Hi everyone, here's a China update in case anyone is interested...
China changed the visa rules for English teachers a year or so ago. Now you need to be a native English speaker (from a handful of selected countries) to get a legit working visa.
Due to this, there's a dramatic difference in the number of eligible teachers in China. Many smaller schools and training centres are really feeling the pinch.
What does this mean for potential teachers? Much better salary and perks! There are some great packages available if you shop around. Be a bit aggressive and bargain with the school a little. Never settle for what the school offers first!
I just signed a contract with a new school in Suzhou, about 30 minutes from Shanghai by high speed rail. It's a British managed international boarding school and I'll be working in the kindy department. The school is just being finished now and I officially start in October.
After tax I get 17,635 RMB a month which is about $2,870 USD. On top of that they provide free housing and utilities, health insurance and 8.5 weeks paid holidays a year plus all Chinese public holidays. Cost of living in China can be really low. Hell, even a big night out will usually only set you back about $50-60 USD.
After each year, the school pays $3,200 USD annual bonus/flight allowance and a yearly $830 laptop allowance which can be used on anything you want (hello Mac mini!). Check out
www.seriousteachers.com
Note: this is a kindy gig and they usually pay higher because you are at the school all day, as opposed to training centre jobs which usually start in the afternoon and go into the evening. Having said that, a lot of training centres are offering pretty good money too considering how easy the work is.
If anyone is interested, I know a kindy in Wuxi that's looking for teachers. The salary and bonuses etc aren't as high as my new job, but the workload is ridiculously easy and they pay for housing too.
China is also full of the dudebro brigade, but they usually live in the bigger cities such as Beijing and Shanghai and are easy to avoid. There are lots of nice older people here that got fed up with the 9 to 5 grind back home and have come to China to start a new life. I'm definitely in that category! I moved to China 2 years ago and have never looked back.