Job Discussion Forums

[cease]

Hey everybody--I've been lurking around here for a while, but I wantedto get some input on my situation, hopefully from people who have "been there, done that".

Anyway, I am in my 2nd year teaching ESL in new jersey right now, but I have accepted a teaching job at a new international school in Dalian. The school is being built now and they are providing apartments and whatnot.
It is a two year position and I will arrive in late August.

I was hoping anyone who had been to (or is familiar with) Dalian could give me any clue of what Dalian is like in these areas:

1. How is the social scene? What kinds of things do people do for fun on weekends?
2. How do the people react to foriegners? (esp. young black ones from America)
3. Is there any kind of significant expatriate community?
4. What is the availability of english reading materials?
5. How is the dating scene for someone in my situation?
6. How difficult is it to travel to other places in China, and also to catch flights to other nearby countries?
7. Does anyone ever go to North Korea or is that a no no?
8. What is the 'vibe' of the city?

As expected, I am excited, with a touch of nervousness, so any info you could help me out with would be appreciated. Peace

[Voldermort]

First I should point out that anything more than a 1 year position in China is illegal. The Foreign Affaris Office will only support a 1 year contract, after this it should be extended. More than 1 a year contract is only for Chinese staff who would normally sign a 5 year contract.

As for Dalian, never been there, maybe some of the other expats here could answer your questions.

[Super Mario]

Voldermort, cease said he's at an international school. If its a foreign owned one, catering for non- locals, then different visa requirements will apply.
I signed a two year contract in Shanghai at a state school with no ensuing problems.

cease, as a black from any country, you're going to get stared at even more than us whiteys. If you let it get to you, you're done for. And you will experience discrimination, although this will help you get seats on public transport.
If you're at an international school teaching non-Chinese, you shouldn't have any work related issues though.

Here's a link to a review of Dalian, followed by a discussion. You may wish to join the forum involved.
http://chinateachers.proboards17.com/index.cgi?board=cities&action=display&thread=1117801782

[saint57]

[Voldermort]

Two Nay's and no Aye's, looks like I was wrong. I must say it's the first time I have ever heard of anything longer than a 1 year contract/visa in China. And I have come to know many Foreigners here, including those who are in careers other than teaching, and those who by rights should have a 5+ year visa. But it has always been the same story, they would only be given a 1 year visa regardless of their contract. This basically meant that if for some reason they could not obtain that second years visa, their contract was null and void. At whose expense? The foreigners, for not being able to remain and complete.

[M3tt]

[quote="cease"]
1. How is the social scene? What kinds of things do people do for fun on weekends?[/quote]
Dalian is not a "tourist" town. It's nice living here, but not that great to visit. If you're into sports you can find pickup games of soccer or basketball any day. Pretty good shopping if you know where to go, not a lot in the way of culture.


[quote="cease"]2. How do the people react to foriegners? (esp. young black ones from America)?[/quote]
5 years ago foreigners were stared at a lot, today much less due to more of us here, but it's still going to bother you. I don't get a second glance most of the time but still get the odd looks from non-locals (migrant workers) and oldsters.

[quote="cease"]3. Is there any kind of significant expatriate community??[/quote]
Growing every day.

[quote="cease"]4. What is the availability of english reading materials?[/quote]
Nil

[quote="cease"]5. How is the dating scene for someone in my situation?[/quote]
I would say so-so. But a foreigner, black or white, gets stares from everyone, nothing to do with race.

[quote="cease"]6. How difficult is it to travel to other places in China, and also to catch flights to other nearby countries??[/quote]
Pretty easy to Japan, Beijing, and most major cities in China. Air, train, and long distance bus are convenient.

[quote="cease"]7. Does anyone ever go to North Korea or is that a no no??[/quote]
Technicaly it's a no-no. But you can go to Dandong, a few hours north, and get pretty close (a few meters).

[quote="cease"]8. What is the 'vibe' of the city??[/quote]
Business, business, business.

[danielb]

I have a two year contract at a Normal University.

[Ferne]

