How the Heck Did I Get to China in the First Place? The Interview

The Interview for SSIS was weird to say the least, but everyone was incredibly friendly and helpful. I don't think I talked more than two minutes the whole time. They asked me a few questions about salary requirements, what Brent would be doing in Shanghai, and then mostly talked about living in Shanghai. The recruiters talked about shopping, the weather, and what there was to do in Shanghai.

I only asked a few questions. I was being interviewed as a teacher counselor so I asked what that meant. The recruiter told me I would teach 10 hours a week and that I would never work more than 20 hours at the job. Holy cow, I thought. Sign me up! I never liked teaching large groups though, so I had one really important question: how many kids would I be teaching when I wasn't counseling? Drum Roll please . . . . . The answer is 7! Yes, I was told that the student to teacher ratio was 7. Geez, this was like a dream scenario. I love working in small groups.

Well as part of being recruited to work internationally, I was offered a housing package, a tax free salary, and a plane ticket. Now the salary was a bit lower than other International schools, and Brent wasn't getting his ticket or any health insurance. I didn't know any of this at the time though, so it didn't matter as much. I signed up to move to Shanghai, China in the fall and tried not to think about drastic changes while I was enjoying the last few months in the states. . .

Here is a pretty normal package for teachers coming to China:

Housing allowance: 5,000 rmb (low end) - 12,000 rmb (high end)

Health Insurance: It is pretty normal for the whole family to be covered, SSIS is on the low end for teacher benefits

Salary: 28,000 USD tax free (low end) - 70,000 USD + 15% taxes (high end) depending on experience

Travel Allowance: most schools offer you and your spouse a free trip to and from China and anywhere from $500 - $2000 USD in moving costs, $500 being the extreme low-end.

Leave: Leave is harder to come by at International Schools, being that substitutes are even harder to come by here, so most places will give you a couple personal days and 5 - 10 sick days.

Now keep in mind that International packages are highly personalized and negotiable. Ask for what you want, because you never know what you are signing up for until you are there. You want to know for certain you are signing up for the right thing.