Job Discussion Forums

[vikeologist]

This poll is for all universities outside Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou only. I've had to do a separate one for everywhere else, because polls have a limited number of options.

What is the lowest monthly salary that your university actually pays foreign ESL Teachers with a degree, but no Masters?

I know what Universities advertise, but I suspect that the advertised salaries are lower than the actual ones, either because unis want to be able to make it seem they're caving into your demands a little bit, or because they lasted posted an advert in the 1980s, and their teacher salaries have gone up 5% in the last 25 years.

Please don't include airfare, accommodation, bonuses and other little perks.

It seems that most Unis pay an extra 500Y a month for people with Masters, so if you give us the low end figure, we can do the maths.

Some of us get more money and have negotiated higher salaries. I'm just after the lowest that people actually get.

You may not know everybody's salaries, but if you think you can make an educated guess, go ahead.

The salaries in tier 1 cities, (Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou) would probably skew the figures, so I've done a separate poll for them. I know that salaries for different cities, provinces and regions could vary widely. on the other hand, when schools say that they pay low salaries because all the other schools do, well, maybe they've got together to fix the figures. Obviously though, average salaries for all jobs should be taken into account when applying for teaching jobs.
These figures are not going to be accurate. it's just a tiny sample size, but please be honest.

Choose the nearest applicable figure.

I appreciate that with aliases you can try to flood the poll with fake responses. I'd just ask that you don't. One person, 1 vote. Fair?

I'm not doing this poll to try to keep salaries low; quite the opposite.[/b]

[vikeologist]

7k responder - How much are you asking for information on your location / Uni?

[buffalobill12323]

[Markness]

Hey buffalobill,

I think he is just curious as the average base salary outside of tier 1 cities, I.E. tier 2 and tier 3. He didn't ask for NET, just base salary. I don't think that the big paying universities exist outside of tier 1 cities if that is what you are trying to say, and if they do they are an exception and not the rule. Of course one can supplement extra income via privates/part-time work for language mills, but I don't think that is what he is interested in. I could be wrong though!

[buffalobill12323]

[teenoso]

The biggest difference may not be between 1st and 2nd tier cities , but between public unis and 'privately funded ' unis.
I would bet that Beijing Normal Uni in Zhuhai pays its teachers more than Beijing Normal Uni in Beijing.
I have also heard that the pay at elite unis in BJ and SH is very low , because of the supply of willing teachers more interested in 'prestige' than money!

[vikeologist]

The reason I want the lowest rather than the average is precisely because so many different factors can influence the average, such as incremental salary increases and the standard of the Uni. I'm well aware that as we accumulate experience and qualifications, our worth goes up. Averages would be more about how Unis retain teachers.

Also I want to know just how difficult it will be for my Uni to get new teachers if they keep the salary where it is.

I don't know if this makes sense. I'm aware that by asking a narrow question, I'll get a narrow answer. The polls on the forum are fairly basic.

[buffalobill12323]

[johntpartee]

I must admit I'm a little surprised at how many "less than 4500" there are. I haven't seen a salary that low for a long time, although I haven't looked at the ultra-rural areas where the COL is super-low, so it probably evens out.

[choudoufu]

you're assuming those are all legitimate votes. how many places pay that
low? i know only of kunming, and that's changing quickly.

there be a slight possibility votes are being skewed by someones with
an agenda. see, here's proof that foreign teachers in china are the
lowliest paid expats.

[Bud Powell]

Japanese teachers generally get paid about 20% less than western teachers where I've taught. I thought that it was really unfair until I observed that the Japanese spend little, and their rate of exchange was better than the American exchange.

[vikeologist]

I was, as stated, trying to keep this simple, but if you want a thread with lots of raw data, check out this reddit one on Chinese teachers salary and conditions.

http://www.reddit.com/r/China/comments/1nsddi/poll_english_teacher_salary_and_conditions/

Interestingly on there, thedark1 says the same thing as johnpartee about someone being on a 4k salary.

For those who are looking for jobs in china, there may be some interesting stories or facts there (though I must confess I didn't have to energy to do more than skim through it myself).

[Bud Powell]

At second-to-last college where I taught ( a pretty good one) the monthly range was 5,000rmb (BA or less) to 5,500rmb (MA) and 7800 (for Ph.D or good actors). The person who made the 7,800 had a BA in theater, but created problems in order to keep the turnover high, thus increasing her negotiating power.

The colleges where I taught before and after that, the OFFERED salary range was similar for western teachers. The Japanese teachers drew only 4,500 rmb per month. They actually came ahead because the exchange rate favored them.

This is what I've noticed in Jiangsu public colleges and universities. I can't speak for other institutions.

Generally, I don't care what other people actually make. I know the publicized ranges. Most of the colleges and Universities that I've investigated in Jiangsu seem to have similar ranges with the Japanese teachers paid the least.

I do know that FAO's have a discretionary allowance to pay more than the advertised price and to award bonuses as they see fit. I was told this by an FAO who was quite generous and thankful for work well-done and well-behaved FTs. If she hadn't retired, I'd still be there.

[johntpartee]

[muffintop]