How Much do Expats Make in China?

There's a strong probability you're a halfpat if you're here. People might be perplexed by phrases like "halfpat," "expat," and so on, thus it's important to spell out exactly how we use them in this article: Anyone from outside China is an expat in our language. In contrast to an expat on a fixed salary...

One kind of paid expat is an MNC (Multi-National Firm) executive who has been sent to China by his or her company. They often earn money by selling beacoups (covered below).

The term "Returning Overseas Chinese" refers to ethnic Chinese who have lived outside of China for a lengthy period of time. A sea turtle (haigui), a Chinese person who attended university outside of China and is now going home to work in China, maybe ethnically Chinese but have been reared outside the country. Due to their multilingualism and foreign experience, they may expect to earn on par with halfpats, which is to say, more than a Chinese schooled locally.

Halfpats are recent graduates who have gone to China on their own to obtain work experience or start a new career. There is a wage range for them, ranging from a local hire to an expat. Halfpats often begin their working lives in entry-level positions paying about 8,000RMB ($1,280) per month. It's important to keep in mind that this is much less than what the average English teacher in Shanghai earns; this is one of the key reasons why many young Americans remain in the field of teaching English.

While 8,000 RMB a month may not seem like much, for top achievers, wage hikes and speedy promotion are the norms. Salary might be doubled or tripled in a year or two.

Half-pats put in long hours and have a can-do attitude. For people who cherish stability and predictability more than anything else, this way of life is probably not for you. Rapid on-the-job learning, "visa runs," and spending a lot of time in the unknown are all part of the learning process.

As previously mentioned, beginning salaries in China start at roughly 8,000 RMB per month, which is sufficient to support a comfortable standard of living. With a monthly salary of 10,000-15,000 RMB, you'll be able to go on nice trips, eat at nice restaurants, and afford nicer housing.

Once you've landed a full-time, paying job, worldwide insurance is almost always included. Some firms may compensate you for your daily commute (e.g., for gas) and may even divide your compensation in half to cover your housing costs.

A salaried expat is someone who is transferred from their country of residence to China to work for their employer. Furthermore, their contract with the company continues, and they are given additional benefits (the "Expat package"), such as a pay raise (also known as "hardship pay"), housing and travel expenses (including airfare), relocation assistance (including moving expenses), and excellent international insurance.

It's common for expats to aim for the Expat standard of living, since it offers the most comfortable way of life in China, while also allowing them to keep in touch with family and friends back home via regular journeys back. A high level expat may earn up to 40,000RMB/month in living stipend alone, a personal driver, and a US income, although many half-pats get by on $1,600-$2,400/month with 10,000-15,000RMB.

You might earn up to 30,000 RMB per month if you are a competent teacher with previous experience who is employed by an international school in China.

If you work in a private language center and are paid hourly, you may expect to make at least 150 RMB. If you work more than 15 hours a week at a language center, they will want to hire you on as a paid employee since they would prefer pay you a flat 13K RMB per month than pay you 150 RMB per hour for 160 teaching hours each month (which would come out to 24,000 RMB).

There is a strong probability that if you work at a Chinese public school, your monthly salary will be less than 10K RMB.