Job Discussion Forums

[Gawain]

Read forum but got a million questions. Any inspire your response?

It is SAFEA LAW that all school contracts provide FREE HOUSING?

So Y7000/MONTH means FREE HOUSING PLUS Y7000?

WALKING DISTANCE TO SCHOOL? College housing ALWAYS ON CAMPUS?

Long bus rides in bad traffic was a deal breaker for me in Taipei. Most of my workday was spent UNPAID ON BUSES IN TERRIBLE TRAFFIC! NEVER AGAIN!!! From now on, I want FREE HOUSING ON CAMPUS, with no commute! Any horror stories?

FREE HOUSING often means teacher dorms, LOUD STEREOS, DRUNK YOUNG BACKPACKERS? Shared kitchen? Shared bathroom? SHARED BEDROOM? YUCK! Any horror stories?

Getting OWN APARTMENT is big mistake, because of traffic commute, and landlord contract not in sync with work contract, and landlord wants big security deposit. Always better to accept school housing, right?

But I WANT a good teacher dorm. I don't speak Chinese very well and Culture Shock can be severe. SHARING KITCHEN WITH FT's can ease culture shock and offer support network, right? Any GOOD stories about free housing?

Having EMPLOYER AS LANDLORD can be disaster, right? Should I expect problems with HOT WATER, HEAT, PLUMBING, BROKEN APPLIANCES, LOUD STEREOS, TERRIBLE HOUSEMATES? School is slow to fix housing problems? Any horror stories?

SQUAT TOILETS common in shared housing? In Taiwan I have used squat toilets, but most people have western toilets. Just curious.

SHOWERS AND STOVES HAVE UNSCENTED NATURAL GAS HEATERS, so you never know if you are being poisoned by a leaky gas line? American natural gas always scented with sulphur. Horror stories?

GOOD STEREO HEADPHONES easy to buy? I ALWAYS USE HEADPHONES. Even with guests, I use a SHARED HEADPHONE JACK so a few of us can wear headphones, blast METALLICA at ear-shattering decibels without upsetting our neighbors! I DEMAND quiet housing. In USA, RadioShack promotes boom stereos to trailer trash, so most everywhere you rent an apartment, your retarded neighbors will be blasting these despicabable boom stereos. These gits refuse to wear headphones. I actually had to call police and get several neighbors EVICTED because they REFUSED to lower their stereos. Harder to do if these gits are my fellow teachers! Any horror stories?

DO YOU GET ALONG WITH YOUR HOUSEMATES? Horror stories?

[kev7161]

Most of these questions you should ask your prospective school. There are about a thousand different possible answers here based on individual's past experiences. I've been lucky with two schools and two quite nice apartments. I insist on living alone, so no room mate horror stories here.

[tarzaninchina]

On-campus limits you to public schools, particularly post-secondary, although some secondary might be able to offer it.

There's a whole range here in the city I'm in. Some are spacious, most have old furniture, the worst have carpeting and no TV or fridge. If living in the northern half of the country, double-paned windows would be great, but are rare except in the more modern institutions. Some can intentionally limit water, like my school where it's shut of at 11pm and turned on before 5am everyday.

Water tanks for showers are eletric, so expect no other warm water in the apartment. Heating goes from Nov 1st to Mar 31st if north of the yellow river, otherwise get your own electric heater (the school might be heavenly and get you one that works).

Lots of techy tid-bits here including headphones. Silly question for the bulk of China IMO. (Sorry.)

Private accomodation pretty much needs to be asked for if they don't say it straight up. That isn't a problem for most publics in my experience.

The law says that if they hire you full-time (for however long a period), they need to provide you with accommodation. If it's for a short spell, it could be in a hotel.

The salary does not include deductions for anything. If there are deductions, they will (seriously) be more than happy to tell you.

Shared kitchens don't really happen in China from what I've heard for two reasons. Aparements are built with their own kitchen, so in that sense it must be shared. Also, it's law that if you've signed on for more than 6 months, then they need to supply you with a kitchen (with appliances).

Toilets are usually a none issue, but raising the point once won't hurt.

A computer with printer and hi-speed net access almost always needs to be asked for (again, if they don't say it upfront). Specify one that works and all that, many horror stories about that here on dave's.

[grwit]

On Campus housing should be provided free of charge. Along with all the necessary living conditions ie kitchen, western toilet, reverse cycle air con, Cable TV, Computer with internet access etc.

The school cannot make you stay on campus if you dont want to. Many contracts will offer free on campus accomodation or give an extra 2000RMB to your pay to cover expenses of off campus living. But this can cause more troubles than what its worth. As you mentioned spending half the day on a crowded bus.

Shared accomodation should require your permission first. If you dont want to share you shouldn't have to. My first dorm mate was lazy and left all the cleaning and garbage removal to me. After he left I have been much happier by myself.

As far as loud sterios go I am probably the worst offender in my block of dorms. hehehe. Its the horns coming from the road that cause more noise polution than my neighbours. (I have a plan to go out late one night and disconect all the horns in all the cars I can find! hehe)

Quality of teachers dorms... Mine is old and dirty but I have seen others that are brand new and very clean.

