Job Discussion Forums

[rratliff]

I just graduated college with a BA in Sociology and I want to teach overseas. I have lived in Japan for 2.5 years when my mother was stationed there, so I am used to experiencing different cultures. I am a single parent as well and I am wondering what cities woukd be best for us?

[teenoso]

You can check back on an earlier thread about coming to China with young children. Bigger cities (like Qingdao, Shenzhen, Hangzhou) have more and better 'international' kindergartens , but presumably at a price. Or you coud teach at one , and your kids should/might be free admission.
Look North if you like the cold , south if not .
If you don't mind the kids being in a chinese-speaking kindergarten , you could consider Uni teaching - most campuses have a kindergarten for the teachers' children (probably free , or very cheap).

[Non Sequitur]

On campus, your female students will go nuts over the kids.
Go for the bigger unis as these will (as someone mentioned) have care/kindy close by for the CT 's offspring.
I see it as a wonderful opportunity.
Best

[vikeologist]

Do you want to teach overseas for just one year?

I guess that there may (in theory) be options for your kids as long as you don't want them to go to school.

I'm not sure what proportion of Unis have Childcare facilities. I'm unsure whether they would be prepared to take on your children even if they do. You would not have the same status as Chinese members of staff.

Employers are always very worried about being ale to ensure the safety and security of adult teachers. The prospect of having to look after those of children should send them into a frenzied panic.

Anyway, are / were you a mature student?. you wouldn't be able to get a job as a teacher unless you're over about 23. (Nothing is absolute, but in general that's the case).

Anyway, to sum up, there are a lot of potential issues here. There may be huge potential benefits for your children, but unfortunately I can only think of the negatives.
-China's educational and healthcare standards are very poor.
-Single parents are rare(r) and I'd say stigmatised in Chinese society. Frankly, most single parents kind of hide the fact. Being a single parent will be a negative on job applications (although of course there are bound to be single parents at employers who'll be sympathetic).
-You wouldn't earn enough at Unis to be able to afford much in the way of healthcare. Jobs at language mills wouldn't be at all conducive to bringing up kids.
-You're unlikely to get a job at a Uni until next September. Most jobs for next term (February) will have already been filled. Maybe next September your children will be 5 and have to go to school. Sending them to a non-International Chinese school is, for more than one reason, absolutely not a viable option.

If you want to stay for more than a year, (i.e. when the kids are school age), you'll need a job at an International School, (so they can go to it) and for that you need teaching qualifications.

I know this all sounds extremely negative, but I guess you knew beforehand that there'd be a few challenges involved. I'm just letting you know some of the potential issues. Also of course, Non Sequitur and teenoso may be right. I think they're on crack and utterly delusional, but I am often wrong.

[dakelei]

Folks will jump on me for saying this and a few will hurl personal insults my way but so be it. I've gotten used to it. Bringing your young kids here right now to any city in China is borderline child abuse, in my opinion. I live in a "third-tier" city in Guangdong that doesn't even heat the buildings in winter and I can actually see the pollution in the air. It is getting worse all the time. I've had a lingering cough for months now that I simply can't shake despite two recent trips to the hospital here and eating piles of both Chinese and Western medicine. I can only imagine what cities that are burning coal to heat buildings are like. When my city gets warmer more coal will be burned to produce electricity for A/C so I don't see it getting any better. Larger cities will will have better healthcare but the air will also be even worse so you've got a Catch-22 on your hands. I'm convinced that the major reason I have such horrible lungs now is because I grew up in a tiny house with many siblings and father who chained-smoked. (He also died at 59, predictably, from lung cancer.) Please don't bring 4 y/o kids here. I know you're facing the prospect of graduating with a (sorry) somewhat useless degree but you are seriously risking your kids' health if you bring them here. My Chinese wife and I are leaving here at the end of this school year and, yes, I'm worried about exactly what we'll do at home but I'm even more worried about what the air and water here are doing to me.

