Teachers underrated and poorly paid in China

[Aepsilons]

Asian cultures tend to respect teachers more.

In USA, teachers are look down upon as failures so they have to end up teaching kids that no one wants to be around.

In Asian cultures, you have to be respectful to your former teachers and address them by laoshi or sensei, even when you become an adult.

In USA, kids are encourage to give their teacher a hard time so they can look cool in front of their peers.

In Japan, in respect, we refer to anyone of intellectual class , those with superior position as Sensei.

This is used for teachers, professors, doctors, lawyers, clergy, and anyone of political authority.

It is considered shameful , dishonorable to show improper etiquette towards an instructor.

 

[cirr]

Chinese teachers in rural areas are under-paid。

Those in the cities are over-paid if you ask me，for the “hongbao”（red packet) culture ensures that the teachers enjoy fat grey income, amounting to tens of thousands of yuan a year even for the run-of-the-mill teachers.

The take-home income for these teachers therefore easily run into 200,000 yuan or more.

All net of taxes.

 

[UnChosen]

so the actual teachers that I know are what? Morons? Or lying.

Keep in mind, I'm not reading some chart, I know these people, I grew up with them.

I'm not calling them liars is just that I've known some teachers as well and their pay is far higher than the teachers you know. I guess it could be provincial differences, the two I know best live in Alberta and British Columbia. I think Quebec do have bad pay for teachers but that province is already constantly running a budget deficit.

I think it also depends on the time the teachers enter the workforce and which municipality they are working in. Still, I have never heard of $30,000 non-starting salary for teachers, unless things have changed in the past few years (not a surprise with our government cutting everything and the economy not exactly in great shape).

Chinese teachers in rural areas are under-paid。

Those in the cities are over-paid if you ask me，for the “hongbao”（red packet) culture ensures that the teachers enjoy fat grey income, amounting to tens of thousands of yuan a year even for the run-of-the-mill teachers.

The take-home income for these teachers therefore easily run into 200,000 yuan or more.

All net of taxes.

You would've thought they would pay the teachers more to incentivize them to move to more rural area considering the coastal cities are packed as it is.

 

[cnleio]

The average teacher's salary in Japan is more so around 400,000 yen a month , equivalent to around $4,000 a month. Japanese families require both spouses to work; so if a woman is bringing home $4000 (US dollars) a month , and the other bringing in the same amount, then the household monthly income is $8,000 (US Dollars). With this amount, a family can live decently and quite well in Japan. That's more than the GDP per capita of Chinese people (which is $7,000 US Dollars) a year.

Good pay in Japan !

As far as i knew & saw Chinese teachers including my teachers ever taught me, from 2005 to Today Chinese formal teacher at normal Middle School & High School pay 4,000(newbie)~7,000(senior rank) RMB/ month, at the University & Collage pay 5,000(newbie) ~ 10,000+(professor rank) RMB/ month, that's normal pay in China city's school. These city teachers also can make ￥ by opening cram schools for studnet at spare time or vocation.

In China village school that payment is worse, village teacher pay from 2,000(newbie) ~ 3,000(old teacher) RMB/ month. Chinese students living in West villages get few educational resources and local village teachers pay less.

So compared Chinese teacher's payment from City vs Village / from East China vs West China, u can clearly understand China's unbalanced development.

The teacher career in China is stable and less professional risk, as a Chinese city teacher if u can work harder and hold a cram school or interest class to make money at spare time, it's not a problem to build a middle-class family in local city.

 

[Aepsilons]

In China village school that payment is worse, village teacher pay from 2,000(newbie) ~ 3,000(old teacher) RMB/ month. Chinese students living in West villages get few educational resources and local village teachers pay less.

I remember watching a documentary several years back that despite the low pay of Chinese teachers in rural communities, the parents of students are so appreciative of their work. Is it true that some families gift the teachers with chickens, fruits, vegetables, sacks of rice as courtesy of thanks?

Btw, my great grandfather was a principal in a rural high school. I remember hearing stories when he first took the post as schoolmaster, the farming community would show their appreciation by giving him and his family with sacs of rice during harvest season; they would also give him so many vegetables, fruits, pigs, chickens, and goat. This did offset the small salary he was paid back in those times. My grandfather would say that tho his father wasn't paid a lot, the family always had plenty of food!

 

[cnleio]

I remember watching a documentary several years back that despite the low pay of Chinese teachers in rural communities, the parents of students are so appreciative of their work. Is it true that some families gift the teachers with chickens, fruits, vegetables, sacks of rice as courtesy of thanks?

