Because there are so many people in China it takes a long time (sometimes never) before cheaters are discovered. Schools do not want a good teacher they can keep long term so they can provide a good service and get a good reputation - they could care less. This is why there is constant turnover of teachers and constant advertising for new teachers. Some classes have 2,3,4 and more foreign teachers in a 3 month period. All they want is a white face that will accept the lowest price this is why they love the backpackers and those who are here for only a few months - mainly those without a work visa.

My chinese wife makes 5000/month working part time at home - the students are better because they are serious and want to learn - do not have to deal with a classroom full of jerks - do not have to take a bus or taxi in the RAIN to go to the school - and only teach 1:1. This is the way to go - when more people do this the price for teachers will go up because no one will be out looking for work in schools.

If you can find the students then 1 to 1 is the way to go. Let's not just paint the schools in a bad way. Some of the strangestr people you'll meet are English teachers. These part time classes are all at weekends / weekday evenings and if something else comes up in that period with higher pay it makes sense to leave.

But, again, what are people complaining about?

150 is considered double your hourly pay in some cases in Europe. English teachers aren't doctors, lawyers or plumbers. I personally wouldn't want to waste my evenings or weekends doing work I do Mon-Fri unless its a call from Cambridge who I know are going to make it worth my while. No one is forcing anyone to work for that amount (Which is a fair amount) if you are offered it and you feel you're worth more, ask for more. If they don't want to pay it, forget about it.

@alexex
usually a business follows the demands. which is parents wanting quality education. thats where the scam starts. MOST schools lying and cheating as much as they can. it has nothing to do anymore with keeping costs low.

@napoleon
my aunt is an english teacher, back home. she makes about 15Euro/h net, paid vacation, full health insurance cover, she has a very good career (she is part of the school.council), she even turned down a few career advances, full retiremend package, she is state employed, so she can.t just get fired unless she really messes up big time. she gets constant training, there is no one lying or squeezing numbers. no money involved. every academic decision is made by educators not by business personnel.man,that list goes on and on and on.
and most impotantly, she loves her job
....so,does that sound anything like the job here.

why is a teacher not like a doctor, or a lawyer? it should not get divided by your social status but how good you are at your job.

what seems to be confusing is the amount of professions and the vast demand.

teachers educate the future of the country or even world, though we treat them.like sh*t. people spend more money on cigarettes,KTV,booze,cheese...than they are willing to.give for quality education. unless the understanding changes....this will not change.

at last,the demands on the teacher are 10times more than abroad...due to.the vortex. but without and compensation...ust is.

@alexex
usually a business follows the demands. which is parents wanting quality education. thats where the scam starts. MOST schools lying and cheating as much as they can. it has nothing to do anymore with keeping costs low.

@napoleon
my aunt is an english teacher, back home. she makes about 15Euro/h net, paid vacation, full health insurance cover, she has a very good career (she is part of the school.council), she even turned down a few career advances, full retiremend package, she is state employed, so she can.t just get fired unless she really messes up big time. she gets constant training, there is no one lying or squeezing numbers. no money involved. every academic decision is made by educators not by business personnel.man,that list goes on and on and on.
and most impotantly, she loves her job
....so,does that sound anything like the job here.

why is a teacher not like a doctor, or a lawyer? it should not get divided by your social status but how good you are at your job.

what seems to be confusing is the amount of professions and the vast demand.

teachers educate the future of the country or even world, though we treat them.like sh*t. people spend more money on cigarettes,KTV,booze,cheese...than they are willing to.give for quality education. unless the understanding changes....this will not change.

at last,the demands on the teacher are 10times more than abroad...due to.the vortex. but without and compensation...ust is.

So what you're doing is agreeing with me that 150 rmb translates well in European terms then?
No that your aunt has all those benifits is as she's working in Europe. Chances are she also is fully qualified in a relevant field and has teaching licences and all sorts. Now, does that sound like your average Kunming ESL teacher? Not only that but she'll get tax on that 150, no?
Also living in Paris or Munich now she has to travel to and from work, that's not costing 1rmb. Maybe she'll have a pizza or pasta for lunch, thats not costing 35rmb. Her 150 is'nt going as far as Mr Kunming ESL teacher's rmb. She may have insurance but doesn't anyone with a full time job in China? I once had BUPA insurance with my job. If anyone wants a pension they could take one out here with a private company, or one back home. Where the advantage of working in Europe for 150 is, will be in job security and pension, state health all being covered for you.

