Teaching in Chengdu – Help!

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  • This topic has 18 replies, 10 voices, and was last updated 10 years ago by Avatar photoAM.
Viewing 19 posts - 1 through 19 (of 19 total)
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  • #33361
    Avatar phototaz250
    Participant

    Hi there everyone, I would just like to say it has been a pleasure stumbling upon this page today and it has really given me some insight into what Chengdu may be like.

    I have just today been offered a job to teach at at Shishi middle school and this is the package they have offered:

    – Regular salary: 4500RMB per month.

    – Airfare reimbursement 10,000 RMB upon one year completion of teaching job

    – Free accommodation in top-end level, with air-conditioning and other electrical apparatus

    – National holidays plus 2 days for Christmas and 20 days for winter vacation

    I know the pay is fairly low but I was wondering if I can actually maintain an ok lifestyle on this? I am 34 and from the UK with a background in film and photography and have been living in NYC for the last year so am used to being fairly broke! I like a drink at the weekend etc and of course would love to see more of China whilst I am there. Is this doable?

    I have no savings (I did before NYC!!!) etc so this is a risk for me….

     

    This is the first teaching position I have gone for in China and the advice I have found on various forums seems rather sporadic..if anyone can help me regarding the pay, the school and any other useful information  I would be extremely grateful..

    Thanks in advance

    Taz

     

    #33363
    Avatar photoRay
    Participant

    Dude, that is very low, even with the airfare reimbursement. I have an old teaching contract from 2003, and the salary was 4400 RMB, and we were also provided accommodation. I live a pretty frugal life (ie. I’m a cheap bastard) and 4500 kuai a month doesn’t leave much room for fun……How many hours a week will you be teaching? As we’ve mentioned before on this topic, the key is to divide hours by salary to get an hourly figure. If it’s much below 120 per hour, that ain’t so good….

    #33364
    Avatar phototaz250
    Participant

    Cheers Ray for getting back to me so quickly!

    The contract states:

    – Teach 18 contact hours of English Speaking lessons each week (50 minutes per contact hour)

    – Present at school events or English competition etc.

    I have worked that out at 250 an hour which seems reasonable. I appreciate that I will have to plan lessons in my own time etc but I think I will have time to get another job elsewhere too? do you think that is feasible?

    Thanks again for your help man!

    #33365
    Avatar phototaz250
    Participant

    oops sorry, I screwed my maths up there! good job I am not teaching that! I will let myself  off considering it is 3:30 am here!

     

    #33367
    Avatar photoRay
    Participant

    Yeah man, its gonna be  4500 divided by 72  (my maths is Chinese kindergarten level). Be wary of “extra promotional activities’.  They could have you doing alot of extra stuff, such as standing in a shopping mall with a microphone (some people call these “white monkey” gigs ha ha). Also, as has been mentioned on other threads here, teaching kids can be much more tiring than adults. I do 15 hours a week of adults; if that was kids or even teens: shoot me first!

    BTW: i hear you about saving $ in NYC. Alot of temptations and awesome stuff to spend your cash on there. Chengdu, less so…..ha ha

    #33368
    Avatar photoAndrewD
    Participant

    Hey Taz,

    Just wanted to say, good luck with the move and transition and with finding work. I’m planning on coming to Chengdu to look for my first teaching gig in China as well. For what it’s worth, I spoke with some recruiters and replied to posts/ads on echinacities and things like that and got offered positions with similar terms to yours in a couple primary schools. One was for 6000 RMB/month + accommodation and flight for 20 classes per week (50 min classes) and that seemed okay. There does seem to be a fair amount of work out there though, so don’t feel obligated to commit to the first offer that comes your way. I’m planning on taking a look and asking around in person before committing to anything but I realize that may be hard to do without savings.

    Once again, good luck and all the best man. I’ll send you a PM, we should keep in touch – let me know how things go!

    Cheers

    #33369
    Avatar phototaz250
    Participant

    Hey Andrew,

    Thanks very much for the kind words dude, I am a little daunted at the moment even though I have travelled a fair amount..I am reluctant to turn the work down down as I don’t want to seem ungrateful but I also don’t want to be taken for a mug either!

    Decisions decisions!

    I hope the hunt goes well for you too and a beer or 12 sounds perfect!

    Ray – NYC stole my soul haha, it would be good to hook up with you too if I do decide to come over 🙂

    The one thing I can be a little more certain about is at least I won’t have trouble meeting like minded souls 🙂

    #33385
    Avatar photoChris Ziich
    Moderator

    I live off of a salary of about that much. It’s doable, but it’s definitely below the average comfort level for foreigners here.

    #33386
    Avatar photoAlan
    Participant

    Hey Taz,

    I am familiar with Shishi, I have sent you a private message about it.

    Hope you enjoy Chengdu.

    #33391
    Avatar phototaz250
    Participant

    Cheers Chris, food for thought I guess!

    #33410
    Avatar photoCharlie
    Keymaster

    Hey Taz,

    In general you’ll do better to find an English teaching job when you’re already in Chengdu, as opposed to finding the job online. A lot of schools take advantage of online expats who haven’t been to China or don’t have a good handle on what favorable job conditions look like. Once you’re in Chengdu, I think it’s pretty straight forward for any Western person to find a job teaching English without much trouble.

    #33415
    Avatar photoRay
    Participant

    This could be relevant also: today my boss told me that she was told that any teachers will not be issued working visas unless they have 2 years experience and can prove it (ie, reference from previous school, with contact information provided)…..

    #33419
    Avatar photoAlan
    Participant

    @ray

    I don’t think that is an implementable policy by the Chinese government. Most people who come to China to teach English are first time teachers.

    Besides, it would be easy enough for anybody to fake a reference letter.

    #33424
    Avatar photoRay
    Participant

    @Alan: that’s what i was told. Re faked ref letter: that’s what i said!

    #33431
    Avatar photoalicelilee
    Participant

    hi ,Taz .welcome to chengdu . and shishi middle school is a famous school in sichuan province . so at the first the salary is not important , i think . chengdu is low life cost city, so don’t worry to much . u can feel to contact my skype : alicelisc

    #33435
    Avatar photoAM
    Participant

    You’ll only end up working something like 34 weeks of the year at a middle school.

    34 x 18 x 100 / 12 = 5100 a month. Don’t accept anything less than that.

    You should ask for 6000-7000 a month. That would be a fairer figure.

    #33439
    Avatar photoBrendan
    Moderator

    so at the first the salary is not important

    Does not compute.

    #33446
    Avatar photoWoodWERD
    Participant

    So, take this with a grain of salt because I’m a newbie like yourself. But conventional wisdom (read: forum posters and other expat resources) says that you should have a couple grand saved up before you make the move. At least enough to cover a plane ride home should you need it in a pinch. If you’re used to a frugal lifestyle then maybe you can get by with less.

    As far as salaries go, my research says that it’s typically dictated by the type of position you’re seeking. Universities typically pay less but require less than 20 hours a week. Private schools, or ‘language mills’ as they say, should pay quite a bit more as they demand longer hours in order to drive profits. It seems like you’re probably getting into a public school gig, so I would google the name and see what kind of reviews it gets. Another piece of advice is to not accept a contract until you’ve had a chance to talk to a current/former teacher who worked there. Be wary though, I’ve read stories about teachers who were ‘held hostage’ over a reference letter and ordered to give glowing reviews about the school.

    Use common sense and also realize it’s going to be a gamble no matter how prepared you are. Good luck!

    #33462
    Avatar photoAM
    Participant

    Shishi (No 4) is one of the top schools in Chengdu. That’s not an adequate reason to underpay teachers.

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