By continuing you agree to eChinacities's Privacy Policy .
Sign up with Google
Sign up with Facebook
anonymous
Q: How do you value yourself financially in China?
When ever I am asked in an interview about my expected salary, or I do freelance work and am asked for a quote on a certain project, I am always unsure about how much to ask for. Other expats always tell me to value myself higher but I always cave and ask for what I think I can get and then take what they offer.
10 years 13 weeks ago in Business & Jobs - China
Robk, did you ask this question anonymously?
I value myself at the market price plus a premium because I'm good at basketball
and ping pong.
Robk:
No, do I sound like the person that caves in during negotiations lol?
royceH:
You do sound like an American though. However.
Stereotype flag duly noted, and accepted. And I like Americans for their friendliness and openness.
But the Masters of banging on??? Americans. But friendly though, it's true.
mike695ca:
@royce ... banging on??whats that? never heard it though it sounds sexual
Go with the old, "Ask for what you want and add 20%" Otherwise, research the local going rate and factor in what value you can add.
There are some online salary indices. There are large regional differences.
Are you talking about teaching?
Because if you are not a teacher, and you are attending interviews in China, then you are probably selling yourself short. There are not many non teaching jobs about.
Anyway, what sort of salary are they offering? Half pat salaries are very different from expat salaries. I have some experience of this, first hand and second hand. Please tell us more. What sort of projects and in what trade?
Sounds like a future story for the front page , Why Foreigner want and get more money than hard working Chinese ?
I've had greater success not being to greedy, more clients come my way and in larger groups because I offer a group discount. As for salaries, in Shenzhen, I'll never take anything less then 18,000 a month with a full Time job.
dom87:
for teaching thats actuaylly very hard to find i think unless you are a real teacher and go for international school (but then you earn more anyways)
Robk:
@dom not really - Before I moved out of teaching (and I am not a certified teacher) I made around this in two jobs back to back.
Just need to head to Tier 1 or 2 cities and have a good amount of experience. Appearance does matter as well, (that's how they market) and didn't have to work too hard.
mike695ca:
agreed, any major training center in a top tier city will pay that or more if they feel your worth it.
I do some research on the city and province I will go to before sending an application. Many times the amount of money they offer is posted. That means I will negotiate the perks and base my valuation on the estimated hourly wage I might receive. In China pay is by the month. I don't like the idea of being paid 20,000 rmb per month on to find out I will live with 2 other foreigners and work 40 hours a week. The biggest issue will be the living quarters.
While I was in ESL, you basically value yourself by your experience, your credentials and your ability to help them create business.
Use selling points for them, like... "sure I will do demo classes and go to events if you pay me X more." They will try to get you to do these anyway, so use them to your advantage not theirs.
If you sign a contract for 2 years as opposed to 1 you can ask for more because they save more on not having to find another ESL teacher.
Most ESL teachers plainly suck at marketing themselves. Chinese expect negotiations with VALUED teachers, so if you don't negotiate... they know they own you and they won't respect you.
But I am out of that racket now... if I went back to it I would need to take a severe pay cut.
mike695ca:
You are so right. But i still imagine your gonna take a beating for that anyways. i see alot of down votes for you coming up haha
Robk:
I am not afraid of down votes (as you can tell from the other post I did lol)...
Morons will get mad and say I am a jerk while doing nothing to better themselves, the smart ones will take advice and use it to their advantage.
Seriously, the Chinese have NO PROBLEM at all with taking advantage of a foreign teacher... you better get them before they get you You know what I mean lol.
Robk, did you ask this question anonymously?
I value myself at the market price plus a premium because I'm good at basketball
and ping pong.
Robk:
No, do I sound like the person that caves in during negotiations lol?
royceH:
You do sound like an American though. However.
Stereotype flag duly noted, and accepted. And I like Americans for their friendliness and openness.
But the Masters of banging on??? Americans. But friendly though, it's true.
mike695ca:
@royce ... banging on??whats that? never heard it though it sounds sexual
