Does anyone still have the low-hours, low-pay university teaching gigs?

[roddy]

I never had one of these jobs, but back in my early days in China they were pretty much the norm, as the private sector was only getting started. 10-16 hours (possibly 45 minute hours) teaching a week, modest but entirely livable salary (Y1500? Y1800), on-campus accommodation provided in usually decent apartments. The teaching was generally 'do some English conversation and if we ask you for grades, make sure nobody fails', and what you actually taught was up to your conscience and ability. There'd be a few of you doing the same work, possibly up to a dozen at bigger places, and you'd fall into little stereotypes - the bar-goers, the Chinese-practicers, the student-seducers, the pathological liar who claimed to be on the run from the IRA and the CIA (anyone else meet him? Changzhou or Yangzhou, or one of the Jiangsu -zhou's, around 98, 99? I never did destroy that roll of film like I told him I would.)

 

To what extent are those jobs still out there? Are they unchanged, bar some salary increases, or are they now squeezing the marrow out of you? Tougher visa requirements seems to dictate at the very least they're getting more qualified people in the door, and I'd imagine (and hope) they expect a bit more for their money. 

 

I had a very quick scout around and spotted this recent ad on eslcafe, which fits the template, but it's the only one I saw (obviously, these are not normal times and it's still early for September recruiting). I can't imagine that's a huge salary (Y7800 before tax) even in Yantai, but presumably fine with accommodation thrown in, and all the time in the world to do side jobs, study, or wander the streets. Do agencies have the market sown up, or can you still get a job on your own initiative? 

[markhavemann]

I was doing this until recently. Salary was fine for how little work I was doing (8-9k). Classes were supposedly in 45 minute chunks but actually they were always two 45 minute classes together. No meetings, few classes, very little interference from above, maybe someone watching a class once a year. 

 

The salary has gone up a bit since I left and I think you could possibly get as much as 12k but the requirements are stricter now too (in terms of qualifications). I know that they were also trying to organise events for the foreign teachers to get to know each other so the "interactiveness" of the job went up a bit, but I think they still don't manage teaching quality or curriculum too much. Definitely a really nice job if you want to do other things on the side. 

 

5 hours ago, roddy said:

Do agencies have the market sown up, or can you still get a job on your own initiative? 

Not really sure about this one. I don't often see agencies advertising university jobs so I think often they are gotten through knowing people. Could be wrong on this count though. 

[Xiao Kui]

I recently saw one of these gigs advertised in Teaching in China facebook group, advertising a salary of 8-12,000. Stuck out like a sore thumb amongst all the 18-35K adverts.  And they didn't do a great job playing up the long winter and summer breaks and minimal teaching hours.  You can still get a kindergarten half-day gig for 10-15K if you know where to look - I personally prefer this to university. 

 

[imron]

15 hours ago, Xiao Kui said:

Stuck out like a sore thumb amongst all the 18-35K adverts.

Inflation is crazy. I remember when 5,000 was a high salary for a foreigner in Beijing!

[Guest realmayo]

I had a very happy year or so after choosing to take a pay cut and move to a university where I earned 1,800 a month - the minumum legal amount I think - for teaching 16 50-minute hours of spoken English per week. I do notice this clause in the link Roddy posted though: Party A may adjust the workload of Party B in accordance with the current situation.

[markhavemann]

3 hours ago, imron said:

Inflation is crazy. I remember when 5,000 was a high salary for a foreigner in Beijing!

I think it's a combination of the government clamping down on illegal working lately, and then more recently all the teachers who fled China when COVID started who haven't been able to come back. 

 

At the end of 2019 I remember seeing the average salaries of posted jobs around me were like 13 or 14k, maybe a little higher. By the middle of last year it was closer to 20, and the last couple of months I've been seeing more and more 30's. People need their English fix it seems.  

[Pengyou]

Last July I saw some unis out west (Gansu) offering 4.5k per month plus on campus housing, air fare and the booboo health insurance they offer. If you read the fine print, they only paid you half wages in the summer, when you were not teaching.

[grawrt]

I know this is an old post but, I teach at University but the pay is better than before because they have included cost of living (if you live outside of campus)

 

my base salary is 11k + 6k (house expense) 

 

Base pay is for 12 hours/week.

If you teach more than that you get paid extra but its not that much extra and there is a cap on the total hours that can be taught (18).

 

I generally get 16k after taxes (I opted out of the social insurance program, otherwise it would have been a bit less than that).

