icnif77:

Yes, I receive 5000 Rmb in Feb., July and August, when school is closed.

That is usual offer at Public schools, either one whole (10th) salary split between summer and winter recess (Xinjiang) or 5000 for each month as I have now.

ambivalentmace:

i assume the 25 classes are a big school and your actually teaching the same lesson 25 times a week and not planning 25 separate lessons.

icnif77:

I am not sure about that - size of the school and planning the lessons/one lesson per week. I might be working with different Grades, so two or three different lesson plans each week. School can't be that big to have 25 classes in one Grade. Maybe there are several Oral classes (3) per class.

I usually plan lessons a week ahead, and I am at the School at least 1/2 hour before the first class. I leave School after my last class, if there aren't any students waiting for me in the office.

icnif77:

I just can't sit in my room anymore. Guizhou is also attractive area, however their cab start is 10 Rmb, for difference of Zhengzhou of 8 Rmb and Kaifeng, where I am currently with 5 Rmb.

I'd say cost of living in Guizhou is most likely higher than in Henan.

I got your point: 'if you're at the school, you are there....', however, I usually count pay per hour. I add salary & all benes and divide it with hours required.

Offer by the advert is 8-12k Rmb for 25 classes/week with office hours, but apartment is in the School with sharing of washing machine.

I asked them for 'no office hours' and 'apartment out of the School' and they agreed, but offered pay now is 11k. I replied: 'I am happy with 11k, but you should decrease working hours count to 22 classes/week.'

Pay attention to difference between 'hour' (60') and 'class' (45'). I guess you meant 'class' at 'pay per hour'.

I am at 'nowhereswhere' now, and I don't mind much about that. My new office/school is on 1800m (6k ft.) elevation. Area has 6m residents. City is called 'Bijie' on the border with Sichuan and Yunnan. No train to the city as of yet, buses and planes only. Wild panda's playground. Azalea is the flower of the area.

The thing is 'I'd like to move asap, but not for the lower pay than I have now.' Didn't I tell you, I learned 'how to .....negotiate'.

Shining_brow:

RE: teaching hours...well, if they're the same, it sort of doesn't matter... apples to apples. but if one is 45', and the other is 1 hour, then yeah, apples to oranges... (or, oranges to mandarins :p)

No housing allowance??

I agree - I hate when they do that "X RMB for X teaching hours - but you have to stay at the school the rest of the time... which actually means, 40 hours of my life is wasted, and usually at only about 80RMB/hour... my time is my time, and my time is what you're paying for!

icnif77:

 I told them, I'll surf the Internet in office hours, and that must be paid. They retort: 'But, sometimes students need help with HW or they just want to talk to FT'.

I replied: 'Yeah, there's no problem with that! I am at the School because of the students. They can always meet me in the class breaks or after my last class...'

They: 'OK, on office hours!'

Yeah, 'hour' or 'class' is 'monkeys' to 'bananas' in China. You must clear the matter, before Contract sign. '20 classes required' by Contract, but they count '60 minutes' as a class later, in other words 'we meant 26 classes, 45' each....'.

I don't believe cause for that is 'low English level'. They 'negotiate'!

'add-it': 5k x 3 means I get 5000 Rmb per month in February, July and August, when we have holidays (stay home, moonlight etc....).

I always try to avoid housing allowance, because you must rent it by yourself, then dealing with the owner, repair, maintain and what not. All that is much simpler, when School rents an apartment. For all problems in apartment, you just dial School's rep....

icnif77:

Got Guizhou's Contract, boss of the School is buying plane ticket Zhengzhou - Guiyang ....am getting the treatment, before the arrival. 

I need new T-shirt: 'CAN'T DRINK MAOTAI!'

icnif77:

Yes, I asked about it, because this place where I am now, screw me up on that in 2014. Rep offered Contract, I sign it and arrived to Kaifeng out of Fujian with Release letter and FEC cancel paper. My RP was still valid 20 or something days, and rep. told me School's authorization for foreign hire is in progress....in other words 'exit&new Z'. I told him to ask at FEB about new Z HK pick-up, and he came back with 'Z only in your home country'. School bought ticket to my home, and three months later ticket for return to Kaifeng. I also get paid for stay in my home three months.

Now, always when I talk to the new School, I want to see their authorization first. It's small FEC size book, not the same color with Chinese text only.

Have to get Release letter and FEC cancel cert. next.

biggj123:

He's a paki

icnif77:

It won't break me either, but if it breaks them so bad, it can and it is breaking me, too! I am very detailed at Contract read. After I ink it, I follow it to the letter, and they can't/won't. Good! Let see about that......

30m2 apartment with retractable, picnic table and three plastic chairs in the kitchen and 'here is your FEC'. me: 'Thank you! Do you know what FEC stands for? Do you think, FEC holder came to China to sit on plastic chairs, and when traveling on train with standing ticket, it's very handy. Grab your luggage, kitchen chair and off you go.....and so on......

I can count every dime, when they press me! 

I could write you a whole letter on that....They are just sneaky, and they sure know, I can easely became snake too.

icnif77:

Your post is 'entirely believable' to one Non-naive English teacher, who fairly frequently look for the new position in China.

