Forums > Living in Kunming > Every Foreign English Teacher (FT) , SHOULD

Q and A or FAQ:

**"These are unrealistic demands.
Schools/companies won't improve work conditions.
If I ask for l these things I won't get the job."**

Bargaining is part of business in china. Asking high wont usually endanger your chances, as long as you represent yourself favorably-though you may have to settle for the less in the end. BUT IF MANY FTs START ASKING FOR MORE, THE EMPLOYERS WILL SEE THAT SOMETHING IS CHANGING AND STANDARDS ARE GETTING HIGHER. Remember that many teachers don't even bargain! Asking for more also makes you seem more professional and more respectful of yourself. Additionally, if you ask for me, you will feel more pressure to have your skills in order. It will therefore make you a better teacher.

**"Why are you trying to make a living in China?"**

Why not? Not everyone is just on vacation, I like hanging out with Chinese people and I need to work to live.

**"Why should schools pay more?. FTs make plenty by local standards Why don't we just live more cheaply?"***

While many locals make much less than fts, these are not the locals who are hiring fts. The locals who are hiring fts own plenty of capital, squeeze local staff for all their worth, and make much more than fts. The companies et the standards by themselves, not by reaching some kind of middle ground with their teachers.

Furthermore, the fts are giving the best years of their life for companies who they don't have a future with, who won't be loyal to them down the road. Most schools have some nice staff and maybe some not so nice staff-but the companies as a whole are fairly ruthless-as this is a business. It would be crazy for fts to not want better compensation. Salaries at schools and other workplaces are very stagnant. They haven't risen much (and in some case-at all) in the last several years while inflation and cost of living has spiraled upwards.

Even further, fts have many expenses that local simply don't have-as many locals live with their families, and have no bills to pay in western countries. Fts have to return to foreign countries where their rmb will be worth almost nothing-if they manage to save a little it will make the transition back easier. Don't forget that teachers who have working visas are also very dependant on their employer to stay in China, and this gvies the employer lots of leverage. Also keep in mind that teachers are usually the ones blamed when it comes to problems at the school, as this saves face for the companies.

And, who said locals make enough anyway? Shouldn't the standards go up for everyone? There is very huge gap between rich and poor-and I don't have to tell you-fts are not among the upper class, here or anywhere.

Locals should be getting paid more too! Nothing improves when working people ask for less.

*"I don't need 150 or more/ hour. You can't tell me how to work or how much to ask for, can you?"**

You can do what you want of course-no one is saying otherwise. The point is that you are doing yourself and other teachers a disservice. Some people get a kind of enjoyment from not asking for more- and they fear being pushy. Meanwhile the companies and schools just care about the bottom line, and as they must shortchange someone in this business environment-its going to be you. If you don't mind and if you are living off your savings and don't need money-either think of the things you could do with a better salary-or teach for free to poor folks, it will feel good.

***"Aren't a lot of teachers unqualified scumbags?"***

Teachers get a bad rap. Obviously this list is made for teachers who are serious. Any profession contains people who don't know what they are doing. The point is that if the work conditions improve it will also improve the quality of teachers-you get what you pay for. If a lot of bad teachers abound-that says more about the people willing to employ them than it does about the field of EFL. Also keep in mind that teachers are usually the ones blamed when it comes to problems at school. At this point EFL teachers ask for relatively little, and simply accept what they are offered. The companies set the standards almost all by themselves, not by coming to some kind of middle ground with teachers.. Treat people as valued pros and valued pros will want to work for you.

**"I am a newbie teacher who is fairly unqualified. I am scared to ask for these things, and I don't want schools to start to know the difference between real teachers and...well, me."**

Even if standards go up, Chinese business remains practical in the sense of image and the bottom line, and not too tied up on formal credentials. That means that if you newbies can put in the study and get the training and experience to help people improve their English and make them feel good while doing it-you will be able to work. Keep researching and getting experience-its about skills and you can get them. In a sense you stand to benefit more form all this-the more experienced FTs will likely pack it in before the benefits of this new consciousness start to set in.

Forums > Living in Kunming > Every Foreign English Teacher (FT) , SHOULD

ADVICE TO TEACHERS
10 points to consider. Here goes:

Every Foreign English Teacher (FT), SHOULD

1. Ask for 150/ per hour OR MORE. You might not get it-but ask. Consider not working for less! Many teachers I know don't. The 2001 L.P. guide to China lists the average salary of FTs in Chinese cities as "100-150 rmb per hour or more". That was 10 years ago! (How much more expensive is China now?)
If you want to ask for less-, the best rate would be FREE, VOLUNTEERING, TEACHING low-income PEOPLE.

2. Calculate total working hours (including prep time, time spent at workplace without option/chance to leave, office hours etc) and share these with other teachers. Use them in bargaining with the school. Its up to you whether you want to ask to be paid for them-but they should no longer be treated as if they don't exist-you should know how much you really make per hour and the boss should know you know..

3. Ask for a visa. A lot of jobs can't or won't give this. It's up to teachers as to how to handle visa difficulties, and what to accept or risk.

But you should at least ask for one. If they won't give a teacher a visa, it would be strange to think that the teacher would need to give them a real name, copy of passport, CV, or conform to the companies pay schedule.

4. Ask for benefits-medical, housing, flights, sick days, holiday time, etc
2 days off per week (for full-time teachers).
At this point, the companies still set the standards almost all by themselves.
Favors or concessions that you give the school will not usually be noticed, sacrifices will not typically be remembered or paid back. If the managers don't think you owe them, the owners surely do.
Raise pressure, raise standards.

5. Communicate with other teachers in your city.

Keep them in the loop. Warn others about bad schools. Tell other teachers about schools that cheated or abused you or, more commonly: mislead you, lied to you, broke workload promises or visa promises. This also includes racist discrimination-how are nonwhite teachers still being denied equal treatment? It is unacceptable. Help other teachers.

6. Demand to be rewarded.

For experience, for long term service, for completing contracts, raises and, or similar contracts should be expected. Many places love the idea of a constant turnover of staff. A sucker comes along every minute. They won't start preferring the opposite without pressure.

7. Know the school's business.

Know how much students at a given workplace are paying, find out how much other teachers make, and FIND OUT HOW MANY FTs they have and who they are. Schools often prefer to play teachers against each other, or have a reservoir of very precarious pt time teachers and not have a single full time teach who they are committed to. Schools charge as much as 500/hour for "vip" one on one classes-usually paid several lessons advance. They may mislead students about how much you are getting paid. Share this info. Help other teachers.

8. Ask for consecutive hours.

Time is valuable and your time is being wasted if your are at you work place and not being paid for it-you could be somewhere else.. Mandatory Breaks of less than 1 hour should be paid for. You should also not be bussing around from place to place with sufficient compensation.

9. Ask for a minimum of teaching hours with a reliable teaching schedule.

Pay by the hour is based on the accumulation of lots of hours. Paying someone by the hour for 2 hours/day of work ONLY MAKE SENSE IF the client/company is GOING TO THEM, as they presumably have other clients. But if they are acting as an employee and going to a workplace, they should either be guaranteed more hours, OR THE COMPENSATION SHOULD BE INCREASED IN SOME WAY, or they should not be paid by the hour. And teachers, no one is paying you for your transportation time, so why bus out somewhere just to be headed home 2 hours later? Raise standards and help yourself.

10. Establish your standing. In the absence of full timer benefits (or compensation), consider yourself freelancer or freelance contractor, and explain what this means to the company. Consider this and remind them of this when it comes to favors, special appearances, extra or unpaid work, schedule changes, etc. Don't brown-nose. They need to learn you are a service provider.