> It is profitable to work in China as an ESL Teacher?

> I will be working the balance sheet based on a monthly income of
> 4,000RMB. The teacher has free accommodation and no utility bills to
> pay for power only. The teachers is offered free meals at the
> schools dinning room if they inclined to eat there. Telephone
> connection is free but all outgoing calls are paid by the teacher.
> The internet is via the telephone line and therefore the cost of
> internet access is paid by the teacher.

> Average monthly costs paid by the teacher (non-smoker): Currency in
> RMB

> Telephone calls and internet access 180
> Food items not available at school 250
> Household goods for washing & cleaning 30
> Luxury items e.g., wine, spirits and beer 200
> Dining out costs 300
> Personal hygiene 50
> Transport costs e.g., bus and taxi 200
> ISD phone cards for international calls 160
> Teaching aids not supplied by the school 30
> Printer ink cartridges 100
> Printer paper 25

> TOTAL 1525 RMB

> YEARLY TOTAL 1525 X 12 equals 18,300 RMB

> One-off purchases as the need arises:

> Furniture fittings not considered necessary by the school 1000
> A bicycle 360
> Cooking utensils not consider necessary by the school 200
> A BIG night out with friends at top bars and clubs 500+
> Holiday travel and accommodation 4000+
> Unexpected return home trips for compassionate reasons 9000+

> TOTAL 15060RMB

> Total outlay to work and visit China can amount to 19,825 RMB.

> Annual salary equals 4,000 x 12 equals 48,000 RMB

> So lets round off the total outlays to around 20,000 RMB because
> there are hidden costs like medication and misc items. This leaves a
> balance of 28,000 RMB

> When you depart the country you can only leave with 70% which is
> 19,600 RMB which is equal to $2,450USD for a years work teaching in
> China. However, you could be lucky and not have to travel home during
> your stay. Plus whatever travel bonus paid by the school will offset
> your travel expenses in China.

> Can anyone add to this estimation or give comments please.

Wow, you seem very upset about having to pay for anything. Do you live for free in your country?

I don't know where in China you are, but it's nothing like that here. Wow.
Here, we all use cell phones, and they are 600RMB for the phone and one year of airtime.
Internet at an internet cafe is 2RMB per hour. To have it connected to your home computer is about 100RMB/3 months.
Unless you work at MacDonald's back home, most people have to pay for their own food, regardless of where they work.
Washing and cleaning, yes. But I pay someone here to do that for 50RMB/month.
Luxury items such as beer don't count for everyone, so it's hard to factor that in. I know people here to drink once a year, and others that I've never encountered sober.
Dining out is expensive, yes. But you have to eat, and I can't imagine a teacher at home being fed as part of their contract, either.
A bus up here is 1RMB. Again, do teachers in Canada get gas money?
Personal hygiene, yeah, sure. But soap is something everyone in the world has to pay for, regardless of their job.
Here, you can buy an IP phone card for 25RMB, and get 45 minutes of calling to Canada or the states. I can't possibly imagine spending that much money on phone cards. Wow.
What teaching aides cost 30RMB each month that your school doesn't pay for? If any of the teachers here had a recurring cost for teaching every month, the would mutiny.
I cannot understand how you would go through one ink cartridge per month. That is unreasonable in a general teacher's budget, as many of us don't have personal computers, and it's a little wierd going through that much per month.
Printer paper is the same. Most of us don't need a pack of paper a month.

As for one off's,
What furniture are you talking about? If you want a nicer chair than the one provided, that is your opinion, and go buy one. Sure. But at home, your employer is not your landlord.
Not everyone buys a bicycle, and here they are about 75RMB. ( Granted, you will probably have to buy a few... bastard bike thieves.. )
Cooking utensils, okay...
A big night out hardly should go into a general budget, saying that you are not making enough. Should companies seriously up your wage so that you can afford to go out and party? Honestly.
What organization at home pays for their employee's travel and accomodation? Other than the Hilton? You can't expect these things.
It is also somewhat rare that everyone here will have a family member kick it while they are away in China, and will have to rush home for the funeral.
You can't possibly compare this against your wage.

Every experience is what you make it to be. Yes, it is expensive to live here. Somehow, the chinese people seem to be able to do it, making a hell of a lot less than we do. Perhaps we should use this as a learning experience. That, or blow it all out and live like a rockstar for a year. It's up to you. However, you cannot expect your employer to factor in your western expectations to your salary. You came to China, knowing full well the expenses. It is not free to live anywhere, and if I am wrong, and there actually is a country or employer like this, please let me know so that I may relocate there immediately.

Another quick note: Do you pay for gas, car payments, car insurance, tax, your own rent or mortage, loan repayments, your own utilities, etc? Do you know how much it actually costs to live in other countries, in comparison to your wage? Be honest, it's not like any of us were high payed rocket scientists back home. Otherwise we wouldn't be here. Most of us were struggling a lot more at home than we are now.

Personally, I'm having a great time here, and don't have to worry about money at all. I just saved for only 3 months, and had a cross canada vacation during my summer holidays. I'm of to Thailand in October, and I find no problems saving enough of my 4000RMB/month wage.

It's all about what you expect it to be.

Sincerely,
Da Yan Jing.