Job Discussion Forums

[struelle]

Aiya, I replied to a post about this and it replaced my original one on the thread.

Here is the first article about new salary guidelines for teachers in Shanghai

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=407641&type=Metro

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FOREIGN teachers at Shanghai's education institutions will make a maximum pre-tax salary of 15,000 yuan (US$2,195.72) a month, according to the latest salary guidelines published by China's foreign experts human resource authority.

Shanghai residents' monthly disposable income was 3,292 yuan last year, according to the city's labor authority.

In the guidelines, the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs categorized the salaries into several levels according to the foreign professionals' education background, work experience and the location of their hiring institutions.

The areas are divided into three classes as A (east coastal developed areas,), B (developing central areas) and C (underdeveloped western areas) based on the levels of local living costs.

For example, the monthly salaries for professors and assistant professors are 6,700 to 15,000 yuan in A class areas, 6,400 to 12,000 yuan in B class areas and 5,800 to 10,000 yuan in C class areas.

Salaries for lecturers or high school teachers with five-years' work experience are 4,200 to 7,600 yuan in A class areas, 4,000 to 7,200 yuan in B class areas and 3,600 to 6,500 yuan in C class areas.

Salaries for college teaching staff or high school teachers with two-years' work experience are 3,500 to 4,800 yuan in A class areas, 3,300 to 4,500 yuan in B class areas and 3,000 to 4,100 yuan in C class areas.

The guidelines are for the reference of both hiring institutions and teachers.

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[donb2222]

Why are you telling taxi drivers how much you earn ???

[struelle]

I don't anymore. Used to tell them in the past, but my stock answer now is that such a question is not polite to ask foreigners.

The whole question of 'how much you earn' with taxi drivers goes nowhere, and I find it either leads to:

a) being overcharged for the ride
b) the driver using subtle shame tactics, saying stuff like I make more in a month than most Chinese people make all year
c) driver asking why I am in China if I could supposedly make even more in my home country
d) driver assuming I save all my salary and saying, wow, you could even buy a house or a car with that. So why haven't you?

It usually goes down that kind of a road, and I'd rather nip such a conversation in the butt before it even starts. Even better, I avoid taxi drivers wherever I can now and use a scooter or bicycle if available.

Steve

[waxwing]

Did I miss something? Is this article saying that all foreign teachers will be paid at least 15K? (I mean it does say "minimum"). Isn't that unbelievable? Pay is usually, what, 4-6K in Unis? I don't get it, what did I miss?

[samhouston]

[waxwing]

Thanks

That was a curious failure of perception I had there .. I read it like three times

[samhouston]

Ha ha, I read it three times too after I read your post to make sure I wasn't also missing something!

[struelle]

Aiya ... I replied to one post and it replaced my original.

Here is the 2nd article about salaries. This one makes more sense, and from what I can tell, these are only guidelines, not definitive upper limites on how much foreign teachers can earn.

What got me upset about the first article was the tone in which it was written, saying that FTs can not make more than 15000 RMB in Shanghai. I was making about that last year at an international school out in the boonies. It was enough to live comfortably, but not able to save much, and I was really trying!!

In fact, I was barely ahead at that job compared to former jobs in Shanghai making less, but living in the city center and not having to pay so much on housing and transport.

What really killed the budget this year was that despite making 15000 RMB, I rented two apartments. One near the boonies where the school was during the week, the other in Shanghai for the weekends. This was still better ahead than staying in hotels during the weekend and spending upwards of 300 RMB for a taxi to go from school to the boonies, I kid you not.


http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=407754&type=Metro

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NEW guidelines have been released on salary levels for foreign teachers employed by China's higher education institutions.

A pre-tax monthly salary of up to 15,000 yuan (US$2,195) for the most experienced teachers in first-tier cities like Shanghai has been suggested in draft guidelines released by the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs.

It is the first time in nearly a decade that the administration has released salary guidelines for full-time foreign teachers working in the nation's universities and colleges.

The previous guidelines were issued in 2000, when the average pre-tax ceiling recommended by the administration for foreign teachers stood at 6,000 yuan a month.

The latest guidelines have for the first time categorized both salaries and teachers in three tiers, covering seniority and specific areas.

"The guidelines were formulated after gathering data across the country," said Huang Weimao, of the international cooperation division of the Shanghai Human Resources and Social Security Bureau.

Huang stressed that the guidelines were for institutions to use as a yardstick and were not mandatory.

The pay rise percentage suggested is almost the same as Shanghai residents' average income increase in the same period. This jumped from 1,295 yuan in 2000 to 3,292 yuan as of last year.

"Taking into account accommodation subsidies or free accommodation, most Shanghai universities surpass the minimum salary levels in each category," said Dong Qi, a former director with Tongji University's foreign affairs division.

In the new guidelines, the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs has categorized salaries into three levels according to the foreign professionals' educational background, experience and the location of institutions.

Three zones - east coastal developed areas, developing central areas and underdeveloped western areas - are identified and levels of local living costs are taken into account.

The monthly salary levels suggested for the three tiers of experience in the east coast zone, covering Shanghai, are 3,500-4,800 yuan a month, 4,200-7,600 yuan a month and 6,700-15,000 a month, respectively.

"Many universities in Shanghai are making their education more globalized, with more lessons taught in English and more foreign professionals involved," Dong said.

The state administration said it welcomed opinions from both teachers and institutions and would modify the draft guidelines accordingly.

[The Great Wall of Whiner]

Just so I got this right:

Is this the government telling the private sector how much they are allowed to maximally pay foreign teachers?

[struelle]