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Q: What's your salary?
Ok, while I might be a little curious, the actual question will be:
...and why is it rude to ask?
I'm not referring to complete, or virtual, strangers. I'm asking about people who you know fairly well.
I have a good idea of the salaries of the people around me, perhaps because we compare what we get so as to know what we should have been asking for.
But others, I don't know.
And, would you tell your Chinese colleagues?? Even after working with them for a while, or became friends with them??
EDIT: no, I'm not asking for your numbers... I'm asking about cultural differences - why is the topic of salary a taboo?
Telling people your salary here is a fools errand and let me tell you why, there's just nothing positive to be gained from someone knowing how much you make no matter what you do.
If it's too high they're going to feel jealousy and resentfulness that as a westerner you have more coming to you in China than they, a local, do.
If it's too low, they'll feel contempt for you. Like you must be a loser as a foreigner to be paid so little being from a place where per-capita GDP is so high. While still kinda feeling like it's too much for you to just walk into. Because of course if you were any good you'd be paid more!
There's no salary answer you can tell a local where they'll think "yeah that's about right for what you do".
Too much baggage on their side not to be weird about it.
Shining_brow:
Good call! It's a no-win situation...
I didn't think of - being paid less may have that consequence!!
Perhaps being paid slightly less might just be about right - to them. So they can keep their smugness intact :p
expatlife26:
you gotta put yourself in their shoes...they don't want to hear that you make around the same as they do because that means there must be something wrong with you. They wouldn't take less to go to a less developed country so why should you? In their minds.
And that stings double to them...cause that means that a "defective foreigner" still can do better than them because the system treats us better than them.
And if it's too much, than they'll just envy you.
It's tough man, I think it's really hard to find common ground of respect so best just to leave that topic off the table.
Robk:
Yeah this is exactly when I meant in my post. You won't get out of this question in a positive light.
I tell my wife not to tell other people how much we make... telling people your salary only creates contempt, envy, hatred, frustration and people looking to rip you off.
You tell the local bike guy how much you make and the next thing you know the whole block knows your salary...
expatlife26:
definitely true my friend.
The only exception I feel to this rule is (presuming you make a good living) is when you're talking to locals who are business owners. Not salarymen.
That way theres no baggage, nothing like "oh well if I had your job i'd be making half that" or whatever.
You can get kind of a "wow, glad I don't have to pay you that!" response. And it shows them you are a serious person not somebody here screwing around.
But really that would be the only time where I think you can gain genuine respect for making good money here. People who aren't gonna have a chip on their shoulder about it.
TheShadowBroker:
How do I get out of answering this question without being rude? Chinese people seem to be very bold and direct.
expatlife26:
I had another thread about this, I don't think they are bold or direct. They just don't respect the privacy of expats.
At work, salary is a secret... except for a few close friends who have now left.
I always think wages should be between the boss and the employee.
Somehow, I think most long term ESL teachers are getting more than the advertised wage in the job adverts.
None of your business on a public forum!
I very rarely discuss my salary with other people unless close friends or people I feel some trust for. I counted you in the 2nd category when we met for beer & sausages! 
Shining_brow:
Thanks Hots
My actual question is - why is salary one of those forbidden topics? Even, sometimes, amongst our friends.
Hotwater:
I think a couple of reasons:
Companies don't like salaries being discussed as then they'd have to be fair (I once earned £16000/year LESS then the guy who sat next to me who did half what I did!)
People are worried joe bloggs sat next to them will find out they are getting paid more
Conversely people are worried that joe bloggs sat next to them are getting paid less!
ScotsAlan:
That was because I am better than you at avoiding work hots :)
ScotsAlan:
Ahh. I missed a zero. Not me then. But I was still better than you at avoiding work.
Hotwater:
This was years back at RON mate. A skipdiver from Leeds. As a company cost saving he wanted to put a wind turbine on the Ramsey factory roof! Waste of space.
does, "just plain flipping broke" answer this? life in the fast , and now in the slow lane, really slow lane!!.
