Every job applicant looking to teach English in China wonders about the topic: What is the salary when Teaching English in China? For many of you looking to work and earn money in China, the two things that are very important is Teaching English in China and what the salary is? If these two things are not your top concerns, you may wonder how much is the salary teaching English in China, will I be able to save. For others, you are just looking for the perfect lifestyle and leisure in China.
How much money can I earn as an English teacher in China?
The salary Teaching English in China can vary from 10,000 RMB to as high as 20,000 RMB per month for an English Teacher with no experience. Why is the range so big? Well, simple, in small Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, the cost of living is extremely low, so the starting salary would be around 10,000 RMB per month. In Beijing, the starting salary will be around 20,000 RMB because the average apartment rent is around 8,0000 RMB a month. In Shanghai, you can expect to earn around 18,000 RMB per month if you have no experience but will have the similar purchasing power to those teachers earning around 20,000 RMB per month in Beijing.
Here at For Teach Recruiting, we recommend Teaching English in Shenzhen or Guangzhou because although the salary in these cities is moderate, so is the cost of living. In both Shenzhen and Guangzhou, a teacher with no experience can expect to earn between 14,000 RMB to 17,000 RMB a month.
Now, if you did some extensive research already, you will notice one particular Language Center will pay the same salary no matter what the city is. We won’t mention which training center this one is, but they pay a beginner teacher 13,667 RMB per month whether the job is in Beijing or Shenzhen. Obviously, it’s a no-brainer but to stay away from this school if your target destination is Beijing or Shanghai.
Do I get a housing allowance or furnished apartment teaching English in China?
Unless you are taking a job at an international school, as a certified teacher, a University Job, or a job at a Tier 2 or Tier 3 city, you probably won’t find many jobs that provide accommodation. Many schools have phased out of providing accommodation for teachers as many teachers prefer to be able to choose their own apartment of their liking.
So this leads to another question. Why do some job description offer housing allowance, and some jobs don’t? This is because some schools just keep it simple and give you a salary package while other schools will list the salary and housing allowance separately. It’s really the same thing. Don’t annoy your recruiter or hiring manager and ask why they don’t provide housing allowance as it’s already included in your salary and benefits package.
What kind of salary can I expect to earn Teaching English in China?
A general rule of thumb to follow is those teaching adults will have a lower salary than teaching kids. Also, between different types of jobs teaching kids, a person teaching a subject would probably earn the highest, as it requires a specific major in correlation to the subject you are teaching, while teaching at a public school would pay the least as it is the easiest job with almost no lesson planning. If you needed more advice on the type of job to pick, you can ask our recruiters about Teaching English in China advice.
Again, because our favorite city is Shenzhen, We have listed a chart of how much salary you can expect to earn Teaching English in Shenzhen. This is based on the Teaching English in China salary 2017 and 2018 average in Shenzhen China.
Keep in mind that all the salaries above have the housing allowance INCLUDED in the salary!
Let us break it down for those who still do not get it. For example, if you chose to teach Kindergarten, and your apartment rent is 4,000 RMB per month, the money you have left over for the month after paying rent would be 11,500 RMB.
Also, the salaries written above is based on the average earnings of the teachers in the city of Shenzhen from our data gathering. If you get lucky, you may see a job posting for a training center offering over 20,000 RMB a month in Shenzhen. Does it sound too good to be true? If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. For Teach Recruiting only recruits for reputable schools that provide a LEGAL WORK PERMIT for the teachers. There are quite a lot of schools that cannot provide a work visa for their teachers, so they offer higher salaries to attract teachers. Remember, if you get caught teaching English in China on any other visa other than a Z visa working permit, you will be fined 10,000 RMB, detained in jail for some time, and be deported from China.
Please do not ask any of the For Teach Recruiting staff to arrange you a job that doesn’t provide a legal work permit. We will not take any risk that can jeopardize a teacher’s safety.
How much in tax will I pay from the salary I earn teaching English in China?
In China, the income tax is based on a progressive system. Also, a foreigner working in China on a legal work permit will not be taxed on the first 4,800 RMB a month.
Simply speaking, anything over 10,000 RMB a month that you earn, you can expect to pay 20% income tax. Anything below 10,00 RMB, you will pay around 600 RMB.
Tax Breakdown:
* First 4,800 RMB- 0% tax
* Next 6,000 RMB exceeding 4,800 RMB- 6% tax
* Above 10,800 RMB- 15-20% << We are not sure of this figure.