I notice that many language centers

like to use the phrase "competitive slarary" in their ads. There's an ad on here that thinks 150-180 Rmb is competitive. WTF! What do you all say?

ASSUMING one works 8 hours per day, 22.5 days per month, then ¥150/hour equates to ¥27k per month, which is a pretty nice salary.

So from a school's perspective - the minimum hourly wage of ¥150 is quite generous, assuming one worked 8 hours per day, 22.5 days per week.

Language teachers rarely work 8 hours per day, 22.5 days per week - and there lies the gap in perspective.

Competitive is another way of saying, in line with our competitors. If the local market pays peanuts, then peanuts plus is competitive. Usually if an employer puts competitive pay in an ad, you know it won't be stellar.

The assumptions for FT contracts are usually 16-20 teaching hours (paid) plus class prep time (normally not paid) plus office hours (not paid).
In a school the teaching hours are usually held between the hours 8 am and 5 pm, M-F. In a language centre the hours are usually all weekend, plus 4 pm to 9 pm M-F.
If you are on salary, expect them to work on the hourly rate x hours per week x four (yes that is only 20 days). However, you do get overtime for working extra hours, and most employers will deduct if you work fewer hours. Schools will often pay you for the Spring Holiday, a few for summer (if you resign).

Last sentence of my last post above should end... a few for summer if you re-sign (as in sign on again for the following year).

i'm paid a base salary that I get for 80 working hours a month, (office hours are half teaching hours) I get paid overtime with chinese holidays plus 2 weeks. the only time I will not get my base salary is if I call in sick.

at a training center that is anywhere from 1.5-4.5 hours T-F and saturday and sunday 6-8 hours. I think this is pretty normal for most centers and I am in line with other offers and schools that I have talked to and heard from

I'd say that it's dfficult if not impossible to really teach for more than 6 or 7 hours a day. I could be a warm body in a room for 8 hours + and I know some foreigners and local staff who do this well but that's not really my job as a TEACHER is it?

if i is just delivering the same book or materials day after day, course after course, you can do it easy without too much thougt as you know what works and where the snags in the materials are. and how to give the best experience using that material, and students do learn and progress. but i dont class that as teaching, more training really.

I seriously doubt you could prepare good material teaching 8-hour days unless you're just repeating the same lesson over and over again.

I also highly doubt you could make 27k this way. I've not seen any training centres that are able to offer 40 solid teaching hours per week at an hourly wage. Normally they would offer you a monthly salary, which would be much lower.
8 teaching hours a day would also kill you in no time. A typical load for a primary school is about 20 hours per week. At a training centre, it could be much less outside of the peak season.

If you want to make money teaching English in China, I suggest moving to the polluted East. There are more customers, and the pay is better.