Cease, concerning Dalian's 'vibe', I would describe it as follows: it has a small-town feeling to it and the population is mainly "rooted" there. As opposed to other places, especially Dongguan where I am now, people settle there for longer periods of time with their whole family so your circle of friends and other acquaintances will be relatively stable, and friendships will last beyond your stay.
I don't agree with Dalian being only about business, business, business. I am experiencing that sharp contrast here in Dongguan where it IS all about business. In Dalian, people do have pastimes and hobbies, and the focus is not only on work. Having friends and spending quality time with them is just as important. People are laid-back, and I personally enjoyed the 'slower' pace of life the city exhibited.
At first glance, Dalian seems a bit "sterile" to many, and a bit boring. But once you meet people and make friends, especially among the Chinese, you will be busy enough!
During the long harsh winter, there is really not that much to do except maybe dive into those Chinese learning books, and there will definitely be many evening DVD sessions in the somewhat cozy comfort of the home, as it gets coooold and once the stores close for the night, the city center is practially dead. But I have never seen so much sunshine in any other place so far, and even in the winter, most days the sky will be clear and blue. So that makes it bearable, and provides for some nice hours ice-skating at Children's Park.
Dalian comes to life in the summer and people finally are out of their houses until late at night, and you will have to share your favorite places with many many tourists (especially Russians).
Dalian sports many universities and colleges. My favorite area was always Heishijiao because that is where all my student friends mingled. You will find some really wonderful, bright and open-minded young minds among the students, and there will always be someone to show you around, have lunch or dinner, or shoot a few hoops (sports are pretty big in Dalian and the city is especially proud about their soccer team).
I don't know how much has happened in terms of nightlife since I left (about six months ago), but I rotated between two clubs and a newly opened underground place where Dalian's alternative scene met when I felt like a night out dancing, or hooked up with some English teachers who always have a lot of private parties going on. This is also where you can meet (and hook up with) foreigners, male and female, and the Chinese friends they bring along.
I experienced the Dalian people as very friendly although with some, where-ever you are, it takes them a while to open up to you. But once you keep going to the same stores and shops and restaurants, they will soon welcome you happily and you won't even have to place the order as they already know what you want
To many Chinese, Dalian is the ideal place to buy a home and raise their kids.
The city is comparatively clean, safe, and generally the standard of living is high. Having an ocean right at the doorstep and a scenic route around the coast, well, that only adds to its pleasant flavor, although I must admit the beaches aren't really what one would consider "beautiful".
Probably since I left, the traffic has become a bit crazier, but also more places have opened up, and new businesses and companies have set up shop. Dalian is becoming pretty big in the IT/Software field and then of course that first international school is opening up soon...which means more foreigners who will make Dalian their home. The expat community is not yet "organized" in a sense...that would have been something I would have loved to work on if only I was there But I know that the Germans, for example, are trying to get organized, and some of the hotels are working on setting up a network of people to meet regularly. I know of two strong church communities, too, where you can meet foreigners as well as Chinese, even if you are not very religious they are just happy to have you there.
I think you will have a great time in Dalian, it's very unique but a good place to start your China exerience, and as long as you have a good work experience and are happy in your job, the rest of the fun will come automatically. And if after a while you do get a bit bored of the same-old-same-old (there is really not much happening in Liaoning province and the provinces to its north), Beijing is not far, and Shanghai is also only a short flight away so provide for a great long weekend get-away.
Of course everyone has their own Dalian experience. So I look forward to hearing about yours! Good luck!

[Tahoe]

The discrimination in China is very real! Be aware that when you come to China, if you are a " black" , you will be stared at and it can really get to you.
One of my friends was asked if he could wash the black off him so he wouldn't scare the students! Other friends have got job offers, then when they send their photo to the school, get upset when the school then refuses them and tells them bluntly that they don't give a job to people of a different colour.
I have never been to Dalian, but people tell me it is a beautiful place. Just be prepared to be stared at A LOT!!!!

[pandasteak]

I'll try and post stuff that others haven't covered (don't wanna waste anyone's time).

Expat community:
http://www.dalianxpat.com/

some useful sites:

Canadian Ryan in Dalian: www.thehumanaught.com

Derek's www.maskofchina.com (great source for dalian info, though he's in hk now)

And there's my site (see below), though it's a pretty modest mish-mash of information as it stands now...


English books:
The best place I've found is the Foriegn Language Book store, just behind Youhao square, not far from Xinhua. I found a lot of decent novels there.

Travel
Typical vacations among my friends include places like Dandong, Harbin, Qingdao, and Inner Mongolia.

RE: North Korea. These guys do tours, but the price is steep: http://www.koryogroup.com/

Vibe:
Laaaaaiiiiiid back...

good luck!

[MrBeijingles]

As far as I know, Americans can't get a visa to go to North Korea

[tofuman]

OP,

I'm concerned that you have a two year contract with a school that is still being built. Is this a speculative venture run by a couple of Chinese English majors with lots of gangster types feeding at the trough?

How are they going to pay you until they start generating enough cash to meet payroll, assuming that they do? Just what is an "international" school? Is it an English school for expats from Korea, for instance?

An acquaintance of mine here got a job at a startup (not English language school) business but was expected to work for free until the school could afford to pay a salary. That might not have been until the boss was making 20K a month himself.

As for the racial issue, if you are at all sensitive about it, you could be in for a rough ride. I am routinely hooted and jeered at, treated downright disrespectfully by people on a fairly regular basis. I often think that my experience here as a WASP might be in someways similar to that of a black in some parts of the States, maybe in the sixties, although I certainly do not want to trivialize their experiences.

The other day I was sitting on a bench with an acquaintance doing some English tutoring. I had been doing taiji in the park. A guy I had not seen before sat down right next to me and proceeded to let his cigarette smoke drift into my face. When I waved him away, he attempted to grab my sword, which was across my lap. Being a bit quicker than he, he was now facing a laowai in whose hand was a sword more real than not. (It was not a typical practice sword) Perhaps seeing the steely blue eyes of a white devil staring at him, sword in hand, hastened his rejoining of a friend who wisely kept his distance.

People here "mess" with you

I have a different perspective on blacks, having worked with law enforcement and corrections. If you are a typical USA black, unless you are gay, I can't imagine how this is going to be a good experience for you.

You might want to contact travelzen, a black former teacher in China, for his perspective.

[jeffinflorida]

[Henry_Cowell]

"tofu-for-brains" is absolutely obsessed with gay men and their bedroom activities. You know what this means, don't you? I think the man doth protest too much.

[jester]

Still in the closet? We can help you man - we love you!