Job Discussion Forums

[jyl2011]

Hi guys. I was hoping to get an idea of how much I would need to live in Beijing. I understand it would depend on many factors, including how exactly I wanted to live. I would be with my wife also and initially she would not have a job. We are happy to live a modest life with no particular luxuries. Here is the salary...

- 13500 RMB per month / 30 hours (25 teaching per week)
- No accommodation provided.
- Overtime available

What do you reckon?

Thanks!

[max81]

[The Great Wall of Whiner]

A friend in Beijing just found 24,000 RMB a month for 30 hrs. a week (3 in the morning, 3 in the afternoon), accommodation provided with no overtime. Evenings off. Weekends off.

Another friend in the capital makes a straight 250 RMB an hour, and works about 20 hrs. a week.

I'm assuming your job is with EF; sounds like an EF job anyways.

I'd say it's "OK" for a starter, but the hours are a bit much. If you do the calculations:

- 13,500 a month will be about 100 RMB an hour.
- Is this before or after taxes?
- Take accommodation out of the equation, and you are earning much less than 100 an hour
- What else is not provided? Bills, visas, etc. Take that out, too.
- Has the school factored in the new additional tax 11%-47% tax coming down the line?

If this is your first run in China, I'd say go for it. Just keep in mind that there are a lot of other foreigners around you making far more. It's a secret others do not want you to know about...

[edit]

Don't forget the cost of living in Beijing is a lot higher than other cities. If you want a cost comparison, I've done a plethora or research.

[QWilliam]

Great wall-

Would you say cost of living in Shanghi and Beijing are about the same?

[The Great Wall of Whiner]

Shanghai should generally be more expensive than Beijing. But it can also depend on where you are in each location. Areas with more foreigners and tourists tend to be a lot more expensive. From our perspective, a tin of Coke for 6 RMB (under a dollar) would be reasonable for a touristy area. From the locals' perspective it's ridiculous (2 RMB in cheap places or in bulk packs).

[morrisonhotel]

Sorry to jump in on your thread OP, but what would you say, Great Wall, is a reasonable starting salary in Beijing for a China noob? By the time I go, I'll have 2 BAs, MA, online TEFL, inhouse TEFL, and 2 years experience. I'm being offered 9,000 without accommodation for 25 hours and 15 office hours. Is that reasonable? My initial feeling is that 8 - 9,000 plus accommodation provided would be more reasonable.

[The Great Wall of Whiner]

2 BA's, an MA, 2 TEFL's and 2 years of experience?

And working 30 hrs a week, for 9000 a month? That's what? 75 RMB an hour? And that is without accommodation or utilities? So Maybe around 60 RMB an hour?

The school is having a laugh....at your expense.

Look, it all depends on everyone's personal situations.

If I was 57 years old and had a conviction in my past, I'd probably take that position.

If I was a 21 year-old kid with no qualifications, I'd jump at the chance.

If I was not white-looking nor a native English speaker, I'd certainly take that position.

But if I was a 35 year-old white American with even half those qualifications, I'd be in an international school making 24,000+ a month for the same number of hours with a lot of holidays to boot.

So to answer your question, no.... absolutely not enough. I earn far more than that and I am not in a major city.

Don't sell yourselves out short, people. Look at the offers out there, on this very website, 14,000+ a month for less than 30 hrs. a week!

[therock]

[auchtermuchty]

[Babala]

Another thing to consider is if the school gives you medical insurance. Hospital bills can run high here. People tend to come down with colds, infections etc... way more than did back home. You don't want to be paying out half of your salary for a month if one of you gets sick.

[MisterButtkins]

[DosEquisX]

Got an offer from a uni in Beijing which sounds very low. Just want a confirmation from you guys:

16 hours/week, 7500 RMB, on campus housing

Commute from main campus (Ring 3) to branch campus (suburban area). Transportation provided by uni. Seems like transport might take way too long. Might be best to go by subway depending on the distance.

No pay during February and August.

With foreigner and income tax subtracted, this seems like a horrific offer by Beijing standards. Can somebody confirm or deny this?

They are also pretty aggressive with paperwork. They want all of my paperwork in English *and* Chinese. Seems that they are operating on a tight schedule as I guess that their original selection dropped out at the last second.

I am on the brink of signing a contract with a uni in Wuhan. Definitely a worse deal objectively, but compare it to cost of living and it isn't so bad. Plus, the Wuhan contract is one term and not two like the Beijing contract.

[Cyberkada]

[therock]

[steve b]

Leap at that one!