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Thread: Teachers: We are getting close to contract renewal time

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[quote=APAULT,279741]Many of us will be invited to renew contracts around this time.  I would like to make some comments.

I would suggest that you ask for a significant pay rise for the following reasons.
1.  The current annual rate of inflation is approacjhing 7.5% and is not likely to slow much with world food and fuel prices increases showing no signs of slowing.
2.  It is normal practice in most countries to pay a premium for staff that you want to keep.  Not paying such a premium is saying that they would prefer you to look elsewhere  (unless the business is having problems).
3.  By staying, you are saving the institution the fees and staff costs for recruiting replacement staff.
4.  By staying, you provide continuity and stability for the students, and you are 'not a risk' in the sense that a new person is an unknown quantity. 
5  From the perspective of a market economy, the game which China is joining with vigour, we are substantially underpaid.  
a.  There is a massive shortage of foreign teachers in China, which is not going to reduce.  
b. Institutions have relied on finding people who are interested in coming to China for reasons other than money - this was fine when China was a new toy, but it is no longer valid.  
c. Education is an investment no different from physical infrastructure and needs to be paid for.  
d. The private schools and colleges are making massive profits at can afford to pay - not only afford to pay but need to pay to ensure they get foreign teachers, as we are an essential component of their marketing.
e  Public schools and colleges are funded by governments which have massive of reserves.  These institutions try to get away with low salaries 'because they are constrained by government'.
6.  Even without considering the supply shortage, no qualified teacher should even consider taking a job for less than 5000rmb a month, plus full return airfare (not nominal sums that some offer) and full pay through all holidays, etc for the full 10 month contract.
7.  You can also look at removing or improving some of those restrictive clauses in the contract.

At the very least you should go into negotiations with the above arguments, and ensure they undertsand you will look for a job elsewhere of leave China if your requirements are not met.

Last year I was offered 4800 by a Normal uni.  I was earning more than that the previous year in a lower cost city and there had been inflation to take into account..  They begrudgingly raised the offer to 5000 with the defence that that's all the government permitted.  Naturally I rejected their offer.  It was easy to find an alternative job in a private college at 7000 rmb.  They sought 4 teachers but could only recruit 2.  If I am not offered a substantial increase for next year, I will go elsewhere.

We are teachers, and it seems our first task is to teach the fundamentals of supply and demand!   Good luck...and I hope we will hear later how people get on.[/quote]

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