I didn't say anything about working for a TC...just that 20 to 30 year olds should stay away. 5,000 a month is nothing in real money terms...

Twenty to thirty year old well-educated, on the ball types, automatically stay away anyway, unless they just do the working holiday thing for the year- however, if they work for a training centre it'll be all work and no holiday. It's the ne're-do-well, ropey degree holders who try and take on FTing as a career when it ain't. Smart young men come to China as engineers, stay in posh hotels and get considerably more respect than white monkey FT's. The Chinese private schools know full well they can only attract the academic dregs or ex-urinal cleaners like myself- they know we can't do our maths and will not realise we are working for a lower hourly rate at 12000 RMB than if we took the easier option of working for a uni which pays 5000 RMB. I worked for the 12000 at rubbish centres until I realised 5000 works out as more.

Agreed mate. But it's only good for the older retired blokes with investments/savings, 20 to 30s should stay away...it's suicide!

You have to work out your pay by hour to decide what's high and low pay. Your hours of teaching are not your hours of working, you have to add on preparation: therefore, if your hours of teaching are twenty plus another ten hours of preparation, that's thirty hours of working. If you earn 10.000 RMB for that your hourly rate of pay will be considerably less than teaching for 10 hours, preparing for three hours(only one or two lesson plans at state schools) and earning 5000 RMB, which would be typical if you work for a university. Also, if you are a little bit choosy which university you work for you will be paid for your holidays, cancelled lessons, your flat, electricity etceteras will be part of the deal. Quite frankly you have to have a screw loose if you work for 10,000 in a rubbish training centre as opposed to 5000 in a university, since your hourly rate of pay will be much less. Best to work for thirteen hours and take on private students if you're really hungry for cash. Also things get even grimmer if you're earning 10000, since they invariably deduct tax on that amount.