|
Job Discussion Forums
"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Students and Teachers from Around the World!"
|
| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
thebroformerlyknownaschou
Joined: 09 May 2014
Posts: 96
|
 Posted: Fri May 30, 2014 12:00 pm Post subject: |
 |
|
| bestteacher2012 wrote: |
| Where in China can you find a hotel for 60 - 70rmb? You certainly can't in any of the cities, maybe some backwater it's possible, but even then highly unlikely |
you're absolutely right. i was misteaken. i erroneously thought that my
actual experience finding decent yet affordable accommodations in stinky
backwaters like......haikou, sanya, nanning, guilin, kunming, guiyang,
yangshuo, and so on......might be indicational of the situation in other
chinese cities.
i was wrong. guess agoda and other websites showing small 2-3 star hotels
at 100/night a few blocks from tianyanmun (when i was planning a trip there
last summer) are wrong as well. probably just bait and switch. i admit defeat.
this summer i shall refuse to pay less than 150 per night, even if the hotel
owner tries to bargain the rate lower. stand firm, i will! |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
likwid_777
Joined: 04 Nov 2012
Posts: 411
Location: NA
|
| Posted: Fri May 30, 2014 12:12 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| thebroformerlyknownaschou wrote: |
| likwid_777 wrote: |
....if you can be a full on tight arse at home, then you can probably be one in China too.....
I personally find it a little offensive that people are going to a completely different culture just to clench their buttocks and save money.
I guess though, hats off the those who can get by and experience another culture without "splashing the RMB".... |
wow. i would think it offensive to earn more than most local folks in the
town where i live, blow all my cash on luxuries, and then complain that
i'm so underpaid.
almost as offensive as traveling to a distant land and experiencing the
culture by completely avoiding it, living in a sterile laowai bubble.
the main point of my post is to provide a real-life example as evidence
(without a screen shot though...) that it is indeed possible to save a
boatload of bucks working as a engrish teacher in china......even at one of
the standard university positions.......and that it's not necessary to take
(unlegal) side jobs.
jinkies, add 10 hours of privates (@ 100 rmb/hr), and i'd be hauling in
another US$5-6,000 annually, and still have 3 full months of vacation.
that's a total of 20 hours per week.......and i'd be able to bank around
US$50K in three years. how many part-time jobs in the western world
allow you the opportunity to save that much? so much for "lowest
paid backpackers in the world!"
the other point is that some folks simply are unable to handle their own
finances, and have no concept of budgeting. furthermoreover, they cannot
make the distinction between NEEDS and WANTS. |
Was not commenting on your post, only the OP. Didn't have time to read the others. Most of the prolific posters on here are all about penny pinching, I guess Dave's is a good free-ish past time. True though about the bubble haha. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
buffalobill12323
Joined: 18 Sep 2013
Posts: 115
Location: China
|
| Posted: Fri May 30, 2014 1:02 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| likwid_777 wrote: |
I personally find it a little offensive that people are going to a completely different culture just to clench their buttocks and save money.
) |
You do realize the 2nd half of that statement describes just about every emigrant worker ever, right? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
MisterButtkins
Joined: 03 Oct 2009
Posts: 1221
|
| Posted: Fri May 30, 2014 1:02 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| LarssonCrew wrote: |
I read that women's blog, and the problem I had with it is that she only factors in food and travelling.
For the travelling she factors in train fare[no thanks!] a 100 RMb a night hostel [I'm not on a gap year with sweaty 21 year olds, thanks], and moving around involving public transport. If I have travel plans when I arrive I'll take a taxi, not a dirty public bus with farmers galore, thanks.
The problem with her thinking is that she only factors eating, what about fun? Transport?
You can't take the bus everywhere, and she's living on 50 yuan a day or less, what happens when she's late for a private and needs a taxi, and suddenly that's 25 gone?
You CANNOT live day in day out on Chinese 7 yuan food. I can't even eat cheap cheap Chinese food, if I go for La mian, it's 18 for a main dish plus a side dish of 12 plus a drink, so about 32-33.
If I go to eat chao cai it'll be close to 100, so split with a friend and her 50 budget is blown.
Heck even a McDonalds budget meal is like 25, plus say nuggets, 35 just spent. So she's basically saving she's living exclusively on cheap food.
She goes for kao rou, well, there goes 100 rmb, which is more than two days of her budget.
Goes to the cinema and pays 60 for a 3D ticket? Entire budget done. |
Larson some of your prices seem a bit high. 100 for kao rou? It's only like 2 per stick. U get 50 sticks?
Even in Beijing u can do chao cai for two people for less than 60... one meat dish, one veggie dish, two bowls of rice.
Taking trains and public transport is normal when traveling, don't understand the gripe. I think taking a taxi everywhere is called a 'luxury'.
| Quote: |
| So she's basically saving she's living exclusively on cheap food. |
or cooking.
Sorry but you kind of seem to be one of these lao wais who think taking taxis everywhere and eating out every night is normal. It's not. I don't know anyone in the U.S. who eats at a restaurant every day, and I definitely don't know anyone without a car who takes taxis everywhere. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
LarssonCrew
Joined: 06 Jun 2009
Posts: 1308
|
| Posted: Fri May 30, 2014 1:15 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Fair does.
But a few points, let's take your analogy of people back home not doing the things I said.
When my parents go travelling do they take trains and buses?No, they take planes, taxis and nice hotels.
