How much should I pay a Chinese assistant?

[Vincent]

Hey guys,

I’m about to offer someone a part time job as an assistant to help me with some business research. Basically because I don’t speak Chinese and it will go so much faster if I have someone to do the work for me. Also because I assume it should be pretty cheap to have one (this is still China, right?). I don’t own a WFOE or anything, so I would be paying her in cash.

I just have no idea how much I should be paying someone for a part time weekend job. She can work from home as well. She’s 22 and has a Master’s degree in English language (Sichuan Uni). During the week she’s working in a multinational company, but I doubt she’s making a lot of money. She’s just doing mails, telephone calls, powerpoints,… .

Her tasks would include things such as online/offline research, getting information from the government, analyzing certain documents/papers/books, getting certain documents, etc…

How much should I offer her (hourly rate)? I have no idea.

[Brendan]

This is an interesting question, one that applies to a few people here I’m sure.

I think it’s fair to say you need to make a good evaluation yourself of exactly what you want/expect, and make an honest assessment from there of how much you should reasonably be paying. As an example, if I’m paying for someone to clean my apartment and they show up with nothing more than a bucket of dirty water and an old worn out mop, 100 RMB is probably on the high side, even if they do intend to chase that mop for 3 hours or more!

Personally if I was hiring an assistant, I would first make sure expectations were made clear, and define what is being exchanged in terms of work and money. I’ve had (female) friends help me out in a similar vein to what you’re proposing, and it was difficult to even have them accept any money at all. They were only too happy to practice their English, and spend time with me. That’s fine as long as you don’t have definitive demands or expectations, but if you’re working to a deadline, and expecting a level of competence, you should give more than just passing thought to how much you’re willing to pay.

I can already hear most people reason that 12-15 RMB is ample enough, but I’d personally not be comfortable paying that if I expected a consistent level of work in return. I would want to pay 25 RMB minimum, especially to someone holding a degree in English, who would potentially prove to be invaluable both now and in the future. 100 RMB for 4 hours solid productivity seems like a bargain to me, whilst being fair compared to the average clerical income paid here.

[Charlie]

Quote:

100 RMB for 4 hours solid productivity seems like a bargain to me, whilst being fair compared to the average clerical income paid here.

That sounds fair to me also. It’s a comfortable living wage (assuming there are enough of those hours) and pretty inexpensive for hiring someone with a Masters in English.

[Ray]

My students quoted 50 an hour for a masters student….keep in mind Chinese salaries have increased enormously over the past two years…..

[Rick in China]

If you already have a specific person in mind, the best thing to do once you’ve got your approximation (25-50/hr) and if you think the higher is still a good ROI, is to talk with them. Define clearly what you’re expecting as a deliverable, and let her give her opinions on whether she can deliver – once you’re both clear on what is expected, then you can realistically talk about the cash. In most cases, you really get what you pay for, but it’s up to you to vet whether she’s up to the challenge and can really deliver…and if she _does_ deliver, whether whatever you decide on is still enough of a value for you to go ahead with the agreement. Some students work free for ‘internship’ style opportunities, but you also don’t usually get what you need from the arrangement. Maybe you could even talk about a sort of lower base-line and performance based bonus if she performs to or greater than expected. It’s more western style, but might work in your case.

[Ray]

She leaves half way thru may cost you more than you expected. Employee turnover can be a killer (just ask my employer!)

[Author]

Posts