Job Discussion Forums

[chuckMC]

Hey guys,

Are the upfront costs negotiable? The company is telling me that I can negotiate to a month to month deal where I would just pay rent + deposit, but would pay a small fee each month. For example, they said example that I can pay $250 rent+250 deposit in the beginning, but afterwards I will pay a 10% fee on my $250 rent each month.

Is this possible? Moreover, what are the different startup costs for someone looking to rent a room?

Also, NS, I am looking at your website thoroughly as well. Thanks for the link!

[LarssonCrew]

No, I don't think you can.

Here's your basic start ups, assuming you're very dry [i.e. just accepted an offer]

I'll do it in USD:

Cost of getting stamps on your degree = 200
Visa for china = 150 [Z visa]
Medical check = 500 / 600
Flight to China [better get a return] - 1200
First month living in Beijing [bare in mind this is higher than normal because you won't know cheap things and will want to do more, you cannot just sit in your room your first month in China surfing the internet] - 1000 [maybe more, I spent about 100 dollars a day for a few weeks buying things I needed.] - 1000
Essential things [bedding/cooking stuff, anything you want like a new phone, electric oven, etc.] - 200
Sim card and contract initial payment - 50[maybe more]
Initial gas and internet [maybe you have to pay a years internet at once, gas electric probably put 2 months worth on] - 200
Renting a room - 500 [get over the idea of $250, it's delusional], and you wouldn't want to live in a 1500 RMB a month place anyway] x 5 months [3 months + 1 months deposit + 1 months finders fee] - 2500

So the total is around 5000 USD, maybe more.

Please stop believing everything the recruiter or school says, they may pay 250 usd but a)they're Chinese b)they're happy to live in a cramped, cold building sometimes 4 to a room like they had at college. They also probably are happy to sit on the subway for 90 minutes and then take a bus 30 minutes to save 500 RMB a month.

Prepare 5000 PLUS contingency money, you may need to bail, may need to buy insurance [the school provided insurance is often really poor].

So I would say 30000 for everything, with lmost half going on initial rent, then a solid 1000+ on flights.

[creeper1]

It's not as bad as Larson is saying about accommodation. Chaoyang district is large and near sanlitun you will pay a lot. Other places such as wangjing are cheaper. And out along line 6 is cheaper still.

Talk to other teachers about their start up costs and whether or not they are living some horrible lifestyle in cramped quarters. Not Larson but teachers actually in Beijing.

[Big Worm]

No. You will be farmed out and most likely taken advantage of. what if they dont have enough contracts to give you 25 hours a week? Youre stuck in bj on 6k a month. Theres more security elsewhere.

[Non Sequitur]

Agree.
The Beijing focus may be for a very good reason.
OP doesn't state what that is precisely, but seems like a helluva risky start to a China career.
OP you still have all of June to look at other things i.e public sector gigs.
Not so rewarding on the face of it, but there are too many downsides to what you are considering.
Best

[JB140767]

[LarssonCrew]

For my first gig in China I would honestly just get a uni gig in Beijing even if it pays 6-7000 and free housing, or a primary school or middle school gig that INCLUDES ACCOM.

Good lord you don't want to shift a few thousand dollars in start up rent and then hate it, or find it's miles from your work.

Even a uni gig or school gig paying 12 plus housing means it's worth almost 3000 dollars [assuming accommodation for a single apartment would be about 6000 rmb] After you settled you can then use other sites [just google part time work in beijing] and find as many additional hours as you want for at least 200 an hour.

[Non Sequitur]

Larssoncrew.
Exactly.
Think (a) package (b) least downside.