Average Language Instructor For Expatriate Salary in Shenzhen, China for 2026

In this article, we will look at the average Language Instructor For Expatriate salary for 2026 in Shenzhen and how that compares to other countries and professions. We'll also look at interesting salary data points like median salary, 25th and 75th percentile salaries, salary amounts based on experience, bonus ranges and more!

The data in this article has been compiled using official government salary data, salary surveys, and other sources such as job postings which contain salary information.

All salary information is in the local currency, which is the Chinese yuan. To keep things simple, we are using the CNY currency code instead of the currency symbol ¥.

How Much Does a Language Instructor For Expatriate Make in Shenzhen?

A Language Instructor For Expatriate working in Shenzhen will typically earn around 233,900 CNY per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 117,100 CNY to the highest average salary of 367,900 CNY.

Average Annual Salary233,900 CNY
Average Monthly Salary19,491 CNY
Average Lowest Salary117,100 CNY
Lowest Monthly Salary9,758 CNY
Average Highest Salary367,900 CNY
Highest Monthly Salary30,658 CNY

These are average salaries for a Language Instructor For Expatriate in Shenzhen and include benefits such as housing and transport. It's also possible for a Language Instructor For Expatriate to earn more or less than the average salaries shown above.

Language Instructor For Expatriate salaries will vary a lot based on your experience, location, skills, and gender. Keep reading below to research more data on each of these areas.

Distribution of Language Instructor For Expatriate Salaries in Shenzhen

So we've looked at the average salaries a Language Instructor For Expatriate will earn in Shenzhen. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that a Language Instructor For Expatriate can earn between 117,100 CNY and 367,900 CNY on average in Shenzhen. This is known as the range in statistics.

The difference between the maximum and minimum values is a good indicator of variability in salaries, and can be used by employers to figure out how much they can expect to pay, and for employees to know how much they can earn.

Median salary

The median salary for a Language Instructor For Expatriate in Shenzhen is 239,000 CNY. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 239,000 CNY, and 50% of the population earn more than 239,000 CNY.

If you are earning more than the median salary, that's a good indicator that you are being paid well.

If you're not earning more than the median salary, your objective should be to increase your earnings to be at least as high as the median salary (which you can do by asking for a pay rise, looking for a better paying job, etc).

Percentiles

Percentiles are similar to the median salary, but instead of looking at the middle value, they look at the values in the top and bottom half of the distribution.

For the average Language Instructor For Expatriate salary in Shenzhen, 25% of the population are earning less than 159,400 CNY while 75% of the population earn more than 159,400 CNY.

75% of the population earn less than 308,300 CNY, and 25% of the population earn more than 308,300 CNY.

Like the median salary, the 25th and 75th percentile salaries can be used to determine which quartile you fall into so that you know whether you are being paid well enough compared to others in your profession and location.

The difference between a median and an average salary

The median and average salary are both indicators you can use to see if you are being paid fairly based on the overall population.

  • If your salary is higher than the average and the median salary, you are earning well compared to others.
  • If your salary is lower than the average and the median salary, it could indicate you are not being paid well enough.
  • If you are somewhere in between then it's tricky to determine if you are being paid well enough and you might need to research more closely.

Language Instructor For Expatriate Salary by Experience Level in Shenzhen

The most important factor in determining your salary after the specific profession is the number of years experience you have. It stands to reason that more years of experience will result in a higher wage.

We have researched the average Language Instructor For Expatriate salary based on years of experience to give you an idea of how the average changes once you've worked for a certain amount of time.

  • 0 - 2 Years Experience. A Language Instructor For Expatriate in Shenzhen that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 137,400 CNY.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Language Instructor For Expatriate salary would increase to 174,000 CNY.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as a Language Instructor For Expatriate, the average salary would be 240,500 CNY.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 301,800 CNY.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. A Language Instructor For Expatriate with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 320,500 CNY.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For a Language Instructor For Expatriate with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 341,900 CNY.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years-
137,400 CNY
2-5 Years+29%
174,000 CNY
5-10 Years+38%
240,500 CNY
10-15 Years+24%
301,800 CNY
15-20 Years+7%
320,500 CNY
20+ Years+7%
341,900 CNY

Language Instructor For Expatriate Salary by Education Level in Shenzhen

As well as experience in a job, your education plays a big role in how much you can earn. A lot of higher paying positions require a high level of education, but how much can a degree increase your salary?

