I’m an American teaching English to kids in China. When I arrived, I had no experience, and I didn’t study anything in college related to English or teaching. I make about twice as much money as local Chinese teachers, who all studied English, have advanced teaching certificates, and usually have experience. The company I work for says that Chinese teachers get a fair, competitive wage for the city we’re in, and that native English speakers wouldn’t be attracted to this wage. And yet it seems immoral that I get paid more. What can I do to lessen my guilt? —NAME WITHHELD
We live in a world where wages are determined, in part, by the sorts of market forces your employers have mentioned. There are ways in which these forces are modified by other ones. Some, like legal regulation, can be legitimate; others, like racial and gender prejudice, are not. Your case doesn’t seem to pose such issues. The company wants native speakers of English; if it paid them what it paid Chinese teachers (who are getting a competitive wage in the local market), it would have fewer or none. You’re working a long way from home and, presumably, for a limited time. I don’t think you need to feel bad about the premium you currently command.
—From “The Ethicist” in The New York Times Magazine