I go away to enjoy myself but when travelling I'm not the type to get up at 7am and get back at 10pm, and spend every waking minute seeing stuff. In China most places are awful, and I've wasted money spending 100 RMB to go into a 30 square meter temple before.
No way me and a mate can eat just 1 meat and 1 veg dish, I dislike rice so I don't 'bulk up' on it.
A meat dish here is about 25-28, plus a veg dish of 15, plus 2 drinks each of the local beverage probably 20+
And kao rou just seems to add up, chicken wings 12 RMB for 3, you get 6, that's 24, sausages same price, then the beef BBQ doesn't fill up. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Shroob
Joined: 02 Aug 2010
Posts: 1339
|
| Posted: Fri May 30, 2014 1:21 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| LarssonCrew wrote: |
Fair does.
But a few points, let's take your analogy of people back home not doing the things I said.
When my parents go travelling do they take trains and buses?No, they take planes, taxis and nice hotels.
I go away to enjoy myself but when travelling I'm not the type to get up at 7am and get back at 10pm, and spend every waking minute seeing stuff. In China most places are awful, and I've wasted money spending 100 RMB to go into a 30 square meter temple before.
No way me and a mate can eat just 1 meat and 1 veg dish, I dislike rice so I don't 'bulk up' on it.
A meat dish here is about 25-28, plus a veg dish of 15, plus 2 drinks each of the local beverage probably 20+
And kao rou just seems to add up, chicken wings 12 RMB for 3, you get 6, that's 24, sausages same price, then the beef BBQ doesn't fill up. |
The bit in bold I really agree with, it seems there's no 'tiers' for tourist attractions. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
MisterButtkins
Joined: 03 Oct 2009
Posts: 1221
|
| Posted: Fri May 30, 2014 1:24 pm Post subject: |
|
|
fair enough. my parents don't take buses when they travel either. But they aren't teachers.
chao cai, yeah I'd get more than that if it was a male friend and I, but with a Chinese chick, they don't eat much and will get nervous sometimes and eat very little, so that's enough. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
MisterButtkins
Joined: 03 Oct 2009
Posts: 1221
|
| Posted: Fri May 30, 2014 1:27 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Shroob wrote: |
The bit in bold I really agree with, it seems there's no 'tiers' for tourist attractions. |
What's weird is that you can get into the Forbidden City in the winter for like 40 yuan, or 100 during the summer. It's actually a good value if u think about it.
A lot of those little places charging 50 RMB mostly rip off tour groups. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
LarssonCrew
Joined: 06 Jun 2009
Posts: 1308
|
| Posted: Fri May 30, 2014 1:38 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Another thing about the tourist places, they don't even allow Chinese tour groups a chance to enjoy it.
Same when they go travelling to Europe, instead of visiting a single country they insist on going to FR/NL/IT/DE etc. and have 2-3 days in each, on time to enjoy.
Wake up at 6am, back to hotel [must be!] before dinner.
I remember in Chengdu my family and I visited a temple, with a huge garden, or maybe it was an enclosed park. Anyways, we spent 2-3 hours to go around, enjoying it. The tour guides with their baseball caps and loud speakers were rushed through in ten minutes. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
MsBlackcurrant
Joined: 22 Aug 2012
Posts: 77
|
| Posted: Sat May 31, 2014 2:42 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Thank you for all your replies so far.
I have taught ESL before, but I'm a bit rusty now. Perhaps I could start with a standard Chinese university position to get back into the swing of things, enjoy an academic environment, and become at least a little acquainted with the culture, and then spend return to China for two more years for a better-paid position at a private language school. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
teachingld2004
Joined: 17 Feb 2012
Posts: 389
|
| Posted: Sun Jun 01, 2014 12:01 am Post subject: saving money |
|
|
I work 12 hours a week in my university, and have 15 hours a week of privates. I go on two one month vacations a year. I usually cook, but once in awhile go out to eat. I save about $1,000 month. Perhaps I could save some moe, but I am not going to give up my vacations.
On another note, we have two job openings in my university for Septembr. PM me if you are interested. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
MsBlackcurrant
Joined: 22 Aug 2012
Posts: 77
|
| Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2014 8:39 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| A PM has been sent. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Old Surrender
Joined: 01 Jun 2009
Posts: 393
Location: The World's Largest Tobacco Factory
|
| Posted: Thu Jun 05, 2014 10:25 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Quite simply, it's easy to save a few hundred USD each month, and it's fairly easy to save 500 USD a month. After that, you may have to start some budgeting measures. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Larry Legend
Joined: 12 May 2014
Posts: 172
Location: China
|
| Posted: Thu Jun 05, 2014 12:54 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| likwid_777 wrote: |
I personally find it a little offensive that people are going to a completely different culture just to clench their buttocks and save money. |
Umm...why do you care? That is exactly what I'm doing, nor are you aware of anybody's situation. Just admit what you said was really juvenile, learn from it, and move on worrying about yourself. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
thatsforsure
Joined: 11 Sep 2012
Posts: 146
|
| Posted: Thu Jun 05, 2014 4:19 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| I don't mind people saving money, but I don't think they should go to other countries and clench their buttocks. That just doesn't seem right. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
|
This page is maintained by the one and only Dave Sperling.
Contact Dave's ESL Cafe
Copyright © 2018 Dave Sperling. All Rights Reserved.
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2002 phpBB Group
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