In our research we have compared the salaries of employees in the same job and career level with different levels of education to see how much more you can earn at each education level.

The salary you can earn based on your education is very specific to both your location and the career path you choose.

In our research, we looked at the average salary for a Language Instructor For Expatriate in Shenzhen based on the education level of the employees in order to find out whether a better education level would increase your salary.

  • Bachelor's Degree. A Language Instructor For Expatriate in Shenzhen with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 172,200 CNY.
  • Master's Degree. A Language Instructor For Expatriate in Shenzhen with a master's degree education can earn an average salary of 275,200 CNY.

Average Salary by Education Chart

Bachelor's Degree-
172,200 CNY
Master's Degree+60%
275,200 CNY

How Much is a Master's Degree or MBA Program?

The approximate cost of a master's degree or post-graduate program like an MBA in China is around 146,000 to 439,000 CNY and takes two years to complete.

As you can see above, there are financial benefits from reaching master's degree level, but don't expect to see much of a salary increase until you have completed the degree.

It's common for people to pursue an MBA or other post-graduate program in order to switch to a a job that pays more. On average, you can expect to earn around 10% more when switching to a new company.

Whether you decide to pursue a master's degree depends on many factors. If you are able to afford it, the numbers suggest that the return on investment is worth it and you could recover the costs in a few years from the salary increase you would receive.

Language Instructor For Expatriate Salary Compared by Gender

In the modern age, we know that there should never be a pay gap between men and women. Unfortunately, in many professions, there is still a significant difference between the salaries earned by men when compared to the salary of women in the same job.

In Shenzhen, a male language instructor for expatriate will earn an average of 240,500 CNY, while a female language instructor for expatriate will earn around 221,500 CNY.

This means that a male language instructor for expatriate earns approximately 9% more than a female language instructor for expatriate for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in Shenzhen

Male-
240,500 CNY
Female-9%
221,500 CNY

Language Instructor For Expatriate Average Pay Raise in Shenzhen

In many countries, an annual pay raise is often given to employees to reward their service with a salary increase.

From our research, we can see that the average pay raise for a Language Instructor For Expatriate in Shenzhen is around 11% every 16 months.

The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in China is around 9% every 15 months.

In this case, we can see that the number of months between the average pay raise is higher than the typical 12 months.

To make the data more meaningful, we can calculate what the approximate annual pay raise would be using a simple formula:

Annual Increase = ( Increase Rate ÷ Months ) × 12

So for this example, it would be:

Annual Increase = ( 11 ÷ 16 ) × 12  = 8%

What this means is that a Language Instructor For Expatriate in Shenzhen can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 8% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in Shenzhen for 2026

In the chart below, you can see the average annual pay raise percentages for each of the major industries in China.

You will see that companies in bigger and more lucrative industries tend to have the higher annual pay raises.

Banking-
8%
Energy-
7%
Information Technology-
6%
Healthcare-
5%
Travel-
4%
Construction-
3%
Education-
2%

Language Instructor For Expatriate Bonus and Incentive Rates in Shenzhen

Another part of your overall compensation in a job is how much bonus you receive. Some job roles will be more likely to pay a bonus than others and also more likely to have higher bonus rates.

Generally speaking, jobs that are more involved with direct revenue generation will receive higher bonuses based on the performance towards revenue goals.

A Language Instructor For Expatriate is a low bonus based job, with 31% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

69% reported that they had not received any bonuses in the previous 12 months.

For the employees that did receive a bonus in the previous 12 months, the reported bonuses ranged from 0% to 4%.

Received Bonus-
31%
No Bonus-
69%

What are the Types of Bonus?

There are a number of difference types of bonus you can receive in a job. Including:

  • Individual performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee for general performance in the job. It's the most common type of bonus.
  • Company performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to a company employees to share profit with the staff.
  • Goal based bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee (or a team) for achieving specific goals, objectives, or milestones.
  • Holiday bonus - This type of bonus is usually paid around the holidays, often the end of the year, and is a token of appreciation for the hard work throughout the year.

Government vs Private Sector Salaries

Another commonly asked question is whether you get paid a higher salary working in the public (government) sector or the private sector.

Public sector employees in China earn approximately 6% more than private sector employees in the same role.

Public Sector-
362,200 CNY
Private Sector-6%
341,400 CNY

Salaries for Jobs Similar to a Language Instructor For Expatriate

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to a Language Instructor For Expatriate in Shenzhen.

