where best city to live in china
Moderator: Joe
where best city to live in china
i've been living in italy over 10 years and the time has come for a radical change. china looks like an interesting place to live and have a completely fresh experience. can anyone who has had experience teaching there suggest a good place to live (city or country), a reputable school to work for and anything to watch out for? thanks. richard
Hi Richard
I've been working in China for 4 years and it is a great place to live. Any of the coastal towns are really pretty but if you want lots of Europeans around try Shanghai or Beijing, Beijing being my favourite. Some of the big cities inland can be a bit industrial, but not all, and inland flights are really cheap. Your salary goes a long way.
Any of the large language schools will usually give you a good contract but they do tend to be franchised so watch your contract as they can differ from school to school even in the same company.
Let me know if you have any specific questions and I will let you have my email address
I've been working in China for 4 years and it is a great place to live. Any of the coastal towns are really pretty but if you want lots of Europeans around try Shanghai or Beijing, Beijing being my favourite. Some of the big cities inland can be a bit industrial, but not all, and inland flights are really cheap. Your salary goes a long way.
Any of the large language schools will usually give you a good contract but they do tend to be franchised so watch your contract as they can differ from school to school even in the same company.
Let me know if you have any specific questions and I will let you have my email address
Hi there! I'm going to Beijing in January and am starting to teach at Beida Experimental Appendant School, any of you heard of it before? I'm happy to hear you've been in China for 4 years and that you're loving it, Charlie. Where are you right now? I wonder if I can bombard you with a few more questions, as I'd like to prepare myself for teaching there the best I can. Please letme kow if you're ok with that! Anyway- also- what was your level of mandarin when you got there first? I don't expect myself to be speaking very well by January. ANyway- would love to hear from you!
Julia
Julia
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Not Nanchang ! I issue a severe warning against NIAT (Nanchang Institute of Aeronautical Technology). I worked there as an
English teacher for only one semester and then I left; this happened to be my worst experience in China (I had
already worked in several Chinese schools before, each of them being satisfactory). Let me emphasize the key
problems I met there:
1) The secretary of the Foreign Affairs Office does not speak proper English, which makes it very hard to solve
everyday problems; besides, once you are there, no one will help you if you are in need (if there hadn't been any
helpful students, I would have had left after the first week ! Students of this school are great, believe me)
2) The school is closely monitoring each of your moves, and you enjoy absolutely no privacy (there is a camera
at the front of the foreign teachers' building, and you don't have the right to welcome friends at your place, or
they start threatening you; I heard from the newcomers who now live on the new campus that they are locked
up after 9 pm by a person who puts chains on the front door of their residence building)
4) Major lies concerning the contracts ( once you arrive there, you end up being forced to teach more hours than
previously agreed. You are also required to teach subjects that you were not hired to teach, and they force you
to do extra hours). As a newcomer, you will be put under strong moral pressure and they will abuse the fact that
your are helpless because you don't speak any Chinese. I strongly advise you to make some good friends
among the students: Chinese people, provided they are not part of the administrative staff, are very helpful
people.
5) Total absence of morality (I heard from present teachers that one of their foreign agents is currently living with
a student from a neighboring school who is like 20 years younger than him).
6) Lies about the health care: NIAT tells you that the school covers (for 90%) your health problems, but if you
happen to have major trouble, they will have you pay the bill.
7) Finally, you are stuck in a place with nowhere to go, since the city center of Nanchang is quite far.
One of the good things about this school is that they pay you on time, and the pay is higher than the
neighboring schools (around 5000 yuan / month), even though they often find excuses to cut your salary by a
few hundreds. However, unless you are willling to sacrifice your well-being for a few more yuan per month, I
strongly warn you against this kind of trouble.
English teacher for only one semester and then I left; this happened to be my worst experience in China (I had
already worked in several Chinese schools before, each of them being satisfactory). Let me emphasize the key
problems I met there:
1) The secretary of the Foreign Affairs Office does not speak proper English, which makes it very hard to solve
everyday problems; besides, once you are there, no one will help you if you are in need (if there hadn't been any
helpful students, I would have had left after the first week ! Students of this school are great, believe me)
2) The school is closely monitoring each of your moves, and you enjoy absolutely no privacy (there is a camera
at the front of the foreign teachers' building, and you don't have the right to welcome friends at your place, or
they start threatening you; I heard from the newcomers who now live on the new campus that they are locked
up after 9 pm by a person who puts chains on the front door of their residence building)
4) Major lies concerning the contracts ( once you arrive there, you end up being forced to teach more hours than
previously agreed. You are also required to teach subjects that you were not hired to teach, and they force you
to do extra hours). As a newcomer, you will be put under strong moral pressure and they will abuse the fact that
your are helpless because you don't speak any Chinese. I strongly advise you to make some good friends
among the students: Chinese people, provided they are not part of the administrative staff, are very helpful
people.
5) Total absence of morality (I heard from present teachers that one of their foreign agents is currently living with
a student from a neighboring school who is like 20 years younger than him).
6) Lies about the health care: NIAT tells you that the school covers (for 90%) your health problems, but if you
happen to have major trouble, they will have you pay the bill.
7) Finally, you are stuck in a place with nowhere to go, since the city center of Nanchang is quite far.
One of the good things about this school is that they pay you on time, and the pay is higher than the
neighboring schools (around 5000 yuan / month), even though they often find excuses to cut your salary by a
few hundreds. However, unless you are willling to sacrifice your well-being for a few more yuan per month, I
strongly warn you against this kind of trouble.