university

Number of hours: can run from 12 to 50.

Other benefits offered: apartment provided gratis, airfare reimbursed, medical coverage.

Whether the school is operating legally or not - - many aren't.
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To give you a range, ESL teachers with a BA and some experience, teaching in a big city at a legal private school can expect 4,000 - 8,000 RMB a month (7.78 RMB = $1.00US) with an apartment or an apartment allowance. You'd probably teach 20-30 hours a week. The language mills like EF often have you toiling 50+ hours.

Professional teachers with an MA or PhD and experience who teach at a large university and offer courses in law, accounting (me!), management, economics might expect from 12,000 to 45,000 a month.

[lostinasia]

While I agree with the need for more details, let's not go off on the original poster. He asked a simple question that CAN in fact be answered.

He asked what the AVERAGE salary in CHINA is ... simple definition and math could provide that answer.

[eslstudies]

[lostinasia]

I don't know and don't care. I care about my job and its salary. As an example, I work in Shandong. I make 2800 RMB above the average Provincial salary. While there is an huge range in China-wide salary structures, the question was what it was.

[brsmith15]

O.K., the average is 3,875.29 yuan with a standard deviation of 371.07 yuan. Can anyone prove me wrong?


Wanna know the danger in using averages and only averages? EXAMPLE: If your head is in the deep freeze and your butt is in a heated over, on the average you're comfortable.

[william wallace]

....and 6 Fen.

[Anda]

Ah, but does the average 3,875.29 yuan with a standard deviation of 371.07 yuan along with the addition of 6 Fen also include accommodation, airfares, school meals for next to nothing, free utilities, 12 weeks of paid holidays, medical costs, in country travel supplement etc? If not then what are the average conditions as they are part of the wage agreement?

[james s]

...

[dw1030]

[in_asia_bill]

I think the average down here in Shenzhen is around 10,000 RMB a month for a standard TEFL job. But people I meet here who work at International schools usually earn between 20,000 and 30,000 RMB a month. At first I was sceptical when I bumped into these people at bars and the like, but then I saw their payslips. I had no idea you could earn a western salary whilst living and working in CHina. No wonder some people are so happy here! I don't think I'd even notice the pushing, shouting, stealing, lying, and other objectionable habits of the Chinese if I was banking that sort of cash. I have a good life here in Shenzhen on 9,500 RMB, but I spend all my salary every month. It would be nice to earn enough so I could save on a western scale, too. My G/F has just secured a job for next school year at a secondary school in HK (she has a PGCE) and she is starting on $33,000 HK a month, and that's with 3 months of school holidays a year. Also her income will increase every year to reflect the growing experience. My plan accordingly is to get a PGCE and then work over there with her. A joint income of $50,000 or $60,000 HK a month would go down quite nicely.

I just don't understand why the wages in CHina are so low, especially since prices are going off the scale. I was in HK last week to see the school my G/F will be teaching at and, as it is in the countryside near the border the prices are the same as here in Shenzhen, and some things are cheaper! We had lunch in a small local Cantonese-style restaurant (at last I found spring rolls, prawn balls, chow mein, and sweet and sour sauce in China!) and it came to $45 HK for both of us. The same food here in Shenzhen (if you are lucky enough to find it) would cost about 100 RMB each.

Wages and salaries in China have to increase or the country will just end up with monkeys and muppets.

[Cognition]

A joint income of around $50,000 a month might seem a lot, and I suppose it is to someone coming from China, but for westerners in HK that would be quite low. Remember the minimum income on the NET scheme is $30,000 a month. I'm in HK and most NETs I know here are typically on $40-$50,000 a month and so those who are married will have a joint income of around $80,000 or $90,000 a month. Outside of the NET scheme qualified teachers can earn even more. During the summer I met two nice teachers who were married and who had both just completed 30 years with ESF. They had both finished on $80,000 a month and had been enjoying a joint income of $160,000 a month for the past decade or so. As part of their original deal signed back in the 70s each got a tax-free bonus at the end of their teaching career with ESF of one month's final salary for each three year period worked. They each had a final salary of $80,000 and had each done 30 years so, $80,000 x 10 = $800,000 HK. They both got their cheques (which they had forgotten about) on the same day. They said that the unexpected cheques totalling $1.6M were 'a real shot in the arm'!

[Mydnight]

I think Keith Goldhair sounds like some Chinese dude trying to open a training center. Looking for ideas about what you should pay your FT?



Yearly income of about 10000000000, yep.

heh