Job Discussion Forums

[YAMARI]

I was shocked to see that the university pay is actually going down. 4 years ago 4-5000 was the norm in backwater places and I notice many places are now offering 4000 even in expensive parts of China.

Have the Chinese taken the line that many westerners are out of work and will sign for less.

4000 for a position in 2009 with the current inflation is a joke.

[The Ever-changing Cleric]

I don't think there's any connection between the current higher unemployment rate in places like Canada or the US and a lowering of salaries here in China. If there was, you'd be seeing droves of foreigners arriving here from foreign places, and there would be news articles reporting such an influx/outflow of people. And China would hardly be their first choice I think, more money to be had in ESL in other places. This is a niche job market that will be unaffected by higher unemployment elsewhere.

[wangdaning]

It might be a sign of the untold economic crisis of China.

[Voldermort]

I may be wrong but I feel it has something to do with the minimum wage that the governement enforced on universities some 2 years ago. I noticed many places coming out with the excuse "This is all we can pay because the governemt says so" which of course is hogswallop.

Since the financial "crisis", there has been an increase in the number of foreigners coming to China/wishing to stay on. Just look at the ratio of packpackers to QTs posting on these forums in the last few months. Even in my backwater city, those FT's that were looking forward to going back home this year are now dreading it.

[The Ever-changing Cleric]

[Ariadne]

The difficulties in the housing market have puts loads of people out of work in the US. Buying, selling, building, remodeling.. and all the other businesses that are associated. I have plenty of friends and relatives back home who are scrounging for work. Any work.

.

[waxwing]

[The Ever-changing Cleric]

[eddy-cool]

This college has just signed up its laowai teachers for the new academic year beginning next September. We were sent messages to report to the FAO's office to sign a contract. It didn't sound particularly inviting. Then we were told the new contract will stipulate that our salaires will number 11, down from 12. Allthese news came our way informally.
We were dumbfounded. Nobody signed just then.

The next weekwe wereaskedto cometosign.This timethe contractswere the same as last year. A good salary albeit without a raise. For twelve months.

In Yangshuo, hourly wages have gone down over the past twelve months.
They had never been particularly high. Now they are among the country's lowest.

[GeminiTiger]

Every single year it is the same. Early recruitment is generally for people who return to the same school and for schools to attempt to low-ball new teachers on salaries. A month from now the offers will be better. At this school the salaries range quite a bit for no particular reason other than the ability of the teacher to negotiate a good offer.

[alter ego]

The Polytechnic I'm at recently upped monthly food card benefits from 200 to 300 rmb, but salaries are non-negotiable and remain the same regardless of time of service. At least nothing is going down.

[JGC458]

I recently signed up for my 2nd year at my uni. I didn't even bother trying to renegotiate my salary or contract. This is because I had tried to negotiate the contract for my 1st year and the FAO simply said "Well thanks for applying, maybe we can work together in the future some time". They don't negotiate with lowly oral English FTs at my uni. You accept what they offer or they'll find someone else. And so I accepted coz it's a good uni (good for my CV), the pay and benefits are ok, and most of the students are good - makes life sooo much easier!.

Though I was surprised to find that they raised my salary - a huge 200rmb a month Seems that other FTs who stayed on last year also got a 200rmb/month raise so it's standard. But a female FT teaching a different European langauge only got a 100rmb/month raise. Maybe only FTs teaching English get the 200rmb here. Or only men do...?

[Katja84]

If China was slightly more easily accessible, I definitely think there would be an influx of foreign teachers - at least in the UK it appears that people graduating university this year are extremely pessimistic about getting a graduate-level job (or something remotely interesting) in the UK, especially with graduate positions halved or cut altogether at a lot of major graduate employers. Most people I know aren't even trying to get a job - they reckon they might as well go off to volunteer, travel or do internships while waiting for the UK job market to get back on its feet. If China does not see an influx of recent graduates, it's most likely because of all the bureaucratic obstacles that mean some people prefer to go elsewhere. And the bit in the contract that states you get fined if you leave before the year is up.

[suanlatudousi]

[Katja84]