Job Discussion Forums

adrianmark · Joined: 24 Mar 2008 Posts: 64

I live in Beijing and currently earn 200 RMB (20 euros) an hour. 20 Euros an hour is also the going rate in Madrid per hour yet it's three times as expensive as Beijing.

Why is the hourly rate in Madrid so crap and why is it possible for me to earn the same hourly rate in Beijing as I'd get in Madrid?

I so don't get this. Answers on a postcard, please.

Moore · Joined: 25 Aug 2004 Posts: 730 Location: Madrid

Pretty much everywhere in the world pays better than Madrid: it's not a place to come to make money, but it is a truly excellent place to live and go out: "de Madrid al cielo" and all that

_________________________________________________________________________
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jonniboy · Posted: Tue Sep 22, 2009 7:05 pm Post subject:

Simple supply/demand. Spain has always been one of the most popular destinations for English teachers - who couldn't love the great weather, food and festivals? Unfortunately Spain has also been seriously lax when it comes to illegal immigrants and has often turned a blind eye to Americans teaching under the counter. If you have undocumented workers like that willing to work for less than the going rate then it drives down the wages for everyone.

SirKirby · Joined: 03 Oct 2007 Posts: 261 Location: Barcelona, Spain

It's hardly fair to blame the Americans for that!

I can think of LOTS of schools that never employ anyone from outside the EU and yet they still pay the same wages (which are well above Spain's minimum, and well above the average workers wages in Spain).

More likely, historically, the teaching profession in Spain has been poorly paid.

spiral78 · Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 11534 Location: On a Short Leash

Europe in general simply pays less than Asia for English teachers. It's not just Spain.

jonniboy · Posted: Wed Sep 23, 2009 10:23 am Post subject:

Moore · Joined: 25 Aug 2004 Posts: 730 Location: Madrid

Spain has a word "mileurista" - literally, a person who earns 1000 euros net per month. In "El Pais" today there was an article saying that over fifty percent of Spanish workers were mileuristas. That basically describes Tefl teachers here, who earn roughly 1500 per month over 8 months per year, making an average of 1000 per month.

It's nothing really to do with the Americans being here: if they were all banned tomorrow wages would not change because clients would still not prepared to pay more for classes. There are teaching jobs for EU passport holders that are simply not open to Americans, but they don't really pay much more either.

_________________________________________________________________________
...Jobs and language exchanges in Madrid, Barcelona, Berlin, Paris, Milan, Rome, Lisbon, Porto and Buenos Aires... www.lingobongo.com

...send your c.v. around ALL the schools in Madrid, Barcelona, Berlin, Paris, Milan, Rome, Lisbon, Porto and Buenos Aires... www.lingobongo.com/cvsender/

spiral78 · Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 11534 Location: On a Short Leash

There are very few illegal teachers in, say, Germany or the Netherlands. Wages aren't significantly better.

elliot_spencer · Joined: 26 Feb 2007 Posts: 495

�20 an hour is good stuff! Here in Italy it's lower. I live on one of the Italian islands in a city with la repubblica said was most expensive city in Italy in terms of day to day living and the going hourly rate is about �12, (I was in Madrid this summer and it's cheaper than Cagliari where I am) if you look to cities in the south including Naples that drops to sometimes �8 an hour. If you go to Rome then you're looking at �18 before tax. And, guess what... Italy is NOT cheap... I think it's one of the most expensive places to live in Europe. I was in the UK last Christmas and shocked how much cheaper it was... OK, in the UK etc you can fine dine for �200 per head in London but aside from that... Italy is cheap for pizza and wine (depending where you go) but bills esp water and electricity are ridiculous high!! Also, for things like clothes and food... IN the UK if you don't have a lot of money you can go to Aldi or primark etc, but those simply do not exist here!

I used to live in Taiwan and made �1600 in the bank and I had a good life, but I gave it up to come back to Europe. Now I earn �1200 and well, my life is the complete opposite to my life in Asia.. I much preferred my life there and the spending power! So, why did I come back to make less.. well, it wasn't to learn how to survive with �5 in my pocket a week until pay day... although it seems that way and it wasn't as Asia is too far.. to be honest, travelling to London from Taiwan was easier than from here and I could afford it more!

It was that, I couldn't see myself living in Asia forever.. It's hard, unless you marry an Asian there is no way you can stay forever, even if you wanted the Asian governments make it almost impossible. Also, I stared thinking, what would be next after Asia....!

I would like to say one day I will go back, but who knows. I need to start making roots and as a single man it's hard in Asia.