Job TitleCategorySalary
Academic AdvisorTeaching / Education354,000 CNY
Academic AssistantTeaching / Education261,300 CNY
Academic CoachTeaching / Education353,600 CNY
Academic LibrarianTeaching / Education259,100 CNY
Academic ManagerTeaching / Education407,300 CNY
Academic SpecialistTeaching / Education322,600 CNY
Academic StaffTeaching / Education292,000 CNY
AccompanistTeaching / Education309,800 CNY
Achievement CoachTeaching / Education362,200 CNY
Admissions SpecialistTeaching / Education308,300 CNY
Agricultural Sciences TeacherTeaching / Education296,000 CNY
Anthropology TeacherTeaching / Education301,300 CNY
Arabic Language TeacherTeaching / Education282,300 CNY
Archeology TeacherTeaching / Education297,000 CNY
Architecture TeacherTeaching / Education340,000 CNY
ArchivistTeaching / Education249,600 CNY
Art TeacherTeaching / Education282,300 CNY
Assistant School PrincipalTeaching / Education392,300 CNY
Assistant TeacherTeaching / Education243,000 CNY
Biochemistry Professor Teaching / Education520,900 CNY
Biology TeacherTeaching / Education288,700 CNY
Bursary Scheme ManagerTeaching / Education345,100 CNY
Business TeacherTeaching / Education308,900 CNY
Careers AdvisorTeaching / Education351,200 CNY
Careers ConsultantTeaching / Education352,000 CNY
Chemistry TeacherTeaching / Education288,700 CNY
Child Care CoordinatorTeaching / Education282,300 CNY
Child Care WorkerTeaching / Education238,900 CNY
Childcare WorkerTeaching / Education228,000 CNY
Classroom AssistantTeaching / Education246,500 CNY
Clinical School PsychologistTeaching / Education437,900 CNY
College AideTeaching / Education382,600 CNY
College DeanTeaching / Education675,100 CNY
College PresidentTeaching / Education649,700 CNY
College and Career Readiness SpecialistTeaching / Education384,500 CNY
Communications TeacherTeaching / Education301,700 CNY
Community Education OfficerTeaching / Education243,000 CNY
Computer Science TeacherTeaching / Education282,500 CNY
Computer TeacherTeaching / Education277,400 CNY
Creative Writing TrainerTeaching / Education340,000 CNY
Credit CounselorTeaching / Education348,300 CNY
Cultural Studies TeacherTeaching / Education283,400 CNY
Curriculum CoordinatorTeaching / Education332,100 CNY
Curriculum DeveloperTeaching / Education366,200 CNY
Curriculum SpecialistTeaching / Education388,100 CNY
Dean of FacultyTeaching / Education625,000 CNY
DemonstratorTeaching / Education265,000 CNY
Deputy Controller of ExaminationsTeaching / Education339,100 CNY
Director of Learning TechnologyTeaching / Education394,800 CNY
Distance Learning CoordinatorTeaching / Education308,300 CNY
EFL TeacherTeaching / Education292,000 CNY
ESL TeacherTeaching / Education299,500 CNY
Economics LecturerTeaching / Education510,200 CNY
Economics TeacherTeaching / Education283,400 CNY
Education AdministratorTeaching / Education325,900 CNY
Education AssistantTeaching / Education266,000 CNY
Education Assistant DirectorTeaching / Education376,800 CNY
Education Assistant LibrarianTeaching / Education214,000 CNY
Education Assistant PrincipalTeaching / Education313,700 CNY
Education Assistant ProfessorTeaching / Education420,100 CNY
Education AssociateTeaching / Education282,300 CNY
Education ConsultantTeaching / Education384,500 CNY
Education ConsultantTeaching / Education394,300 CNY
Education CoordinatorTeaching / Education325,600 CNY
Education CounselorTeaching / Education340,000 CNY
Education DirectorTeaching / Education535,800 CNY
Education Program SpecialistTeaching / Education385,300 CNY
Education ResearcherTeaching / Education413,900 CNY
Education Resource SpecialistTeaching / Education327,300 CNY
Education Services FacilitatorTeaching / Education327,800 CNY
Educational PsychologistTeaching / Education462,300 CNY
Elementary School TeacherTeaching / Education237,400 CNY
Engineering LecturerTeaching / Education489,500 CNY
Engineering TeacherTeaching / Education390,000 CNY
English TeacherTeaching / Education263,100 CNY
Faculty AssistantTeaching / Education371,100 CNY
Foreign Language TeacherTeaching / Education279,400 CNY
GED TeacherTeaching / Education271,300 CNY
Geography TeacherTeaching / Education292,000 CNY
Head of Mathematics DepartmentTeaching / Education382,600 CNY
Head of SchoolTeaching / Education472,100 CNY
High School TeacherTeaching / Education313,700 CNY
History TeacherTeaching / Education307,400 CNY
Infant TeacherTeaching / Education216,800 CNY
Instructional AssistantTeaching / Education311,700 CNY
InstructorTeaching / Education332,100 CNY
Kindergarten TeacherTeaching / Education225,700 CNY
Law TeacherTeaching / Education433,800 CNY
Learning DesignerTeaching / Education353,600 CNY
LecturerTeaching / Education524,400 CNY
LibrarianTeaching / Education233,600 CNY
Library AssistantTeaching / Education204,000 CNY
Library DirectorTeaching / Education327,300 CNY
Library SpecialistTeaching / Education261,300 CNY
