Job Discussion Forums

[madscotsman]

I am looking at moving to Shanghai to teach in the near future and would like to know what i should be aiming for in terms of salary as i have no previous experience of working in China. Some places are offering 8,000RMB a month while others are offering 13,000+. Would you be able to have a good standard of living on 13,000? e.g a couple nights out a week and a good standard of shared accomodation.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[u24tc]

If you tell us a bit more about yourself, qualifications, experience, etc it would help.

Thanks

[Anda]

From what I understand 8,000 RMB is for no degree and you have to pay for you own accommodation. 12,000 and above is for a degree plus experience. You can get up to 18,000 if you have all the paperwork and experience along with ability.

You will find that you have lots of competition if you are applying for a good job and they will laugh you out the door with no track record.

Do a search on "public schools English teaching Shanghai" and see what you can find. This will give you a start into ESL and they will most likely give you a Chinese co-teacher / assistant.

[madscotsman]

I have recently gained my CELTA but other than that have no previous TEFL experience. I have a degree and have held several management positions in large companies so I would ideally like to specialise in Business English. Based on this do you think it would be too much to ask for say 13,000 RMB. Would that allow me to have a good standard of living? I don't really intend on doing any saving at all. My only intention is to have a rewarding job and enjoy what China has to offer in my free time.

[Anda]

You can post your resume here on Dave's ESL for free and see if you get a bite huh? Leave yourself a bit more open however than Shanghai if you want to experience China and not just another modern Asian city. Advertise that you can teach business management for in company training as well as this could open up a door perhaps.


http://www.eslcafe.com/jobs/wanted/#PostMessage

For a city like Shanghai a reasonable apartment will run you from 3,000 RMB to 4,500 RMB for something decent so keep this in mind when you look at job offers. The accommodation is about ten times more expensive in Shanghai than the city where I live. Most jobs here in China offer accommodation free but not so much in the big cities so they have to pay more otherwise our lot couldn't afford to work there for them. In general you will tend to have to spend a lot more getting about in a big city than a small city.

Now you can sit down at home and have a quality beer for less than 5 RMB or pay from something like 10 to 40 RMB for the same beer depending on the type of place you choose to buy and drink at. Now if you start knocking back beer quickly at 40 RMB a bottle then you will be broke pretty quick smart on the wages here. Everything depends on your lifestyle.

[eslstudies]

You really need to consider things like hours worked [both how many and when] and benefits offered. 25-30 in a language school mostly at night and on weekends, with the possibility of office hours thrown in would probably see you making a decent salary but having a fairly miserable time.
On the other hand, a university position will pay much less, but you'll teach for half the time, have no office hours, and get housing or an allowance to rent privately. 3000 is a start for something decent, though in the outer suburbs prices are lower.. There's well paid private side work in SH, particularly in the business area.
Look at the whole package, otherwise you're comparing apples and pears.

[HunanForeignGuy]

Thank you very much to both Anda and to ESLStudies for bringing a reality check to the OP's question.

I was a little taken aback when I read the statement about whether or not RMB 13,000 is an adequate salary for a complete newbie to the profession in Shanghai and who stated purportedly that he had no TESL experience nor training. I wasn't even sure if the question was genuine or perhaps just a trolling through the forum.

Firstly, no questions about it - -the Shanghai market is tight and salaries in Shanghai have not gone increased visibly but some instances have actually decreased. In one previous thread, and please correct me if I am wrong, ESLStudies actually mentioned that the university where he was employed is now paying less than it did previously. I hear this from other sources and friends in Shanghai also.

EF Shanghai is offering around RMB 9,500 - RMB 10,500 per month from what I hear but like another poster wrote, that is a lot of hours and still you would need to pay for housing out of that amount of money after taxes, yet.

I think that perhaps the OP's expectations are exceptionally, shall we say, very high and I would tend to agree with the two posters that I have mentioned in terms of where the reality of the situation probably is.

There are two questions here actually -- what is a high-end salary in Shanghai these days for an ESLer -- a question that I cannot answer, and the second question which is perhaps the real question of the OP -- what is the average salary that he might expect with his background and qualifications.

[u24tc]

To OP,
One thing I must say - and I say it to all that ask - is not to expect 'too much' when you have no previous experience in China or in that specific field.

If it is enough to get by and have a 'normal' standard of living, take it.

I see too many people on this site expecting extremely high salaries with no real background to allow for it.

[eslstudies]

[eslstudies]

[james s]

...

[China.Pete]

"Would you be able to have a good standard of living (in Shanghai) on 13,000?" - Mad Scotsman

Well, yes. But I wouldn't expect to just step off the boat and walk into such a job. For that kind of pay a school might want to talk with your references and even see a demonstration of your teaching abilities. So, if you lack relevant teaching experience, you may already be out of luck. That leaves you looking optimistically at closer to half to two-thirds of the above quoted pay packet for a respectable contract job outside of the language mills.

As others have noted, a major factor in cost of living in Shanghai will be housing. If you are expected to supply your own, this will cost you 2,500 RMB per month, at a bare minimum. The school may include some such amount as a "housing allowance." That consideration aside, it is indeed possible to live comfortably on such salaries, provided you take public transportation, cook meals at home, and generally live like people do in large cities all over the world.

[arioch36]

What are the details? 12,000 in Shanghai teaching 24 hours nights and weekends, providing your own accomodation? Taking taxis here and there?

4,500 a month, 14 hours at a uni three weekdays, in a nice quiet flat, working on the side as you feel?

Busting your butt, constantly travelling to different business locations, no real security, all hours, but pulling 20,000 plus?
Eat and run eat and run?

Living like a westerener in China 100 yuan mamahuhu de laowan fan?, or mixing with then natives for some great 20 yaun food? 20 yuan Budwiser, or (at the Beijing university canteen) 2-4 yuan good loacal draft beer half pints

comparing apples and oranges with no details

PS, I won't mention those lucky SOB's pulling in the big bucks working normal hours at a truly foreign school. I AM NOT JEALOUS! I AM HAPPY AT MY HENAN UNIVERSITY! I AAM!

[nickpellatt]

I cant comment on Shanghai as I have never even visited there...but if you are prepared to look further afield and try other towns and cities...you may find lots of work and a pretty decent lifestyle on far less money.

I work for only 3300 a month, share a FREE four bedroom house on campus with one other teacher (no travel costs to work), and work around 10-12 hours a week maximum, as well as having over 3 months paid holiday a year.

Cost of living where I am? That 600ml beer at home is 2.5 yuan, and the most expensive beer out is 10 yuan in a nightclub.

Food? eat with the locals for 2-3 yuan, or eat at a tasty restaurant for between 12 - 20 yuan.

I always eat out...never cook.

I hit the clubs twice a week, and smoke and drink whenever I fancy.

I have also joined the health club in the local 5* hotel, so can work out and relax at the swimming pool whenever I fancy.

I still have enough money to save....not a lot, but enough to fund one travel trip once a year.

Dont restrict yourself to shanghai, beijing or just the bigger cities....its a big old country and theres lots of decent places to try.