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Q: How much RMB do you save as an ESl teacher in China?
How much RMB do you save as an ESl teacher in China?
10 years 19 weeks ago in Money & Banking - China
I'm just embarking on a plan to start saving 100% of it. Just gunna live off what I make from privates. That's about Y3000/mth at the moment. Should be able to do it, no worries.
I'm just embarking on a plan to start saving 100% of it. Just gunna live off what I make from privates. That's about Y3000/mth at the moment. Should be able to do it, no worries.
I also save 100% and only spend the money I make from privates.
Well, when I was an ESL teacher... I kind of went in phases:
1) First arrived in China - Spent a lot on going out to the bar, eating out... travel etc. So I probably saved about 50-60%
2) After a few years - Used my free time working as a tutor or freelancer online. Used that money for living expenses and saved 100%.
3) After about five to six years - Realized I could make more with my business and expanded it, got out of the ESL game. So now I make 0% savings from ESL... unless you include the dinners my Chinese relatives buy in compensation for teaching their snotty little kid once in a while...
That's how it went for me.
Rin:
I think if I was looking to save a lot of money I wouldn't be a teacher in China. Perhaps Japan or Korea. However I value my free time, so I'm not one for taking on a lot of extra work.
It depends on how much your salary is and what city you live in, as well as the lifestyle you choose to live here. Do you need a nice apartment and normal food? Then you wont save alot. You can pretty much save as much as you want to. Eat noodles, find a cheap pad and dont travel and youll save it all. But judging from your question, I have to guess that your new to China, so if your like many people here, you got shafted on your salary and city.. Youll save more once you get things figured out. By the way people, your freelance or privates is still ESL, so by definition you cant save 100% by living off that.
Rin:
This ^^
But who wants to eat noodles every day? You could go home, live on instant noodles and save more from government benefits than from working in China if that's how you roll. I came to China for the experience and to live life to the fullest. I am young and single so have no need to settle into a boring life just yet! 
mike695ca:
agreed, i couldnt doma single thing on my answer, but alot of people do it, just check the "how much do you soend on food?" post. but then again, i could never claim to save like some people do here.
I save a lot. How much do you save, doing whatever you do?
you can save everything (well pay ~2k for food) or nothing well going party everytime
its just the question why are you here in china? having a good time, save money or trying to live in china forever
I'm slightly amused that the question was how much RMB you save but everyone gave percentage-based answers.
dom87:
thats because no one really wanna say what they earn?
you can just do the math by urself
you earn 10k? spend 2k a month for food and else you are a miser?
estimating a 10 month salary year you can save around 76000 RMB a year IF you have no other problems. Guess if you are a esl teacher with an average salary you are good to go if you can save 50000 RMB a year
I just started to save recently. Saving around 5-8k per month. Luckily we also have my wifes salary which we use for paying the rent, car payments, food, trips, etc. My salary is saved and the remainder we use for anything else.
ironman510:
We have the Same situation. Yeah 5 to 8K is about right. Worse on holidays
I recently started to save because i do extra part times. I save between 5-8 k.
Thanks for your answers.
In the first school I was in I saved half my income. I am not a big party-er and eat western food. The school I am in now pays all my expenses including food (with beer too, beer is 4 rmb and juice is 12 so they don't mind). I spend only 1,000 a month. So you also have to take into consideration the expenses paid by your employer.
webdude:
Holy crap! Your school pays you in beer?!?
Okay, there are details, but those aren't headline-worthy. Think of how much $$ you could make by selling a few articles with the headline, "I worked in China for a school that paid me in beer!"
Two incomes. We normally saved about 15000 a month. I am a big partier (well, socializer, really) - but if you go local, the expense is minimal so saving was easy.
