Taught simple English to kids 6-8 years old. About 40 kids in a class. They paid 30RMB for a class and I was paid 250RMB. Taught the same material for 8 class a day (sat and Sun). The school got about 19,000 per weekend and I got 8,000. And, yes I did get paid all of it. In Changping near Beijing.
Taught at a private school in Beijing, Students paid 80,000 a year plus living, plus food, plus books, plus, plus. Subject teachers, not English teachers, were paid 10,000 a month, foreign and Chinese both for 12 hours max. Most taught 8 hours for Math, Chemistry, Physics, Accounting, Statistics, etc. all A level courses with UK books. Silly owners fired the headmaster who took 80% of the students to his own new school. This school folded I think.
Private schools usually get the tuition and boarding fees upfront. They tend to run out of money toward the end of the year which makes return air ticket money iffy.
Breakeven depends on rent and the number of non teaching staff, you know the guys that hang around all day reading newspapers and plying cards. One private school I worked at had 65 Chinese and foreign teachers with over 200 total staff most of which did little or nothing.
Rent is a mystery. One school paid annual rent of 25% of tuition collected - this school folded. Other schools had cost reduction programs, firing teachers or abusive fines. Fines for failing to report to a class when the time and day had been changed but kept a secret from the teachers. Class schedules and notices are sometimes posted in Chinese in areas the foreign teachers don't frequent.
I don't usually teach English and usually get to pick the text with the requirement the text be less than 3 years old.
Private schools hire foreign teachers for marketing reasons. My face has appeared all over the place and my resume greatly enhanced (in Chinese).
If foreign teachers get paid more at a private school, tough, the smiling white faces bring in the revenue and job opportunities for Chinese teachers.
I have also worked at two government universities. At both schools, Chinese professors taught less hours and earned more money. I gather the Chinese get a basic salary, around 1200 at my uni, then get paid for hours times a factor (prep or difficulty) and also extra money for extra assignments. One Prof said his 1200 was upped to more than 4500 based on the pay scheme. Me? I get 3700 for 9 class hours contact time but that is 11 paid hours if I was paid according to the Chinese scheme.
Join us December 15 for the fourth annual Have a Heart Fundraiser!
Posted byIs Dr. Detrano still associated with this excellent program?
Iconic Kunming landmark getting subterranean facelift
Posted byMany years ago in Beijing on a very cold and windy winter day, I had to go to 中关村 (zhongguancun) to buy some camera stuff to take on Spring Festival. Walking out of the campus I ran into a student who was going there as well so I invited him to join me in the taxi ride. For some reason we could not get closer than 3-4 blocks to destination and were left with a walk facing North into the biting wind. No problem as my student turned guide and led me into a building and down stairs deep underground. We walked through huge underground rooms with high ceilings. I was amazed so the student took me down another level as we walked North,
My guess, after checking a map, was the we walked about 700 meters and the voids were about 80-100 meters wide. My guide told me this was a bomb shelter.
A few years later, these spaces were, in true Chinese style, were bustling with businesses. All partitions and fixtures were movable and temporary so it wouldn't take but minutes to restore most of the empty space. In some areas, escalators descended and rose and it seemed as if the buildings above expanded downward. In other areas, the huge void spaces remained empty.
Clearly a plan was in effect. I have no idea what it was and I had no interest in asking questions.
Fulintang: Yunnan's oldest apothecary
Posted by@bilingualexpat Good to hear. This is great old building. I hope no one gets greedy enough to tear it down. 不拆！
Summiting Yunnan's majestic Haba Snow Mountain
Posted byI have to agree with @alien. New or borrowed boots can lead to misery and pain. Take care of your feet.
Gulls arrival in Kunming warrants special treatment
Posted by@bilingualexpat Thanks. My first trip into China was in 1984. Didn't get to Kunming in those days and probably wasn't allowed to go. Today's Chinese kids should see these photos. I am fortunate to have witnessed China's progress over 30 years.