Job Discussion Forums

seagull · Joined: 12 Jun 2008 Posts: 38 Location: Perth, Australia

Does anyone know why salaries in the Chongqing municipality and Shandong province seem to offer really low salaries compared to elsewhere in China?

I could understand if these areas had a shortage of jobs due to strong demand by foreigners to want to teach there (e.g. like Kunming), but I did not think that either of these two areas (except maybe Qingdao in Shandong) had that much appeal.

It seems difficult to find a university job willing to pay over 4000 RMB a month in either area.

sui jin · Joined: 08 Feb 2008 Posts: 184 Location: near the yangtze

Don't know about Chongqing, but Shandong (save Qingdao) is a poor province, so prices and salaries are lower. Places like Tai'an are noticably less developed than cities in neighbouring Jiangsu. Rizhao however is an attractive modern city.

jeahbaby · Joined: 27 Mar 2009 Posts: 31

I worked in Chonqing for 2 years and always got paid 7000 rmb and that was in 2002 so I dont know why your getting such low offers today. I taught for businesses and private companies and even some public shools there paid me 2000 a week. Check around and see what you can find.

The Great Wall of Whiner · Joined: 29 Jan 2003 Posts: 4946 Location: Blabbing

It's all about supply / demand / cost of living / wealth of area.

Lots of foreigners love the warmth of the south, so there are piles of us laowai making 3000-4000 a month and happy about it.

A cheap place to live will have lower salaries. Generally speaking.

Moon Over Parma · Joined: 20 May 2007 Posts: 819

I don't think this is totally true, i. e. the poor city/shit pay theory. Salaries in Guangxi have risen considerably over the last year. It's supply/demand. Only desperate individuals, or individuals with the acumen to living in Chinese backwaters could hack it, but last summer, while positions in Shanghai were pushing a measly 7K a month for 16 hours. That's weak. RenDa offered pitifully low starting salaries for Beijing. 3K for 14 hours in Beijing. Xi'an universities average about 4k-4.5K starting wages, with two exceptions. Meanwhile, two public universities in Nanning were offering 5.5 and 6K RMB a month, for 14-16 hours. One had new digs for their FTs that looked pretty f'n nice. Cons: typical university zoning area that had the school way away from the city center. Still, 6K in Guangxi goes far.

It's give and take. Sometimes it's demand. Also, there's a question of sacrifice. I certainly couldn't sacrifice the comforts I need to enjoy my stay in China for those particular positions.