These numbers are pretty accurate. I used to live in Ningbo years ago, granted not at an international school and loved it! I went back to school and got certified because of my Ningbo experience. It would be nice to find other countries that pay comparable with the low cost of living included. I find that couples with no children who both work at international schools can save the most. Two incomes are always better than one. Very informative video!
Really good video! I hope to be in China teaching soon (within the coming year). Your videos are super helpful and to the point. I’m in my early 20s and initially was drawn to Korea because of the factors you mentioned (cool culture, pretty girls, delicious food, etc...). I obviously already speak English, and am fluent in another critically important language for Belt and Road (Portuguese) so it seems the best option would be for me to come to China, save money, learn Mandarin and enjoy the lifestyle. Looking forward to new content soon!
You really should have pointed out that these are not entry-level wages. If you're starting out, you should only expect 12-15,000 rmb. Still plenty of potential to save if you stay out of tier 1 cities, but not like what is mentioned in the video.
Wow, this is so helpful! Great job, Red Dragon Diaries. This puts into context the money aspect of teaching in China. Your videos are a fount of so much useful information. Thank you thank you so so much! And please post more frequently if at all possible!
I work at a training school, have two kids and a stay-at-home wife, on our income we can put away some numbers closer to the shanghai one, lol, but that also includes tuition for the kids and their food. I think you can cut most of those numbers in half if you're a young dude, as you'll want to go out and party and very likely you'll have some sort of habit you will get into as well (I am talking fun entertainment like PC gaming, or something similar to that, lol). It is hard to run a lean operation unless you do things as the locals do. Expat bars, and western food is very common to endulge in as people don't really have the language ability/pallet to enjoy the cheap grub a lot of the time. If your rental is cheaper then that means that you will very likely not have any western stuff around and will be enjoying an unhealthy diet of beer, boiled dumplings and fried eggs, as everything else requires you to have cooking ability to do on our own. The numbers you provide are possible, but I feel they are not very likely for the type of people that are only coming for a year or two to earn a quick buck and have fun while doing so, it is very likely their numbers would be a half or quarter as much (which is still a lot better than nothing!) Cool video! Mark
Yes, you hit the nail on the head on a few things. Saving definitely depends on the person. If I was younger, I would be saving far less if I lived as I did when I was younger. It's hard to get money to come in, but so easy to see it leave. You're also right about the food. It's definitely cheaper to order local dishes, but if others are like myself, I often don't go into places because I don't feel like going through the translation process on my phone. I do eat lots of local food, but there's a lot more to be enjoyed. Also, you're right about why people live abroad. It is usually for a brief time. I thought it would be brief as well, but here I am at 10 years! Now I'm focused on saving for the next phase of my life.
CNY is the official international name of the currency CN (China) +Y (Yuan). However there's this informal name used by every chinese out there, Reminbi (RMB).
Great vid. My wife and I are about to begin the journey of becoming certified teachers and teaching in international schools. We live in Korea now and assume China will be our first destination. Also, I can see this video possibly really blowing up. Catchy title. Hope your channel is monetized!
It's quite different here than in Korea. I think if you get into a good city, you should have a decent time. And I hope you're right about the video. :)
Wow. The salaries are super high. Probably highest in Asia. No wonder so many foreigners flood to china to teach English. But this year the government has shut down many schools, I was wondering if it affects the foreigners
You have to check your expectations for sure. There are some aspects of living here that take some patience and changing of your thinking. If you can do that, it's pretty good in the larger, more active cities.
Hi Tom, can you comment on Chinese Taxes that you are paying ? is it about 10% of gross ? I think the Salary is below the US Taxes threshold for foreign workers. Thanks :) Maybe a video on this ? How is your Chinese Mandarin learning going ?
What are the minimum qualifications you would need to get started? I have a 4 year business degree from a major university and one year of teaching English to Chinese students online. I could get a TEFL type certification. Is that good enough? I should qualify for an F4 Korean visa. Do you think Korea would be easier to get into? I've been meaning to start this journey for so many years...
In China almost any qualifications will get you a job somewhere. For the big international schools though, you'll need TESOLs, licenses, Master's or some combination of those.
@@Azadum CELTA is the best to have, but TESOL is just fine in most cases. Each school is different and so much depends on how needy they are to hire and what the pool of applicants looks like.
What are your job expectations at an international school? Benefits? Holiday pay? I'm thinking of going but I'm unsure. Recent teachers college grad asking. Also, what sites do you use to look for jobs? I've been using Dave's ESL. Are there any better ones ? Any help would be appreciated 🙏
It's a double edged sword. These times are not optimal for fully enjoying the stay, but then there's a shortage of teachers so it's a great opportunity. Rates are going up too.
haha. That's common nowadays. The biggest differences between the Korean and Chinese markets is the pay and the breadth of jobs available in China. Everything in Korea is a hagwon job except for EPIK and a few international schools and universities. China is an abyss of jobs.
Shanghai is just so much better. You could actually live there and smile most days. The other cities are just depressing. Shenzhen would be great, or Kunming. CHeers for letting me know how shit my pay is in Thailand.... kidding. Take care.....DID you buy my book yet ....CUT THE CRAP TRADER?