Btw, my great grandfather was a principal in a rural high school. I remember hearing stories when he first took the post as schoolmaster, the farming community would show their appreciation by giving him and his family with sacs of rice during harvest season; they would also give him so many vegetables, fruits, pigs, chickens, and goat. This did offset the small salary he was paid back in those times. My grandfather would say that tho his father wasn't paid a lot, the family always had plenty of food!

Yes, it's the past time in China.

Today Chinese parents usually gift a VIP shopping card with 100 ~ 1,000 RMB to the teacher in holiday, wish she can take good care of their children learning in the school.

It's called For the children => Chinese parents making Good "Guan Xi" with teacher.

 

[Aepsilons]

Yes, it's the past time in China.

Today Chinese parents usually gift a VIP shopping card with 100 ~ 1,000 RMB to the teacher in holiday, wish she can take good care of their children learning in the school.

It's called For the children => Chinese parents making Good "Guan Xi" with teacher.

Ha Ha Ha ! I think it is part of Japanese and Chinese culture to gift teachers, perhaps to attain special favors, or kind consideration in grading their children?

 

[NiceGuy]

That's it?! How can anyone survive on $400 per month?

In Japan, teacher's salary starts at ¥ 300,000 ($3,000 U.S Dollars) and may go up to ¥ 600,000 ($5,700 U.S Dollars) --- Per Month.

new teacher in VN got $ 100 (or even lower)/month, still can survive

 

[terranMarine]

new teacher in VN got $ 100 (or even lower)/month, still can survive

not $0 ?

 

[jkroo]

I have kids in schools.The gift to teacher is far less than they earned from part time coach and the gift to teacher is not that popular in my city. Parents are willing to pay the service fees to teachers than gifts. Such kind of gifts seems stupid and useless.

By providing this kind of services, most of them can earn more than 20k per month. Jealous?

I oppose this kind of private services but totally support to increase teachers's c&b directly.

 

[Aepsilons]

I have kids in schools.The gift to teacher is far less than they earned from part time coach and the gift to teacher is not that popular in my city. Parents are willing to pay the service fees to teachers than gifts. Such kind of gifts seems stupid and useless.

By providing this kind of services, most of them can earn more than 20k per month. Jealous?

I oppose this kind of private services but totally support to increase teachers's c&b directly.

I agree that China should consider raising the salary rates of teachers throughout rural China. Such benefits package increases would help encourage more people to go into education , which would expedite the education reform in China.

As for the act of giving gifts to teachers, its quite common in rural areas, as it is a cultural practice. Even in rural areas in Japan, teachers still receive gifts.

Eg,

 

[jkroo]

I agree that China should consider raising the salary rates of teachers throughout rural China. Such benefits package increases would help encourage more people to go into education , which would expedite the education reform in China.

As for the act of giving gifts to teachers, its quite common in rural areas, as it is a cultural practice. Even in rural areas in Japan, teachers still receive gifts.

In my city even in my childhood, it's normal to give gifts to teacher but mainly limited to the teacher's day and the money comes from class funds. Maybe different environment have different culture.

It's weird to me.

BTW, it's popular that students to visit teacher with gifst after the students graduated from school(middle school and university).

 

[Aepsilons]

In my city even in my childhood, it's normal to give gifts to teacher but mainly limited to the teacher's day and the money comes from class funds. Maybe different environment have different culture.

It's weird to me.

For those of us who are part of Generation Y, it is only normal to view old cultural practice as 'interesting', but these are cultural practice that defined much of our respective homeland's view of the Teacher-student relationship.It is part of our cultural identity of Japanese and Chinese.

In old custom, the teacher is considered like a god , there is the reverence towards authority figure. This is goes back to the concept of 禮

BTW, it's popular that students to visit teacher with gifst after the students graduated from school(middle school and university).

My elementary teachers , to me, were influential in my formation of social habit. They were like secondary parents for me in that they helped teach us not only literature, arithmetic, but also taught the concept of right and wrong, respect, admonished what was wrong, and praised what was right. I admire the righteousness of teachers, and this is why I consider Teaching such a noble profession. One of the most noblest professions.

 

[jkroo]

For those of us who are part of Generation Y, it is only normal to view old cultural practice as 'interesting', but these are cultural practice that defined much of our respective homeland's view of the Teacher-student relationship.It is part of our cultural identity of Japanese and Chinese.

In old custom, the teacher is considered like a god , there is the reverence towards authority figure. This is goes back to the concept of 禮

In China, teachers are well respected and they are considered as father/mother even some of them are considered as brother/sister. They are 传道、授业、解惑.

In my school time, sometimes, teachers would face the challenges from students for lecturing.

Anyway, teacher is teacher, years later when we met those teachers with white hairs again and recall those school times, we could found that they really played very important role in our life.