 

I personally love the hours. I know the pay is not much but I love the freedom to do what I want in my spare time. 

[abcdefg]

On 10/12/2022 at 10:26 AM, grawrt said:

I personally love the hours. I know the pay is not much but I love the freedom to do what I want in my spare time. 

 

Sounds like a good life! 

[roddy]

On 10/12/2022 at 4:26 PM, grawrt said:

I personally love the hours. I know the pay is not much but I love the freedom to do what I want in my spare time. 

12 hours is nothing, especially if you've got some experience and lesson plans under your belt. You could pretty much do another 20 hours of high-paid tutoring work (I'm not sure I'd do that locally now, but online) or something else, or do an online degree, or study Chinese into submission, or... 

 

It's also, what, GBP 2k, 48 hours - that's £40 an hour, give or take. That's easily a good deal. The only problem is you can't triple your hours for a year and save it all.

[Guest realmayo]

I've been seriously considering a university teaching job - 20 years since the last time - for September 2023, precisely because I'd like to spend a year or two in China with lots of my own time. I'd like to use that time to speak loads of Chinese, but even if there are no lock-downs by then, I'm not sure if I would actually get out and about to find opportunities to chatter away in Chinese during my non-class hours - just not sure what those opportunities would look like in practice.

[abcdefg]

On 10/13/2022 at 8:00 AM, realmayo said:

...just not sure what those opportunities would look like in practice.

 

How do you think those opportunities would have changed from 5 or 10 years ago? Are you concerned about a higher level of anti-foreigner sentiment? 

[Guest realmayo]

I was just realising that i'd no longer be a fresh-faced 21-year old at a time when foreigners were exceedingly exotic and everyone was keen to talk to me,  friendships and opportunities to chatter kind of falling into my lap. But thinking about it, you seemed busy enough in Kunming not so long ago!

[abcdefg]

I understand what you mean. And I did have a lot going on in Kunming. Made a point in getting involved in a variety of activities and reaching out to new people on a regular basis. Here at home in America, I'm not very gregarious. Pretty sure that unconsciously I was milking that "foreigner novelty" for all it was worth. 

[inv]

On 4/2/2021 at 10:51 AM, roddy said:

I never had one of these jobs, but back in my early days in China they were pretty much the norm, as the private sector was only getting started. 10-16 hours (possibly 45 minute hours) teaching a week, modest but entirely livable salary (Y1500? Y1800), on-campus accommodation provided in usually decent apartments. The teaching was generally 'do some English conversation and if we ask you for grades, make sure nobody fails', and what you actually taught was up to your conscience and ability. There'd be a few of you doing the same work, possibly up to a dozen at bigger places, and you'd fall into little stereotypes -

I think that some more modern approaches and techniques are available.

[grawrt]

On 10/13/2022 at 9:00 PM, realmayo said:

I've been seriously considering a university teaching job - 20 years since the last time - for September 2023, precisely because I'd like to spend a year or two in China with lots of my own time. I'd like to use that time to speak loads of Chinese, but even if there are no lock-downs by then, I'm not sure if I would actually get out and about to find opportunities to chatter away in Chinese during my non-class hours - just not sure what those opportunities would look like in practice.

 

If you decide to do this and are worried about opportunities to practice you can try exploring through a hobby. I take pole dancing and aerial classes in my free time and I'm constantly surrounded by Chinese and using it. But honestly I haven't had trouble with practicing my Chinese. China has very few foreigners now (I'm in BJ where there should be more than normal but the number has been cut tremendously, can't imagine how other places are) most people are really happy to strike up a conversation with you. In Beijing we need to take nucleic tests every 72 hours (but because I'm back in Beijing from overseas my school wants me to take one every day) I usually end up getting into a conversation with someone on the line. Yesterday this young high school student struck up a conversation with me about american music and how he was so in love with old rock bands etc. 

 

Another benefit to university jobs is your school (atleast my school) is always trying to get us to take part in activities or offer jobs that their colleagues are looking for. Last summer I was a judge for a translation competition and spent a month going through translations and then had several meetings with the other judges (all in Chinese), now I got roped into a slogan translation which had me in a meeting as well. My first semester I helped the debate team. We've been encouraged to give school lectures on topics we find interesting, sometimes we get free tickets to places (during the winter olympics they gave out free tickets to see the figure skating competition), over summer vacation they gave us a card with money in to visit touristic places in Beijing. Plenty of opportunities to speak Chinese besides the typical "how are you oh im good, where are you from?" that you might get on the street.