BHGAL:
https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/echarts?s=CADCNY%3DX#symbol=CADCNY=X;range=3m
I do well, well enough to not worry about finances.
When Chinese ask, I prefer not to tell them... same with other foreigners. It just casts a light on others that usually doesn't end up well.
For Chinese, this is how they determine how much respect they should give you. And they do tell each other... but if I tell them I make more in a month than they make in a two years... nothing good can come from it.
Just take a look at the jobs section of this website and you will see what the average English teacher can expect here for salary, it's anywhere between 5000 to 15000 RMB. Your salary depends on a lot of variables, city of work, type of school, hours teaching English etc...
It seems like universities and public schools in tier 2-3 cities pay the least, usually it's around 6k per month. Training schools in Tier2 pay more, though you will need to spend a lot more time preparing for your classes and teaching as well than you would do in public schools. While at public schools and universities you usually teach under 20 hours the norm for training schools seems 25 hours per week.
Naturally, training schools in T1 cities pay more, though cost of living there is always higher than in T2 or T3 cities, you pay 30-40% more for everything in a developed-city.
The best salary you can get is in international, private schools or if you are teaching subjects. Most of these schools expect you to be a certified teacher though.
I once told the Chinese IT teacher my salary at my last job b/c he just casually asked. He replied in amazement that I made more than the Chinese Headmaster by several thousand per month. I learned then not to discuss such in the future as I could see potential problems arise.
Telling people your salary here is a fools errand and let me tell you why, there's just nothing positive to be gained from someone knowing how much you make no matter what you do.
If it's too high they're going to feel jealousy and resentfulness that as a westerner you have more coming to you in China than they, a local, do.
If it's too low, they'll feel contempt for you. Like you must be a loser as a foreigner to be paid so little being from a place where per-capita GDP is so high. While still kinda feeling like it's too much for you to just walk into. Because of course if you were any good you'd be paid more!
There's no salary answer you can tell a local where they'll think "yeah that's about right for what you do".
Too much baggage on their side not to be weird about it.
Shining_brow:
Good call! It's a no-win situation...
I didn't think of - being paid less may have that consequence!!
Perhaps being paid slightly less might just be about right - to them. So they can keep their smugness intact :p
expatlife26:
you gotta put yourself in their shoes...they don't want to hear that you make around the same as they do because that means there must be something wrong with you. They wouldn't take less to go to a less developed country so why should you? In their minds.
And that stings double to them...cause that means that a "defective foreigner" still can do better than them because the system treats us better than them.
And if it's too much, than they'll just envy you.
It's tough man, I think it's really hard to find common ground of respect so best just to leave that topic off the table.
Robk:
Yeah this is exactly when I meant in my post. You won't get out of this question in a positive light.
I tell my wife not to tell other people how much we make... telling people your salary only creates contempt, envy, hatred, frustration and people looking to rip you off.
You tell the local bike guy how much you make and the next thing you know the whole block knows your salary...
expatlife26:
definitely true my friend.
The only exception I feel to this rule is (presuming you make a good living) is when you're talking to locals who are business owners. Not salarymen.
That way theres no baggage, nothing like "oh well if I had your job i'd be making half that" or whatever.
You can get kind of a "wow, glad I don't have to pay you that!" response. And it shows them you are a serious person not somebody here screwing around.
But really that would be the only time where I think you can gain genuine respect for making good money here. People who aren't gonna have a chip on their shoulder about it.
TheShadowBroker:
How do I get out of answering this question without being rude? Chinese people seem to be very bold and direct.
expatlife26:
I had another thread about this, I don't think they are bold or direct. They just don't respect the privacy of expats.
Mines different every month, full time,side stuff and the Shanghai index all factor into it.
icnif77:
Shanghai Composite = 'you didn't earn it (or lose it), till you don't sell it'.
Only when you hold cash, you can measure your earnings.
my wife tells everyone i make less than 10k and have to pay the 7000 rmb rent from it 
according to the last article, I am barely middle class in china but more I am in the poor class because I don't posses anything here
