PsyGuy wrote:

> Inquiry:
>
> Is this tax free as in free of US taxes only or are they absorbing the
> Chinese taxes for you as well?
> What year and subject will you be teaching?
> Is the housing benefit for 10 or 12 months?
> Is the flight benefit one incoming OW flight or is it RT, and if its RT is
> it annual, beginning and end of contract or beginning and end of service?
> Is the Health plan a local plan thats restricted to a local Chinese
> hospital or is it a global plan that provides a western practice and
> western medical staff?
>
> Ana1ysis:
>
> Its a on the lower side of a decent offer for you. Youre an intern class
> IT, you have no experience and your MA in Teaching is strongly suggestive
> of a primary/elementary IT, which in IE are a pence for ten. Annulizing the
> salary over 12 months assuming no tax deductions your looking at
> RMB¥18K/mth. The very bottom of IE/top of EE is RMB¥20K/mth so your making
> ESOL coin. Which wouldnt be bad for an ET with an ETs schedule, which is
> about half a day of teaching periods. What is a big warning red flag is the
> making up "vacation" days on the weekend. Thats very much inline
> with what an ET would have to do in ESOL. What are you doing on these
> weekend times (assuming students arent there).
>
> Whats the housing, is it a private room in a shared apartment. Is it local
> eastern or western design. Are the furnishings what a western professional
> would expect or is it more what youd see in a Uni students
> dormitory/apartment? Can you stay in the apartment for 12 months over the
> summer or do you have to leave after 10 months?
> Utilities arent a big deal, gas, electric, water in China is cheap, even
> bottled water for drinking isnt a huge expense if you have to pay for it
> yourself. Internet isnt cheap, and you have to pay for the whole year in
> advance it would be a few hundred USD for unlimited data at a speed that
> will stream video (youtube) decently. Satellite can be pricy and you wont
> get any English stations over broadcast but you can get a streaming stick
> (Roku, Chromecast, Apple TV) and using your VPN watch whatever. Mobile isnt
> hugely expensive as long as you stick to voice and SMS/MMS its data thats
> expensive (relatively).
>
> If the flight is just incoming OW than its better than nothing. You should
> ask how thats arranged, but its probably reimbursed and given the quality
> of the IS you will have to wait months too a year to get it, and even then
> they will probably try to low ball the reimbursement.
>
> You mention no other relocation allowances such as shipping/shopping or
> settling in allowance which is typical of ESOL contracts.
>
> How often are the free meals? If its daily service as an IT that could save
> you some coin. If its 3 a day or less using some coupon system its still
> better than nothing. understand though that food is cheap in China, you can
> get a bowel of noodles for a USD$.25. Your IS is probably typical Chinese
> student fare and the IT plate is probably priced at 2RMB for breakfast
> (congee, which is rice porridge with some meat or egg and maybe sugared
> donuts in the morning). 3-4RMB for lunch which is going to be rice, a small
> helping of your choice of a meat dish and two small helpings of a non meat
> dish for RMB¥3 or 2 meat and 2 non-meat for RMB¥4 (your IS might make you
> pay the difference for the extra meat dish) and then if an evening meal
> such as dinner its more of the same that you had at lunch but you get soup
> and a small sweet such as almond cookie, etc. Half of the lunch and dinner
> plates are large portions of rice. The only really good thing about it is
> you can often get to go dishes made of whatever you want (that they have
> ingredients for) very cheap. You can even bring things in like cuts of
> beef, etc. and have them cooked to order. All in all though the benefit
> isnt much, its probably breakfast and lunch which is RMB¥5/day for 22 days
> out of the month is RMB¥110/mth they are budgeting it on the ledger for
> which is USD$15/mth, food in China is cheap, Its an ultra cheap benefit
> that gives the appearance of value when in fact its trivial.
>
> The Health care isnt likely worth anything. Its probably a local policy
> that will get you into a hospital if you break a bone and need it set or
> some other minor surgical ailment. Bobos like sprain or respiratory
> infection like throat, nose or ears and youll get some cheap antibiotics
> without even really seeing a doctor or an off the shelf ace bandage. The
> ISs nurse might even be the point of contact for that. Regardless anything
> major or expensive and there is likely a contract provision that says if
> you are unfit for work for more than 30 days they can (and will) dismiss
> you. If you end up hit by a car or have something expensive happen to you,
> they will dismiss you and then your insurance disappears as well.
>
> The professional development isnt going to be worth anything. Its likely
> going to be a Friday afternoon or Saturday you give up with out coin to
> listen to someone in leadership go through a power point slide of something
> they saw on the internet. At lower tier ISs in China the best PD you can
> hope for (if its not required by the IB for example) is language classes.
> There are ISs that have supplemented Masters programs for example, but you
> already have one.
>
> Be very careful about the "tax free", lower tier ISs in China
> like to spin tax free meaning to them you dont pay US or UK taxes but you
> still pay local tax and you dont get the bill or know until the end of the
> year when your last salary disbursement is nothing but a pay slip saying it
> was all absorbed for taxes.
>
> You should also ask about document reimbursement for visas, etc. They
> probably dont provide any but that will cost a few hundred USD.
>
> The weather is okay for China, but its not really close to HK, its about 3
> hrs by intercity train and about 4.5 hrs by coach bus. The train costs
> about RMB¥220 and the coach about RMB¥80. Though you could reasonably make
> it a weekend habit to go to HK.
>
> What would make it reasonable for you would be:
> 1) Free vacation days you dont have to come in on the weekends to make up.
> Thats why they are called vacation.
> 2) A minimum salary of RMB¥250K/yr for 10 months. You would probably have
> to start at RMB¥270K and then get down to something in the 250-260 range.
> 3) Annual 12 month housing especially if you are returning for the next
> year.
> 4) RT air at the beginning and end of contract or at least at the beginning
> and end of service.
> 5) A utility allowance
> 6) A few hundred USD as a settling in allowance (forget shipping and
> shopping, you land you get an envelope of coin). About RMB¥2000 would be
> fine. You would probably have to spin this though to get it.
> 7) Private independent housing assuming its not included already.
> 8) Truly free of all taxes.
>
> You cant really do much about the rest. The PD is what it will be, the
> health plan is what it is, etc. You dont mention dependents so
> places/waivers arent relevant.

