negotiating salary after 2 yrs service China

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Pamelalo
Posts: 1
Joined: Sat Oct 17, 2015 7:01 am

negotiating salary after 2 yrs service China

Post by Pamelalo »

I am in good standing with an Int'l dept. at a HS in China. I have done the additional duties and extracurriculars, and believe I am a valued faculty member. What is a reasonable starting point for salary negotiations? What is typically offered after completion of the first contract? Is it reasonable to request a 'lock in' on the exchange rate between RMB/USD? I am a 15+yr veteran teacher.
wrldtrvlr123
Posts: 1173
Joined: Sat Feb 06, 2010 10:59 am
Location: Japan

Re: negotiating salary after 2 yrs service China

Post by wrldtrvlr123 »

Well, although I am hope someone here has some good advice for you, it is really up to your school's policies and practices. If your school does not have a salary scale (which sounds like it is the case) then they may or may not be willing to offer you more to stay around. Are there other western staff there? Do any of them stay past one contract? If so, they would be a better source of information for you. If not, then you may be in for a tough fight to get more from the school. Good luck and let us know how you get on.
Nomads
Posts: 152
Joined: Mon Nov 04, 2013 2:08 pm

Re: negotiating salary after 2 yrs service China

Post by Nomads »

Pamelalo,

As world traveller inferred, if your school has a set salary scale they may be little opportunity to negotiate. Most international schools do have one and there may be some form of longevity or resigning bonus to extend past the initial contract. Those types of bonuses generally range from $2,000 to $5,000. In a few cases it might be a percentage of base, say 5%.

If there is no salary scale, I would again agree with world traveller and talk with teachers you know have been there for a number of years. One caution, some contracts, even in education, prohibit the disclosure of compensation to other employees. You might want to double-check yours to make sure such a clause does not exist.

If you can negotiate your contract, I would start with the numbers I suggested above. Perhaps research what other international schools in your city and similar cities in China offer as incentives for signing another contract.

I do not know of any school that individually will lock in an exchange rate. I presume you are paid in Rmb? I would suggest you simply ask for 2, 3, 4% addition in salary to compensate for the depreciated Rmb.
roamer
Posts: 10
Joined: Tue Feb 25, 2014 11:32 pm

Re: negotiating salary after 2 yrs service China

Post by roamer »

I was in a similar situation a couple years ago, and the school offered first and quite generously.
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