Job Discussion Forums

[Possum84]

Hi, I am currently looking at moving to china to teach from Australia.

I have a bachelor degree and cert in tesol.

I would be looking to move with my partner and 2 children.

We would like to know how much money (yuan ) you would need to make to live on per month ?

We were thinking of teaching around Guangzhou, what is this area like ?

Any advice on a reputable agency to go through ?

Has anyone had experience with company Disney English ?

Thanks for all your help,

kylie.

[Bud Powell]

Is your "partner" your legal spouse? If not, count on doubling your housing costs. If you plan to live in a school-provided abode, you may run into trouble.

[Kysorb]

Honestly with kids i don't know how well this situation plays out money wise...

I think a lot of these answers require a bit more information about your expectations on what you plan to leave China with. if you expect to leave with no money you could probably live on 10-15000 with no money left over each month... if you plan to do any sort of traveling or are trying to do this as an actual job not a lazy gap year then your going to need to make a lot more.

I always feel bad for the kids in these scenarios.. I can't imagine this helps their social development. Some people will say how this broadens their awareness but personally i view it as a year in solitary for them...

[BlueBlood]

The thought of taking kids with me to teach ESL in China never occurred to me.

Kids going overseas with a parent who has a "real" job, making serious money, have it somewhat tough in China. With all the challenges of living and working as a lowly (at least in terms of salary) FT in China, I simply could not imagine throwing children into the mix.

I can only speak for myself, but my hope is to basically break-even every month. Period. I very much doubt I'll have more than a few bucks left over to save or use for travel every month, at least not at the salaries I've been quoted so far. And in case one reads this and thinks, "Oh, you're going to spend loads of cash in bars then," that's not the case.

[Non Sequitur]

The 'Search' facility gives two pages of threads from the search term: 'Disney'.

[sui jin]

Some quite discouraging replies here , but I tend to agree. If your kids are kindergarten or school age then an international school is the only viable option. If you or your partner work at that kindergarten /school then the kids might be admitted fee-free. Otherwise , I can't see how you could afford to pay the school fees on one or two FTs salaries.

Kids' quality of life here seems lower than in places like Australia - fewer parks, longer school hours, fewer fun things to do, sporadic health care.
Then , if things go wrong , you need a strategy to get back to Australia, or go elsewhere.

Finally , I would avoid Guangzhou - dirty , crowded, hot and humid.
Shenzhen is a cleaner, more developed and open city. (just my opinion)

[toteach]

Will you both be working?

My husband and I found that we could very comfortably live off of one salary and bank the other. That said, we tended to enjoy evenings at home rather than the bar scene--otherwise, it would be easy to drink the second salary away...

Are the kiddos school age? Perhaps teaching at a school where they could attend (for free per contract negotiations) would be the best?

Homeschooling your children is also an option, as long as it won't set them back if/when you return to your home country...

[vikeologist]

Yes, the ideal situation would be to get a job in an international school, teaching TESOL.

It's not as simple as that mf course. Not everywhere that calls itself an international school is, and most of the genuine ones are generally looking for subject teachers.

If your TESOl cert is a recognised one, (Trinity or CELTA) you'll stand more chance.

No reason not to bring your kids, but if you're thinking of putting them into the Chinese education system, not many people would think that a good idea.

So, you need them to go to an international school. You probably won't be able to afford one unless you're very well qualified and can get a top paying job.
Not knowing much about you, working in an international school sounds like by far your best bet.

[chinaroman]

It would definitely help to know the age of the children. In Shenzhen there are tons of bi-lingual kindergartens that are an alternative to expensive international schools. If they are very young an ayi will run you about 6000 RMB a month. If they are school age there are so called bi-lingual schools, but I am not sure how good they are. I much prefer Shenzhen to Guangzhou. If you and your partner were able to find jobs paying 15,000 RMB a month each with free housing and benefits it would be doable depending on the age of the children. Probably wouldn't save much, but would be an incredible experience for the family. With just a BA and a TESOL certificate I doubt you would qualify for employment at an international school, especially with 3 dependents.

My wife an I live comfortably spending 6000 RMB a month. Again, the age of the children is the biggest factor, but I think if they are of kindergarten age or lower it is very possible to do on a combined 30,000 RMB and free housing and insurance. Let us know how it works out! Good luck!

[Possum84]

Thankyou all for your replies.
Our children are 3 and 2 yrs and we were thinking of one of us working and one looking after them.
Though with that scenario we would only have baseline salary of 8-10,000 yuan for the month to live off.
sounds like this may be tough ?
We didn't have expectation of saving much money but rather experiencing china.

[BlueBlood]

Fellow parent of two children here. JMO, but based on what you've told us, I wouldn't consider it.

If I worked for a major corporation or the government, and they wanted to send me to China with my family for a fixed period of time, I'd consider it.

Going there and striking out on my own, with a family in tow, and trying to live on a FT's wages? No thanks.

Again, JMO and best wishes.

[toteach]

[sui jin]

"Our children are 3 and 2 yrs and we were thinking of one of us working and one looking after them."
Actually , it could work if your kids are this age, and have no major health worries. (China's hospitals are pretty terrifying, IMO ). You don't need to consider schooling , and you could find part-time 'ayi' help (an auntie to help with childcare , cleaning etc).
Uni accommodation for FTs is not normally geared towards children , but you could get a two bed apartment on campus which would be big enough. I have lived in the same block as chinese teachers who often have granny, and the regulation one child, living together in their apartment.
Private accommodation may be more difficult to find with children.

Chinese people generally love small kids , so your children will be well-treated in the neighbourhood.

Could your family live on 8-10K RMB a month? Probably (outside Shanghai and Beijing), but your free time/holiday /travel options might be limited by your budget.
Ideally , you could look for a 'job-share', so the carer-parent does not feel too confined to the apartment.

[chinaroman]

In my opinion you will need to bring in more than 8-10K RMB a month in Guangzhou. I suggest looking into third tier cities. Although I do not see the rationale of uprooting a family to live paycheck to paycheck in China, I do hope you have adequate savings in case of an emergency. There are very few hospitals I would trust in China to look after the health of my children.

[twilothunder]