Hello Psyguy,

Thank you for you in depth -. You have made my decision a lot easier. I think you make some compelling arguments. The salary is very low end for an IS. I think I want to go back and counter offer with 300K RMB which is roughly $4,500 USD per month. I don't think these terms will be acceptable, however truth be told I have other options in America that still have not transpired as the hiring season goes late into the Summer here in the states. As mentioned above my top priority is to clear my credential which is not possible at this particular school because the standards they teach are not equivalent to CA standards.

In response to your inquiry, the flight is RT and the healthcare is probably some run of the mill, fly by night coverage provided only in China. I would be teaching upper primary students, the housing is for 10 months, the US-China tax treaty would exempt me from paying taxes to China, with the help of the school. I could also avoid paying taxes to the US due to the ex-pat exemption based on living abroad for 330 days. The visa is paid by the school.

I think you are absolutely right about the food benefit which is trivial at best. I checked about the Prof. Development and the only advantage is they would provide me with a mentor if I needed to clear my credential.

What really bothers me about there terms is the fact you make-up holidays by working weekends with students present. This essentially means you are not afforded any vacation days despite working many long hours M-F. Moreover assuming your attendance is perfect you are given only 5 sick days.

Like I mentioned I will counter offer, but I assume my terms are too high to be acceptable.

Hello,

I am a new teacher with an MA in Teaching and a CA Preliminary Teaching Credential.

My only experience is one year of student teaching and one year as a substitute.

I cannot find work in America (mainly because I refuse to work in Charter Schools) so I applied to a Chinese School near Foshan for a teaching position. (Please note the school is not an accredited International School but rather a Private School). Tuition for students is 30,000 RMB if that helps.

I got an offer to teach for a salary of 220,000 RMB for 10 months.

Pros: Free Accomodation
Flight
Health Care
Free Meals
Prof. Development
Tax Free Income
Nice part of China weather wise, close to HK

Cons: Long Hours (8:00-16:30) The school expects you to stay after dismissal to lesson plan
Must pay for utilities and internet
I would not be able to clear my credentials because the school uses WIDA standards and my home state would not classify
them as equivalent.
Vacation Days have to be made up on the weekend; excluding winter break.

Based on the above is this a good or bad job offer? If you don't like it, what would make it a fair job offer?