Job Discussion Forums

thoreau · Joined: 08 Feb 2010 Posts: 3

Heya

A few years ago I lived in Shanghai for 2+ years teaching. I'm thinking about returning to China but I want to experience some of the interior.

Do you have any suggestions as to cities that are 'healthy' work and living environments?

So I guess I'm asking about cities with lower crime rates, lower pollution rates, 'cleaner' than the norm, etc. You know, those secret places that seem to good to be true.

Not asking for much am I.

Cheers,

xiguagua · Joined: 09 Oct 2011 Posts: 768

I dunno. Seems like you're asking for quite a lot.

Generally China has low crime everywhere. Yes there are plenty of thieves and pickpockets, but as long as you mind your Ps and Qs you won't have to worry about VIOLENT crime unless you're just unlucky.

There are many big beautiful cities that have low pollution (for China) and are clean, Kunming, Dalian, Qingdao etc but those places aren't very secret.

Tbh I think you're asking for the wrong things. Everyone wants to go to the low crime, low pollution, clean, perfect cities. Finding a job there that is worth it is the hard part. If I were you, I would be looking for a school that treats you well and has students that make your life enjoyable.

I lived in a extremely dirty city for 3 years and absolutely loved it there because the people make it worth it and the garbage I can look passed.

thoreau · Joined: 08 Feb 2010 Posts: 3

Kiwi303 · Posted: Sat Jan 28, 2012 3:37 pm Post subject:

Well if you don't like the lingering smell of open sewers... You might want to give the riverside areas of Chongqing a miss.

Salvatore · Joined: 22 May 2011 Posts: 119

Yangshuo, near Guilin, is nice. There are a lot of foreigners in that popular travel destination. The pay is low, but the environment is very nice.

Good Luck!!

thoreau · Joined: 08 Feb 2010 Posts: 3

Idrinkwaytoomuchcoffee · Joined: 25 Aug 2011 Posts: 19

I looked at working in Yangshuo recently and this is what the two main schools in town offered.
20hrs and 22hrs a week, 3600rmb & 4200rmb per month, plus there was no curriculum, you have to plan the lessons from scratch.
The first one offered free shared accommodation and I couldn't get a straight answer out of the second one.

xiguagua · Joined: 09 Oct 2011 Posts: 768

Denim-Maniac · Joined: 31 Jan 2012 Posts: 1238

I work in Yangshuo now. The salaries mentioned above are pretty accurate, but the hours are wrong. (at my employers anyway). The lower of the two salaries mentioned comes with a workload of 15 hours per week. I teach 2x90 min classes per day, none of which are evenings or weekends and there are no office hours.

Yep, salaries are low in Yangshuo, but I 'believe' the living is cheap here too. 'Foreign' things are cheap and plentiful here due to competition and the amount of foreigners passing through.

Want to eat a home-made cheeseburger with chips in a Western bar? Including a beer - 28 RMB

Last week I went to an Indian restaurant here. We enjoyed gobhi aloo, naans and poppadoms, a tikka misalla, a lamb biriyani and a daal type dish for 50 RMB a head, again including a beer.

I think Id be hard pushed to teach anywhere else to be honest. I get small classes of adults in classes that are nicely scheduled, in a small, nice town thats pretty easy to live in with foreign foods and bars if you want them. Highly recommended IMO