Young instructors face high pressure, low income

Teaching in universities is not as decent a job for young people as it appears from the outside, as the job comes with a low salary and huge pressure, according to a recent report released by the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences. Nonetheless, it remains the first choice for many young job seekers.

There is a big income gap among university instructors, as discovered by the report based on a survey of 18 universities in Beijing. The survey found that the highest-paid professors earned up to 570,000 yuan ($91,500) in 2010, while younger lecturers who earn the lowest received only 22,000 yuan, the Beijing Times reported Tuesday.

Lian Si, an associate professor with the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing, led a team in a similar study investigating the conditions for young university instructors in China last year. Lian said that low salaries force many young academics to take part-time jobs to make ends meet.

"My PhD earns me much more at a company. Now about half my monthly earnings come from part-time jobs like leading training seminars and other programs," Xiao Jing, a lecturer with the Psychology Department at Capital Normal University, told the Global Times.

Lian said the burden of scientific research, heavy teaching load and low income puts a lot of pressure on young academics. According to his report, 72.3 percent of respondents said that they face high pressure. However, young people still choose to teach at universities as professors are highly valued in society.

Shi Chenxu, who received a master's degree from Peking University, turned down a very attractive position at a famous advertising company in order to teach at Qingdao University of Science and Technology.

"I didn't choose the job for the money. Compared to my former classmates who are busy working at big advertising firms, I am pretty happy," Shi said.