Library TechnicianTeaching / Education215,100 CNY
Life Sciences TeacherTeaching / Education282,500 CNY
Math LecturerTeaching / Education519,300 CNY
Math TeacherTeaching / Education335,800 CNY
Mathematics TeacherTeaching / Education335,800 CNY
MentorTeaching / Education311,700 CNY
Middle School TeacherTeaching / Education309,800 CNY
Music TeacherTeaching / Education267,100 CNY
Nursery ManagerTeaching / Education419,400 CNY
Nursery WorkerTeaching / Education181,600 CNY
ParaprofessionalTeaching / Education378,300 CNY
Physical Education SpecialistTeaching / Education308,300 CNY
Physical Education TeacherTeaching / Education254,800 CNY
Physics Teacher Teaching / Education311,700 CNY
Political Science TeacherTeaching / Education319,600 CNY
Post Doctoral ResearcherTeaching / Education471,700 CNY
Preschool Education AdministratorTeaching / Education340,400 CNY
Preschool TeacherTeaching / Education239,000 CNY
Primary School TeacherTeaching / Education273,300 CNY
PrincipalTeaching / Education406,300 CNY
Product SpecialistTeaching / Education311,700 CNY
Professor - AccountingTeaching / Education533,000 CNY
Professor - ArchitectureTeaching / Education513,300 CNY
Professor - BiologyTeaching / Education519,300 CNY
Professor - Business AdministrationTeaching / Education528,500 CNY
Professor - Chemical EngineeringTeaching / Education548,800 CNY
Professor - ChemistryTeaching / Education563,000 CNY
Professor - Civil EngineeringTeaching / Education493,000 CNY
Professor - CommunicationTeaching / Education510,200 CNY
Professor - Computer ScienceTeaching / Education510,000 CNY
Professor - DentistryTeaching / Education553,800 CNY
Professor - DramaTeaching / Education480,300 CNY
Professor - EconomicsTeaching / Education541,700 CNY
Professor - EducationTeaching / Education559,000 CNY
Professor - Electrical EngineeringTeaching / Education547,800 CNY
Professor - EnglishTeaching / Education518,900 CNY
Professor - Environmental EngineeringTeaching / Education524,300 CNY
Professor - Foreign LanguagesTeaching / Education510,000 CNY
Professor - Geological SciencesTeaching / Education499,300 CNY
Professor - HistoryTeaching / Education524,700 CNY
Professor - Industrial EngineeringTeaching / Education492,400 CNY
Professor - LawTeaching / Education559,000 CNY
Professor - Legal SupportTeaching / Education519,300 CNY
Professor - Liberal ArtsTeaching / Education513,300 CNY
Professor - MarketingTeaching / Education522,700 CNY
Professor - MathematicsTeaching / Education583,000 CNY
Professor - Mechanical EngineeringTeaching / Education538,600 CNY
Professor - Medical AdministrationTeaching / Education566,900 CNY
Professor - MedicineTeaching / Education605,700 CNY
Professor - MusicTeaching / Education483,800 CNY
Professor - NursingTeaching / Education519,300 CNY
Professor - Pharmaceutical SciencesTeaching / Education518,300 CNY
Professor - PhilosophyTeaching / Education544,800 CNY
Professor - Physical TherapyTeaching / Education538,600 CNY
Professor - PhysicsTeaching / Education582,700 CNY
Professor - PsychologyTeaching / Education500,100 CNY
Professor - RehabilitationTeaching / Education487,600 CNY
Professor - Social WorkTeaching / Education453,200 CNY
Professor - SociologyTeaching / Education514,800 CNY
Professor - Special EducationTeaching / Education548,500 CNY
Psychology TeacherTeaching / Education415,900 CNY
Public Management Assistant ProfessorTeaching / Education437,900 CNY
School CounselorTeaching / Education382,600 CNY
Science EducatorTeaching / Education292,000 CNY
Science Laboratory AssistantTeaching / Education263,200 CNY
Science TeacherTeaching / Education305,600 CNY
Secondary Mathematics TeacherTeaching / Education294,300 CNY
Secondary School TeacherTeaching / Education299,500 CNY
Special Education TeacherTeaching / Education308,900 CNY
Special Needs AssistantTeaching / Education263,200 CNY
Statistics LecturerTeaching / Education524,300 CNY
Student Accounts CoordinatorTeaching / Education281,500 CNY
Student Development SpecialistTeaching / Education335,100 CNY
Student Employment SpecialistTeaching / Education330,900 CNY
Student ServicesTeaching / Education273,300 CNY
Student Services CoordinatorTeaching / Education273,000 CNY
Student Support ManagerTeaching / Education345,700 CNY
Substitute TeacherTeaching / Education246,200 CNY
TEFL TeacherTeaching / Education305,600 CNY
TeacherTeaching / Education252,300 CNY
Teacher AideTeaching / Education225,700 CNY
Teacher TrainerTeaching / Education361,600 CNY
Teaching AssistantTeaching / Education218,900 CNY
Training CoordinatorTeaching / Education275,200 CNY
Training and Development SpecialistTeaching / Education377,200 CNY
TutorTeaching / Education290,800 CNY
University TeacherTeaching / Education489,500 CNY
Vocational Education TeacherTeaching / Education294,300 CNY
eLearning TrainerTeaching / Education275,800 CNY

