Qingdao Ameriasia International School

[durianfan]

A friend of mine has been offered a job here for a September start. 24k RMB including housing. Seems like an amazing salary, but anyone know anything about this school? Thanks!

[wrldtrvlr123]

[quote="durianfan"]A friend of mine has been offered a job here for a September start. 24k RMB including housing. Seems like an amazing salary, but anyone know anything about this school? Thanks![/quote]

If that's net per month it's very good but not necessarily amazing. If it's gross it's just good. Don't know anything specifically about the school.

[PsyGuy]

Amazing it is NOT, Id rate it OK, which is just above bad. MINIMUM for a real IT as a real IS is 20K RMB. A lot would depend on your resume (degrees, subject, experience). Usually the top salaries in China peak at around 40K RMB.

[wrldtrvlr123]

[quote="PsyGuy"]Amazing it is NOT, Id rate it OK, which is just above bad. MINIMUM for a real IT as a real IS is 20K RMB. A lot would depend on your resume (degrees, subject, experience). Usually the top salaries in China peak at around 40K RMB.[/quote]

Really? Who pays that much to start? Virtually every school will have maximum numbers of years they will give you credit for (usually around 7).

The max you could start with at the big boys in Beijing would be low 30k's per month with them paying the taxes.

[Overhere]

I think 24K RMB/month including housing would be a good entry point salary depending on a couple of other factors, like does the school pay the taxes, does it include flights, insurance, is it paid over 12 months or 10, does your friend have dependents, and is it a housing allowance or school provided housing.

Be aware though that China, particularly in the big cities, is not the inexpensive place it once was. I can't get over how fast prices are going up, milk has gone up 4 rmb/litre in the past 3 months and fruits and vegetables are going up equally as fast.

[PsyGuy]

ISB and WAB hit the $40K RMB mark. Usually schools cap experience between step 6-8, though I've seen teachers "negotiate" in a few rare times for a higher step.

[wrldtrvlr123]

[quote="PsyGuy"]ISB and WAB hit the $40K RMB mark. Usually schools cap experience between step 6-8, though I've seen teachers "negotiate" in a few rare times for a higher step.[/quote]

Umm. Based on what? Our favorite database has ISB at MA+8 at $59K, which is 33Krmb per month (net). WAB is even less than that.

To get 40K rmb per month, you would need like $76K pa. Who's getting that to start?

BCIS actually pays more gross than ISB and WAB, but does not pay your taxes. Even they are not giving our $76K a year.

And haven't we had this conversation before? :?:

[PsyGuy]

Yes we've had this conversation before. ISB hired a teacher at Search at 39K RMB. I wouldn't have believed it either.

I think were just spliting hairs over definitions such as "OK, Good, Great, etc". I suppose 23K would be the high end of my OK, which could be the low end of your good. OK for me is 20K, Good is 25K, Great is 30K and anything about 35K is awesome/exceptional/fantastic, etc.

[wrldtrvlr123]

[quote="PsyGuy"]Yes we've had this conversation before. ISB hired a teacher at Search at 39K RMB. I wouldn't have believed it either.

I think were just spliting hairs over definitions such as "OK, Good, Great, etc". I suppose 23K would be the high end of my OK, which could be the low end of your good. OK for me is 20K, Good is 25K, Great is 30K and anything about 35K is awesome/exceptional/fantastic, etc.[/quote]

I still don't believe it. What's the source?

Oh, and on this thread, you admitted the 40K was an typo. :D

http://internationalschoolsreview.com/v ... ht=40k+rmb

[PsyGuy]

I've recently updated my view. I was also wrong about the salary at ISB (Bangkok) as well (it was astronomically high for Thailand).

The source is one of my principals, he was in the recruiters room when the head and assistant principal were discussing the contract and hire at Search BK. I have no reason to doubt it. Whats really going to blow your mind is it was a HOD learning support position. It only came up because were starting a Search for 2 additional support teachers one resource and a GT teacher (with the new prescription guide for MYP coming out, were going in the direction of an "honors" program as a marketing strategy for MYP 5).

We depend on Search profile pages for most information, and those data figures are derived from the schools themselves. Im starting to form a theory that the upper end of those reported scales are under reported to keep salary negotiations manageable. Everyone negotiates based on the commonly understood highest and lowest reported salary. These values serve as anchor points, and it is in the schools interest to keep the "perceived" maximum of those salary scales from general knowledge.

If they told you the top salary was actually 40K RMB, wouldnt you ask for it?

[wrldtrvlr123]

[quote="PsyGuy"]I've recently updated my view. I was also wrong about the salary at ISB (Bangkok) as well (it was astronomically high for Thailand).

The source is one of my principals, he was in the recruiters room when the head and assistant principal were discussing the contract and hire at Search BK. I have no reason to doubt it. Whats really going to blow your mind is it was a HOD learning support position. It only came up because were starting a Search for 2 additional support teachers one resource and a GT teacher (with the new prescription guide for MYP coming out, were going in the direction of an "honors" program as a marketing strategy for MYP 5). [/quote]

That does blow my mind (which translates to pisses me off/makes me green with envy, considering that is right in my wheelhouse). I may be in the market for a move north, should my HK prospects go south.

[durianfan]

Thanks for the replies. The salary he was offered did surprise me a bit, especially since it's a small school and it's more than I'm making up north at an IB school (which is just shy of 20k gross). Reading about some of the starting salaries in China, I now think that I should have asked for more!

[PsyGuy]

I sent a resume packet to ISB-Beijing, thats a F-load of money, considering the comp-pack includes housing, moving, relocation allowances, its basically all discretionary income.

[gr8teach]

@Psyguy- are you looking to move this recruiting season?

[PsyGuy]

Looking yes, but I dont have to leave. I have a 3 year contract, but the first year is probationary, meaning their is an early exit clause that either I or the school can exercise. So if I want out I have to leave before the start of my second year, or else Id be breaking contract. After the third year I get tenure, and my contract continues indefinitely.

Why do i want to leave??? There just isnt a whole lot to do here. Granted I have a pretty easy workload, Its just cold so much of the year and the days are so short. There isnt a lot of beauty here in the long winter months, and everything here costs money. Im an explorer I like to wander around a new city, but thats hard to do in 30 below weather. Money is also an issue. I took this position because it was an admin position and more money then I was getting back in Italy. What i learned is that everything is pretty much imported here, so the increases income is offset by the higher prices, and there isnt really a local source. So when it comes to disposable income Im making about the same. Then again at the end of this year if id stayed in Italy id have to be leaving anyway because thats when the italian taxes of 40% kick in, and I couldnt live on whats leftover.

So yes Im looking, but Im really just looking at the elite schools in a couple parts of asia, and europe.