I am sure, your School advertised your 'double then when-I-first-arrived-to-China' salary on Jobs adverts.

That's a special Chinese treat, imbedded in their culture.....offer as much as you can, 'cause FT is Non, who's posting baloneys on anon Internet Board.

I think, even Native English posters here shake their heads in disbelief. A bit.

Do you know 'Allan's-Snack-bar', big Allan's chain with headquarters in Medina?

I can tell from your handle, that you do....

SaifMalik:

I don't quite understand what you're saying, are you calling me a liar?

I am on about 15,000 RMB a month here (I've lived in this City for almost 3 years) and it's bloody hard getting a foreign teacher to this City considering it's a small City with well... not much to do, foreign population was 12, not it's like 6. A lot of teachers end up leaving as soon as they can as they can't handle it, ignorant people, small City, 1900's mentality and stuff.

Believe it or not I am not even the highest paid teacher here, the highest paid teacher here is making about 18,000 RMB a month (We work for different schools)

Allan's snack bar? I just googled it, haven't heard of it and there's nothing on it. What are you talking about?

icnif77:

Show us your Contract, pls! And yes, I don't believe you have such pay as Non-native English teacher anywhere in China. Your statement might not be lie, under condition your Contract requires over 30 classes per week. When you state your salary, you should always include how many hours/classes you are required to perform per week/month with such salary.

I saw similar pay offers in Shanghai for over 30 classes/week, but no housing is included in the offer.

If I double the hours required with my present Contract (15 classes/week) my salary should be (It's not!) 16 000 Rmb per month.

Non doesn't qualify to work legally in any Tier-1 city in China.

'add-it': 'English teacher, Ozz native PM me last week, Uni in his small city offered him 4500 Rmb/m for 18 classes per week....He is Native English teacher, working in China longer than 4 years.'

Allan's-Snack-bar: 

lesson 1:

-close your eyes, turn off your radio&TV, and pronounce loudly several times: 'Allan's-Snack-bar'. 

In lesson 2, we will learn how to properly bend while you're kneeling. Lesson 3 will be about world's orientations and proper use of the compass....

Did you know, compass is China-men invention?

SaifMalik:

Sounds like someone is super jealous, who the hell said I am not a native English speaker? I am a native English speaker and yes I do make 15,000 RMB a month. I work a little more then 26 hours a week (Including office hours).

icnif77:

No jealous whatsoever. On what? Can I gain anything by being jealous? For some reason, I thought you are Non and flashing your high pay here. I'd say, your stated pay is nearly impossible for Non, especially from one job only. Misunderstanding!

26 hours for 15k Rmb isn't big deal, especially not for Native. On my Campus, Native English teachers have lower salary than me! Here norm is 6k with 15 classes/w, doesn't matter who you are. I was lucky with offer I have, because of new (2014) International dept. at High school. I got it through the placement agent.

jetfire9000:

He is " not jealous" he just assumed you were flashing your high pay around....  Wahaha, well that sentence speaks for itself.. Just take it as a compliment

icnif77:

Yeah, I read his handle, and assumed he isn't Native English teacher, but he has 15k pay. Impossible with one job for Non.

So, what do you do when you're jealous? You stare in the mirror and repeat: 'I WANT HIS!'

What kind of feeling is jealous? Do you share your experience with China-men employers on the laowai's anon Board? What did you share with us, that helped anybody here? 

ohh, but he is not jealous.... Why do you call yourself 'jetfire'?

I am aware I can't match you in China by teaching English, which isn't my first language. Can you do the same? Or is Englo your only language you can teach?

Shining_brow:

I know a NNES, who was on around 20+ or so.

But, he had a PhD in physics, and that's what he was there for - and also to teach English.

icnif77:

Chinese teachers work that way: 'arrive at 7 - 8am and stay at School till 6:30 - 7pm, with lunch break, Mon - Sat.' Direct contact with students in the classroom for some 2 - 3 classes in the whole day. 

Shifts from Mon - Sat amount for some '77 million' office hours per week/month. 

Their salary&benes cover office hours, mine doesn't. I receive salary only for the classes with students, and no School in China ever offered me pay for the office hours.

Shining_brow:

I've heard that the 'office hours' are just a way to ensure you don't go working for someone else. Probably true, as it doesn't serve any other purpose (other than control and face - if you're seen there).

Shining_brow:

And that's why I always calculate my pay by total hours, not teaching hours. And, why I get paid an hourly rate, not a salary!

icnif77:

@Shining: that might be true, too. Since we agreed 'no office hours', there's notice on Contract 'FT can't work elsewhere than RP sponsor, and if FT wants to work part-time must have an agreement with RP sponsor.'

royceH:

Posts: 3333.  Thank you very much!

royceH:

And still a Shifu, gotta be proud of that.

icnif77:

I was talking about you on reply above, and about lousy offer you got from Uni.

I wrongly assumed poster is Non with 15k/m pay from one job. 

But, yeah 25 classes is big deal. I ended up with Contract for 11k in 30-days probation, and 12k after that. And 3 salaries for holidays of 6k, which I didn't ask for. They gave it to me. LOL. Return ticket home refund, and if I don't fly 5k cash. It was struggle to get all this.