Yes you would be wise to expect problems with the plumbing and appliences in teachers dorms but if the contract states they will provide all the necessary living conditions then it is the schools duty to fix these problems quickly and free of charge or they are in breach of the contract. Yes expect to wait a while for these repairs to happen. Last year I spent 7 days with NO hot water before it was fixed. On the 4th day the repair man came and pulled my hot water system out and left it on the living room floor. So I had no shower at all for 3 days. (Had to use the other FTs shower)

Hot water... usually only in the shower and usually electric not gas! Stoves can be electric or gas but the school should pay for the gas bottles and the electricity bill so both are ok.

[Calories]

My gas is scented. That's not normal?

[Roger]

Never heard of FTs being housed in dorms; always in apartments or in share-apartments with separate bedrooms! Dorms is for construction workers and students - none living with their spouses.

Of course, housing is free (in most cases) i.e. atop your salary. Whether you will like it is another question.
Some universities and colleges offer pretty decent flats in relatively quiet residential zones; I have never seen skyscraper residential blocks on campuses so the population density is more humane than outside.

Living off campus - if you can cope with the emergencies that arise from time to time such as water supply cut, power outage (your flat is on the 24th floor and the summer temperature reaches close to 40 degrees...); you also must perhaps pay for utilities on your own - never be late or accept to have to pay 2% interest per day, if not 4%...

Living in a teeming Chinese tenement block is not everyone's cup of tea...your neighbours will keep their doors open (and the grapevine will always have a new juicy story on you) - but that's for aeration mainly.
It does allow the decibels to evacuate more effectively in your direction. And at night, prepare for the jolts when the iron gates slam shut followed by the sturdy wooden doors being closed noisily.

Maybe your apartment is over a KTV or a restaurant...good night! Have those ear Tampaxes ready! Listen in on your neighbour's quarrels for a change, then put the ear stopper in again. Cokcroaches...cockroaches at night...crawiling in through the windows and under the doors. Mice thrive among Chinese people too - because the latter throw food leftovers out the window.

And then the commutes! Yes, there should be a bus every ten minutes according to the bus schedule, but every time you need it it's 25 minutes late plus super-crammed. And it's such a joy riding in those cattle transporters...people talking at 100 decibels and a speed of 100 miles per hour into their cell phones.

Have I exaggerated? I don't think so - even though I don't live under such circumstances any more: I live off campus, and my home is in a low-rise in a quiet and clean place.

BUt most of us cannot choose to live in such a home.n

[grwit]

Sorry for the confusion I call my 2 bedroom apartment my dorm.

[jammish]

In my school's accommodation, there are 3 sections. There's the main teachers' house, which has 5 bedrooms downstairs. Each bedroom is a decent size and has an en suite bathroom, but the front room and kitchen are shared. Upstairs there's a more spacious apartment shared between two couples (still have to share the kitchen though which can cause problems!)

Then there are 4 mini-apartments, like studio flats, mostly inhabited by couples, next door to the main teachers' house.

[Gregor]

Personally,
If I was the potential employer in question, I'd want the OP to direct these questions to me; it would let me dodge the bullet I'd otherwise take by hiring him or her.
The impression I get is that of an unreasonable teacher looking for a nonexistent ideal living situation that no one could possibly accommodate except by happy accident.
Just curious, Gawain: Are you Canadian? Has nothing to do with anything. Just curious.

[kev7161]

I know I'm not unique in this situation, but I'm going to take a moment to brag about my living quarters (provided by the school):

I live in a large, gated community. I come and go as I please with no curfews. Granted, I rarely stay out late, but nice to know I CAN come in late at night if need be.

I live on the third floor, so I always get a little exercise every day, but don't worry about a massive coronary by climbing more flights to a higher floor.

My apartment seems a little run-down, but I'm used to it now. It has a huge U-shaped kitchen with refrigerator/freezer, gas stove-top, microwave and plenty of cupboards. A huge bathroom beside the kitchen with bathtub/shower as well as a washing machine.

Two bedrooms, each with a queen-sized bed. The other bedroom has become a catch-all for me, one that I clean up if I know I'm going to have a guest for a day or two. Both bedrooms have an A/C-Heater unit.

The living room is also another big room where I have my free phone (except for long distance) and free ADSL internet provided by the school. Also, I can burn up to 1000rmb a month in utilities without having to pay. To date, I've never paid one single yuan.

I'm within walking distance to my school or I can easily hop a bus or hail a taxi in bad weather. In "spitting" distance to my home are bakeries, small groceries, fresh produce stands, hair salons, drug stores, restaurants, a newstand that actually sells China Daily when I need a little readable English in my life, flower shops, office supplies shop, DVD shops, and more.

Sometimes it can get loud with the occasional slamming door or fireworks spectacle, but overall pretty calm.

All in all, a pretty swell set-up. Why am I telling you all this? I asked for an off-campus apartment before I signed my contract and my school easily accomodated me. China will never feel like "home" to me, but this is about as close as you can get. So, many of what the OP hopes for can be done . . . IF you find the right school at the right time.