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What You Should be Mindful of Before You Sign an ESL Contract in China
Posted in Finding a Job in China on 11/10/2008 08:57 pm
Nearly three months after the Olympic Games, the ESL landscape in China seems to be returning back to normal. According to the reports that we are receiving from all over China, most of the visa restrictions that went into effect before August have been eased entirely removed. As a result, schools around the country are now desperately recruiting foreign teachers. While this rush to find teachers may place job seekers in a better position to negotiate and ultimately lead to more lucrative contracts, it is important for teachers to thoroughly read through their contracts and make sure that they fully understand all of the ‘fine print.’ Here are a few ‘clauses’ in your contract that you really need to take a closer look at before you sign your name on the dotted line. These points can often be negotiated on, especially if the school really needs teachers.
Who will pay for your work visa?
A good ESL school should pay for all of the fees related to securing your residence permit and work visa if you are planning on signing a one-year contract. Do not be afraid to negotiate about this.
Who will pay for your medical checkup?
Again, if a school is serious about hiring you, it should be willing to put up the money (can be over 500 RMB) to obtain the health certificate that is required to obtain your work visa.
Who is paying for your gas, electricity,water, and internet fees?
If your school is providing an apartment for you, they should be able to pay for at least two of these utilities. In my experience, a school will often be willing to pay for gas (one cannister per month) and internet fees while you will be responsible for however much electricity and water that you use.
What kind of health insurance is your school providing for you?
There may be laws in China requiring schools to provide health insurance for their foreign teachers but that does not mean that you will receive good quality coverage. Make sure that your school is buying medical insurance that you can actually use if you get hurt or sick. Some schools will offer to pay for your medical expenses up to 1,000 RMB or try to give you a policy that only does any good if you die. Do not accept this ’shoddy’ coverage. Quality medical insurance is important when living abroad.
How many classes will you be teaching every week and how long does each class last?
Make sure you do the math to figure out how many hours you will be teaching every week. Pay attention to how the school defines your responsibilities. For example, teaching twenty-five classes a week that last 1-hour each is over 6 hours more than teaching twenty-five classes that only last 45 minutes each. Do not let the school trick you into thinking that you are teaching less than you actually will be.
How much will you be paid for overtime hours?
Do not accept anything under 100 RMB for overtime hours. The school needs to know that your extra time is valuable and that you expect to be paid well for it. Watch out for schools that try to slip in 40 or 50 RMB per hour in the contract for overtime. The ‘going rate’ in China is most definitely 100 RMB per hour.
Are there any strange post job restrictions in the contract?
Occassionally, a school or English training center in China may include a clause that prohibits you from working for its local ‘competitors’ within a year of having completed the contract. While companies certainly have the right to place this kind of restriction in a contract, it is important to insist that your employer write the specific names of its competitors (ones that already work in the area). In this way, your school will have to define its competitors at the beginning of the contract and will not be able to expand the list to include any new competitors that may appear in the future. This will make it easier for you to find a job in the area should you decide to remain in the same city.
Do not be afraid to negotiate before you sign a contract. Bargaining is a part of Chinese culture and your potential employers will appreciate the fact that you are taking their offer so seriously. For more information about what to look for before you sign a contract, please visit http://www.EnglishJobsinChina.com
Do you have suggestions to add to this article? Please leave us a comment below.
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11/11/2008 at 4:22 pm
I think it needs to be pointed out that “going rates” differ in various regions, just as salaries differ. Out here in Xinjiang I my monthly salary is half of what gets paid to teachers in the big cities in China, however it costs practically nothing to live here.
In the same way, the 100RMB overtime is probably spot-on for larger markets, but when you teach in a smaller market you need to ask around if possible to find out what the rate should be. Don’t be afraid to negotiate and even though you shouldn’t be afraid to say “no” to your school, make sure it’s all done in a good manner.
I wish I could get 100 RMB for my extra hours. They’d probably laugh me out of the school.
11/11/2008 at 6:03 pm
@Josh,
Thanks for your comments. Good points. I think people need to be very mindful of the cost of living in their area before they sign a contract. 3000 RMB/month might be great in one city but ‘diddly squat’ in another. How much do you get for overtime out there?
11/11/2008 at 11:29 pm
re. Visa Situation. You must be living in another province or on another planet. From where I sit in Guangdong the visa controls are getting tighter and I expect that to continue,
A teacher at our college renewed her contract for another year … but the PSB would issue only a 6 month Residence Permit. An American friend who has been in China for years, but for the last 2 has been on a Business Visa while in alternative employment, has been told to go back to the USA and apply for a Z Visa. A long serving teacher has returned to Guangdong from teaching in Sichuan and has been told he must apply for a Z Visa from his homeland. A priest working with poor families renewed his F Visa in Hong Kong but on arriving back on the mainland was refused entry and escorted back to Hong Kong.
It would be good if you could survey teachers around China to see whether or not there has been a change in the visa situation.
11/12/2008 at 8:14 am
@Greg,
I guess you didn’t see our section on Chinese Visas. We have heard from teachers around China about this issue and the general consensus seems to be that things have eased up. Please look at this link:
http://www.teachabroadchina.com/work-z-f-tourist-visa-china-chinese-hong-kong/
among others…
RV
11/12/2008 at 2:46 pm
@ Robert,
Currently we receive 50 RMB extra per overtime class. I have a feeling we could have been able to squeeze out a little more, but nothing near 100. I agree with you that bargaining and negotiating before signing a contract is very important, but that doesn’t stop it from always being so uncomfortable.
02/10/2009 at 11:15 pm
I recently walked away from a school that had a contract full of punishments and ridiculous stipulations.
I would be careful reading anything about “Breach of Contract.” The school I left had about 20 different things that came to BoC on the teacher’s part, and just two for BoC on the employer’s part.
Those two: Special Maltreatment by the Employer, and Late payment more than 1 month with no explanation.
Ridiculous. They define maltreatment, and if you don’t pay me on PAYDAY, I’d have a problem.
They also punished BoC with a 20,000 rmb fine.
The most ridiculous line in there was that I would have to turn in my resident/work visa so they can convert it to a tourist visa. Outrageous, the visas are issued to the teachers, not the schools.