You are comparing woking for the jingly jangly school of English founded on Love in Kunming with working in Rome for the government. Why not try comparing working for a language school in Rome and one in China, I bet the Chinese school pays more per hour in 80% of the cases. In Europe you'll work for Berlitz for 1000 Euros a month with no housing. You'll be taxed and you'll be paying European prices for everything.

I disagree that the demands are 10 times here what they are abroad. Do you need to sit a teaching exam to qualify to teach (Sudan) do you need to teach to educational employees and submit lesson plans to continue working (Maldives) do you need specific certificates to qualify to work (Delta/Celta etc) Are you required to work with the lights off or blacked out curtains at 10 in the evening to squeeze in a few extra study hours (Korea).

Teaching in China you could in theory go to class do your 'Tommy Cooper' and go home an hour/50 mins later with 150rmb in your pocket. You could start looking for that job in the morning and be in class by the evening if you ever needed money. Think it's like that in Rome when you're teaching FCE to Italian Businessmen?

I've worked various jobs in China over the years, both as employee and consultant. As soon as a prospective employer or client starts talking to me about cost of living and how much I need to get by, I head straight for the door. It tells me that they expect me to give my life to them, and get subsistence in return.

Now, as a translator, I often have well-financed operations crying poverty to me, hoping for a steep discount in my rates. I tell them that quality comes at a price, and they are welcome to pay less for a useless or laughable translation. In the end, the decision is theirs.

It seems the school in question is frequently able to find suckers who will work for 150 an hour, but they can't hold on to them. My personal advice is to avoid such offers, plain and simple. Yes, there are a lot of foreigners who want to live in Kunming, and that tends to depress prices, but you can easily make more if you know what you're doing.

I think the comparisons with local salaries and random Western countries are irrelevant. So is what you think you "deserve" for this job. It's all about what the market will bear. You may try bargaining for a better price, but you would do better to just walk away.

For those who live here for more than 1 year there is no reason to work at a school and put up with their nonsense. If you are a good teacher, you can have students come knocking at your door just from word of mouth of other students. I understand why the Tourist/teachers must go to a school because they dont have the time to establish a student base.

To compare Kunming salaries to Europe or Beijing is irrelevant.

I think it's relevant to compare to other countries/cities, no?

I'm saying in Europe you'll get 150 euros for an hours class. Therefore the comparison is relevant to people saying that they wont pay enough in Kunming. Others said 300-500 an hour in Beijing to those who were saying its a Chinese school phenomenon as though they're better off working elsewhere.

Grass is always greener I guess. You want to decide how much you get paid then work for yourselves, then you can dictate terms. Until then employers will decide how much they can pay to get a person that meets their criteria. From this post I see it's clearly 150rmb at the moment.

I dont think you'll find any profession where the people think that they are paid enough. If the world was fair nurses would be driving Ferraris and bankers would living in council houses. If you're teaching nursery rhymes to 5 year olds then maybe it's time to consider that you're a baby sitter and not really making a difference to the futures of the Chinese population. If you have a student that needs a 6.5 on IELTS to get a place in a foreign university, or you have to teach a pilot PET material so he can continue flying abroad, then you have a bit more gumption and can consider asking for more, if the students see that you are the man to get them the 6.5 or the PET then there's no reason they wouldn't pay. No?

HFCAMPO, working at a school is the only way a foreign teacher can obtain a Z visa and legally work in China. Only Americans and Canadians can get long-term tourist visas, so if you come from another country you have to either work at a school, or pay for a student visa (but that means you'll be working illegally).

I agree with HFCAMPO. You are better off teaching 1-on-1 classes than teaching 15-30 students in a class. You get paid 150 teaching all these kids when you can teach 5 students at your home and charge them 50-70 yuan per hour per student and make a killing. The classes are easier to control and the students get more of your attention. Word of mouth is the best way to get new students. You don't even have to spend money on advertising. :-).