There will be folks who will come on here and call me an alarmist and other names that are even worse and you are free to listen to them. There are lots of foreigners here who can't or won't leave and get very upset when folks like me say what I'm saying. I really wish I could stay here. My uni job is great. My students are nice and I have a ton of free time. My apartment is spacious and it's free. I have 3 cats that stroll around the place and are quite happy. Heading back to the USA at 54 after being here a total of 11 years and with a young, relatively uneducated Chinese wife is going to be tough but I'll take my chances. I refuse to waste away and die from cancer like my dad did.

[rratliff]

I am looking at staying in China for 3 or more years. My children have Tricare, military insurance, that will work in bigger cities so I am not worried about that aspect. I plan on hiring a nanny for them until they are school age next December. I am used to challenges and nothing scares me. I have spoken to several people who did missionaries and they loved China and feel its safe enough for me and my children and they were nurses. I have been working with teaching nomad and they have been helping me and found several jobs for me and they know I am a single parent, not hiding that fact. I have told all the schools I have applied to and they were still interested. I guess either they are desperate for help or honesty is the best policy. Also my degree is not useless and I have job offers here in my field, but I would prefer working overseas as I have never pictured myself living in the states my whole life. I am 28 as well.

[rratliff]

Also about the health concerns, we live in one of the most polluted places in the south and the air quality here is horrible. So that aspect does not scare me. As you can see, I do not scare easily

[roadwalker]

Pollution is not something by which people are usually scared off. It's been getting a lot of media attention in China, especially recently, and some teachers and other foreigners are talking about leaving over it. But it's not like the whole population is doubled over in coughing jags. Some people probably are, but it's really one of those silent killers. And because it is a silent killer, it doesn't generally scare people to the extent it should.

Something that does scare me is the prospect of young children in Chinese traffic. It's not the same as in the States. And I'm not just talking about cars in the streets. Foot, bicycle, and scooter traffic all behave differently. It may seem at first that people are intentionally running into you. Sidewalks (pavements) are not for pedestrians only, if they are even passable. Crosswalks are meaningless usually. A pedestrian that is knocked down is quickly 'helped up' by the driver/rider without anyone determining their condition: "You're okay, right?" People in front of shops and in random locations do welding, run table saws, spray noxious substances on stuff, and do all kinds of hazardous activities where in the States they wouldn't be allowed or would be working in safety zones.

Financially, with a nanny and the extra airfare and expenses for two young children you may not lose money, assuming a rather spartan lifestyle, free education and no emergencies. On the other hand, with your qualifications, I don't see how you would be able to save any money at all. So if you don't have financial resources for a quick exit for all three, I'd really not recommend the trip.

[fat_chris]

[vikeologist]

Actually, my bad. The OP only asked one question. I didn't read it properly.

Which cities?

No harm checking out the pollution levels here http://aqicn.org/map/

but stating the obvious, (Tier 1)Beijing, Guangzhou and Shanghai would be the easiest places to sort out childcare and having a good support structure. unfortunately they're also the most expensive and difficult to find a job in for the Op's situation; my guess is impossibly so.

So, my recommendation would be tier 2 cities. They're not a lot cheaper than the big 3, but smaller cities are getting more expensive all the time and catching up. I'd go for tier 2 because these may be the places with the best welfare and support for foreigners that you'll be able to get a job in.

My suggestions, (based on the number of expat blogs and sites)
Chengdu Dalian Nanjing Qingdao Shenzhen Suzhou Tianjin

You might not be able to get a job in those cities, (we don't know enough of your details re. quals, experience etc) but I'd suggest starting there.

[MisterButtkins]

I echo everything Roadwalker says. You won't save any money here even if you live a Spartan lifestyle. And the pollution is a big deal. Your children will likely be sick three times more than usual from the air quality and may face long-term damage.

Also, I've had several female colleagues complain about finding romantic partners here. They basically said it is hard and the men are not very attractive. You said you were single and you're staying here for 3 years, so that might be relevant.

[MisterButtkins]

[Babala]

I just got out of hospital after 3 weeks for a lung infection/asthma. I'm still not completely better. The pollution here is not to be taken lightly. Decent medical care is not easy to find.

You mentioned about a hiring a nanny. An English speaking nanny is going to cost you more than the average university salary.

[fat_chris]

[22Yossarian]