Basic salary of 44 million VND/month is still controversial to improve teachers' income

Recently, the monthly income of an associate professor from a famous university in a first-tier city in China was revealed to be up to 30,000 yuan (about 103.3 million VND)/month and the annual net income exceeded 460,000 yuan (about 1.58 billion VND)/year.

“I am so lucky to work in this big city and enjoy great benefits,” this Associate Professor sincerely shared.

The news sparked heated discussions in the nation’s education community. Some teachers expressed frustration that their salaries were not enough to live on, while others believed that teachers’ salaries were already too high and did not need to be improved. Some even suggested canceling winter and summer breaks and still getting paid.

Income from 17 million to over 44 million VND/month

The salary structure of Chinese teachers includes basic salary, teaching allowance and various welfare allowances. The basic salary of teachers at different levels varies greatly.

The average monthly income of a primary school teacher is about 5,000 yuan (about 17 million VND), and the annual income is about 80,000 yuan (about 272 million VND). Meanwhile, the income of a secondary school teacher is about 6,000 yuan (about 20.4 million VND), and the annual income is about 100,000 yuan (about 340.5 million VND).

Chinese teacher salaries vary across educational levels and locations.

High school teachers' monthly income is about 7,500 yuan (about 25.5 million), annual income is about 130,000 yuan (about 442.6 million). University lecturers are higher, with monthly income from 9,000 to 13,000 yuan (30.6-44.2 million), and annual income is about 100,000 to 200,000 yuan (340.5-681 million).

In fact, the teaching profession has always been popular in China, in addition to its high social status, it is also considered a stable profession with good benefits.

In addition to base salary, teacher pay gaps will also be affected by teaching allowances and welfare benefits.

Teaching in first-tier cities enjoy special treatment and pensions. For example, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and other cities with developed economies , large populations and high consumption levels, teachers in these cities not only enjoy higher salaries but also enjoy higher post-retirement benefits, with a pension of about 8,000 yuan (about 27.2 million) per month.

The more work experience a teacher has, the higher the pension will be. The accumulation of years of work of a teacher plays a very important role in determining the pension level.

According to China's new regulations, teacher pension = Monthly salary/2 × working time. This means that the longer the working experience, the higher the pension will be.

For example, a teacher's monthly income is 5,000 RMB, if the service period is 20 years, the pension will be 5,000/2 × 30=6500. If the service period is 30 years, the pension of a people's teacher will be up to 8,000 RMB.

Ensure teachers' salaries are not lower than civil servants' salaries

Teachers’ salaries in China have always been a very sensitive and hotly debated topic. Some people believe that teachers’ salaries are already very high and cannot be improved, while others believe that many teachers’ salaries are still very low and need to be improved.

Some localities in China have increased salaries and monthly allowances for teachers.

On February 8, 2023, China's Ministry of Education proposed a policy to focus on increasing teachers' salaries and ensuring that teachers' salary income is not lower than the local average salary income, according to Beijing News.

According to the "Law of the People's Republic of China on Teachers", the benefits that teachers enjoy in terms of salary shall not be lower or higher than the average salary of state employees and shall be increased gradually.

However, some localities do not seriously implement this policy, leading to some teachers' salaries being delayed or paid lower, causing discontent in the teaching community.

Therefore, the Chinese Ministry of Education emphasizes every year the need to prevent similar incidents from happening and effectively protect the legitimate rights and interests of teachers.

Raise salaries to make teaching an "enviable profession"

In recent years, there has been a growing opinion in Chinese society that being a teacher is an easy job, with winter, summer, holiday, and weekend breaks all while still being paid in full.

“However, that is just the tip of the iceberg. Normally the work is very tiring, leaving early and returning late, during the holidays there are many training sessions and exams so teachers do not always have time to rest,” according to a Chinese teacher shared on social media.

“On the surface, there are only two or three classes a day, but the rest of the time is not only spent preparing lessons and correcting homework, but also communicating with students and participating in teaching and research activities.”

Starting from August 2023, the Shaanxi Education Bureau has increased the monthly subsidy to 500 yuan (about 1.7 million) for primary school teachers to strengthen the attraction of talents in rural areas.

Guangxi Education Department has set new salary standards, not less than 5,000 yuan (about 17.2 million) / month, equivalent to the salary of civil servants. In particular, teachers in remote rural areas will receive an additional 800 yuan monthly subsidy.

Teachers' salaries in Beijing will increase by 5% to 13% compared to the original. Primary and secondary school teachers will receive a monthly salary increase of 1,000 to 1,500 yuan (about 3.4 to 5.1 million).

In Shanghai, junior teachers receive a monthly allowance of 300 yuan (1 million), middle-level teachers receive a monthly allowance of 500 yuan (1.7 million), teachers with senior professional titles receive 650 yuan (2.2 million), and outstanding veteran teachers receive a monthly allowance of 800 yuan (2.7 million).

Improving teachers' remuneration and turning teaching into an "enviable" profession is a policy that Chinese authorities are implementing to attract more outstanding talents to join the teaching staff and create a high-quality teaching team.

(Source: Vietnamnet)

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