Job Discussion Forums

JZer · Joined: 16 Jan 2005 Posts: 3898 Location: Pittsburgh

I was wondering how much one could expect to make with a university job (5000RMB) plus language school work in Hangzhou?

Laurence · Joined: 26 Apr 2005 Posts: 401

12 000 yuan a month

fairly busy schedule (3 or 4 evenings a week at a language school).

I used to work office hours in Indonesia, and I had a pretty good deal as a cover teacher for language schools in the evenings. They used to do my prep and photocopying and everything, and I'd waltz in and dish it out and take all the credit like a tefl ubermeister.
It was irregular, but then people do tend to get sick when their drinking melamine laced milk and eating slop oil and playing with toxic toys.

Good way to market yourself for extra hours, I reckon.

Jayray · Joined: 28 Feb 2009 Posts: 373 Location: Back East

You can also end up with no university job and NO MONEY if you work illegally and get caught.

JZer · Joined: 16 Jan 2005 Posts: 3898 Location: Pittsburgh

That is great but I have no reason to work in China for a mere 5000RMB a month. If I cannot earn more than that I will never come to China.

I know that no on cares but I will just state the blatant facts.

alter ego · Joined: 24 Mar 2009 Posts: 209

I make 150-200 rmb per hour for extra classes outside of the 14 I do at my uni. A few Chicken Little's here like to squawk about the the legal risks of freelancing, but in almost 2-1/2 years in Shenzhen I've NEVER heard of anyone losing their uni job or their money for part-time teaching off campus.

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

senorfay · Joined: 08 Mar 2007 Posts: 214

I know a guy who works for a university. He went on the radio a couple of times to do an English call-in show.

The university fined him for doing outside stuff.

I don't think he even got paid for the radio gig. It was a bummer.

thefuzz · Joined: 10 Aug 2009 Posts: 271

TexasHighway · Joined: 03 Dec 2005 Posts: 779

This is another case of the double standard imposed on FTs. Almost every Chinese teacher, administrator, and FAO I have ever known do outside teaching or have various business interests on the side. Sometimes they even cancel or reschedule their classes as their other money-making interests seem to take priority. But yeah, as an FT keep a low profile and proceed at your own risk.

norwalkesl · Joined: 22 Oct 2009 Posts: 366 Location: Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-China

Keep it on the downlow and be very circumspect.

You can earn 12,000 to 20,000 depending on your rate and if you are in a large city with business and corporate clients.

One schedule I have seen here is thus:

School/Mill job: 3500-5000/month, 15 or fewer classes per week. Visa, furnished apt and utilities as part of the package. The lower the hours the better - this job is just a base to work from.

Then -

Privates through a dispatch or on your own initiative. 150-350 CNY per hour, 15 hours per week. 9,000 - 18,000 per month. Cash, taxes are your responsibility but cash under the table has its usual advantages.

Total:
12,500 - 23,000 per month.

That hourly rate is up to you, your hustle and moxie, your client base and how professional you present yourself. Go for the big money corporate clients and you can charge up to 350CNY an hour. Not easy and a backpacker likely could not get away with it, but doable with the right presentation, quals and experience. Do bored housewife convo classes and 150CNY/hour may be your maximum. Do privates in a small town and you may have trouble filling your schedule at 100RMB/hr.

JZer · Joined: 16 Jan 2005 Posts: 3898 Location: Pittsburgh

JZer · Joined: 16 Jan 2005 Posts: 3898 Location: Pittsburgh

norwalkesl,
Do weekend jobs in large city pay more? In Taiwan I can earn a higher hourly rate on Saturday. I often earn half of my earnings on Saturday.

norwalkesl · Joined: 22 Oct 2009 Posts: 366 Location: Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-China

Zero · Joined: 08 Sep 2004 Posts: 1402

TV and radio work are probably more of a problem because they can draw attention from higher ups, including municipal or provincial authorities. Discreet private teaching wouldn't attract such attention. The local teachers FAOs etc. probably keep their work at a fairly low profile, too.

Laurence · Joined: 26 Apr 2005 Posts: 401

Yeah Independent privates can pay more than language school hours.

Disadvantages of independent privates are:

- it takes so long to build up a good base of them

- commuting (often the one scheduled teaching hour, combined with the commute, will add up to 90 mins or two hours. And four of those in a day? In different places?)

- cancellations

- if you go away for more than a couple of weeks, you will most probably lose your clients.