Job Discussion Forums

seebeauty · Joined: 30 Sep 2007 Posts: 4

Hola! I'm currently a high school Spanish teacher in the states with 4 years of experience at the secondary level (public schools) I also taught English in Paraguay for 6 months. My degree is BSed Spanish, secondary ed with an ESL endorsement, MA in curriculum and instruction. I'm thinking about China because I've heard I can make some money there and the cost of living is so low. I was considering Shanghai, or surrounding areas. I don't want to go to S.Korea, but need to make some CASH so i can travel. Taiwan also an option, anyone have input? Gracias!

eslstudies · Joined: 17 Dec 2006 Posts: 1061 Location: East of Aden

Well, I made 10,000 renmimbi yuan per month in Shanghai, and saved 6-7,000 of it, so it can be done: with supplied housing and utilities of course! And I wasn't living on rice and 2 Y beer either.

kungfucowboy83 · Joined: 25 Jan 2006 Posts: 479

depends on how you want to live. In qingdao it's pretty easy to live comfortably on 2000/3000rmb outside of rent/ utilities wich will likely be picked up by your school, and if you really wanted to you could live off of 400 (not saying i would want to but you could) but you can easily spend 6000+ without even thinking about it. far easier to spend money in a bigger city but if you are in a smaller or poorer city/area there may be nothing to spend it on.

william wallace · Joined: 14 May 2003 Posts: 2869 Location: in between

blah blah

william wallace · Joined: 14 May 2003 Posts: 2869 Location: in between

AussieGuyInChina · Joined: 23 Nov 2006 Posts: 403

Among the tens of thousands of jobs available throughout China each September and the lesser number (20%?) available in February, are a handful that pay US$2,000, or better. Combined with free accommodation, medical expense insurance and annual airfare allowance, and considered against the background of a very low (general) cost of living, savings potential is probably far greater than in the US.

From what you have stated, you have the qualifications and experience to secure one of the better paying positions.

Don't start applying for jobs until you're actually ready to go.

Be patient and don't allow the exoticism of teaching in China to cloud your judgment. Keep telling yourself that you're worth top dollar and you're not going to sell yourself short.

Stick with the big cities; basically, the large provincial capitals only. Don't limit you're earning potential by selecting only one city.

Good luck!

kev7161 · Joined: 06 Feb 2004 Posts: 5880 Location: Suzhou, China

I manage to send around six, seven hundred USDs home a month so it can be done. I don't live extravegantly, but I do buy what I want when I want it (be it an electronic doo-hickey or western foods, etc.) and seem to be in the black in regards to RMB come next payday. I know my school will need a couple of good, qualified teachers next school year and maybe even sooner. PM me for details.

The_Hanged_Man · Joined: 10 Oct 2004 Posts: 224 Location: Tbilisi, Georgia

As an experienced certified public school teacher you qualify for international school jobs. In China that means from around 15,000 RMB up to around 30,000+ at the first tier schools, which is far more than most ESL people can make. Right now is the start of the recruitment season for the 2008-2009 school year, so take a look at:
http://search-associates.com/ or
http://iss.edu/
These are two major recruitment agencies for international schools. Personally, I will be attending both of their Bangkok job fairs in January.

seebeauty · Joined: 30 Sep 2007 Posts: 4

I appreciate all the responses. To clarify, I will be traveling with my boyfriend and we will be on the round the world mission, i.e. living frugally to save money. Another detail, I ideally only want to work from about July 08 until December 08. Will that make things more difficult to find a job? I'd hate to be dishonest about my intentions and commit to more than that and then leave them without a teacher...

The_Hanged_Man · Joined: 10 Oct 2004 Posts: 224 Location: Tbilisi, Georgia

Ah. Yes, you can forget about international schools then. They typically require a 1 or 2 year contract.

eslstudies · Joined: 17 Dec 2006 Posts: 1061 Location: East of Aden

kev7161 · Joined: 06 Feb 2004 Posts: 5880 Location: Suzhou, China

Well, your timeline is crucial information you had omitted when seeking our advice - - so, yeah, a language mill is probably the best you can hope for and the pay there is usually not so great (low pay with high hours), so good luck!

jammish · Joined: 17 Nov 2005 Posts: 1704

Even if you aren't 'certified' (we say qualified in the UK, I hate the word 'certified' as it reminds me of the term 'certifiable' which basically means insane!), you can save money on even an average salary, assuming you aren't in one of the really expensive megacities like Shanghai.

In Wuhan I made 5000 RMB a month, but the hours were low enough that I made roughly 3000 more from extras. 100 RMB a day is plenty to live on IMVHO - if a group of you go to a decent restaurant, it will work out to about 20 RMB a head. For 100 a day you could therefore go to a restaurant every evening and maybe even have a coffee in starbucks in the morning. There seem to be two extremes touted on these forums, one of 'living like a Chinese person' and the other of spending all one's salary on western stuff. I tend to get a balance between the two.

So, I lived off that 3000 I made from extras and saved the 5000 RMB each month. That may not be a fortune but it's a decent sum to be able to put away. Of course, the sky's the limit with International Schools, but since most people on here aren't 'certified' teachers, we'll leave those to one side for now.

william wallace · Joined: 14 May 2003 Posts: 2869 Location: in between

therock · Joined: 31 Jul 2005 Posts: 1266 Location: China