Salary Comparison by City

If you want to compare salaries with different cities in China, you can use the links below to explore the data for each specific city we have researched.

CityAverage Salary
Beijing275,500 CNY
Changchun240,500 CNY
Changsha216,800 CNY
Chengdu265,000 CNY
Chongqing283,400 CNY
Dalian228,500 CNY
Dongguan228,500 CNY
Foshan225,300 CNY
Fuzhou218,900 CNY
Guangzhou281,500 CNY
Hangzhou271,300 CNY
Harbin246,200 CNY
Jinan257,700 CNY
Kunming210,500 CNY
Nanjing254,800 CNY
Qingdao240,500 CNY
Quanzhou222,300 CNY
Shanghai263,200 CNY
Shantou231,000 CNY
Shenyang258,400 CNY
Suzhou247,800 CNY
Tianjin253,400 CNY
Wenzhou221,500 CNY
Wuhan267,100 CNY
Wuxi201,100 CNY
Xi an247,800 CNY
Xiamen221,500 CNY
Zhengzhou212,500 CNY

Salary Comparison by State

The table below includes links to the average salary for each state in China.

StateAverage Salary
Anhui247,800 CNY
Beijing207,800 CNY
Chongqing218,900 CNY
Fujian237,400 CNY
Gansu217,900 CNY
Guangdong273,300 CNY
Guangxi251,500 CNY
Guizhou228,000 CNY
Hainan208,600 CNY
Hebei265,000 CNY
Heilongjiang239,000 CNY
Henan273,000 CNY
Hubei263,200 CNY
Hunan267,100 CNY
Jiangsu273,000 CNY
Jiangxi254,800 CNY
Jilin233,900 CNY
Liaoning254,800 CNY
Nei Monggol232,900 CNY
Ningxia195,200 CNY
Qinghai196,800 CNY
Shaanxi228,000 CNY
Shandong265,000 CNY
Shanghai210,500 CNY
Shanxi227,600 CNY
Sichuan265,000 CNY
Tianjin208,600 CNY
Xinjiang Uygur214,000 CNY
Xizang [Tibet]201,100 CNY
Yunnan249,600 CNY
Zhejiang258,400 CNY

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