Job Discussion Forums

[fitzgud]

sheeba wrote

After a shower, my wife makes me use a hand towel to dry on. At first I couldn't understand why; but when you come to WASH a bath towel by hand I can see the logic in her thinking. Also your skin dries quickly once the surface water has been wiped off, so using a small towel is a "cultural" thing.


I am sure your dear wife must indeed take great pride in her rough, red, and gnarled housework hands. Indeed after spending a cold winters day up to the elbows in a pale of cold water, trimming her nails on the rubbing board, perfuming her hands on that hard block of carbolic soap that you have told her to use sparingly, as it has to last the whole of this year. Her smile must be to behold as she welcomes you home, after your day of toil.

Buy the lady a washing machine you bounder.

Now if I could work out how to use this fangled quote function.

Please do not offer me sympathy, as I know I will find it in the dictionary betwixt s_hit and syphilis.

[wailing_imam]

Shanghai salary 16,000 a month. I save 10,000RMB each month, without blinking an eyelid. The key? Don't work for the locals!

[mondrian]

[no_exit]

The problem with saving is that, even though it can be done, when you take your savings and convert it back to your own currency, it often doesn't amount to much. 10,000 RMB sounds like a lot, but how far does it go when you take your savings back home and it's divided by 6, or 8, or even 10? Saving isn't impossible, but unless you're making enough to save, say, at least 5000RMB a month, then your savings will seem sort of worthless if you want to use them back home. Of course, if you want to stay in China, saving up 30,000-50,000 RMB could get you a deposit on your very own apartment, so it is all relative isn't it? But if you really want to save enough money for it to actually make a difference to you when you go back home, you're probably better off in Korea.

[Mosley]

Take it from a guy who's taught in Japan, S. Korea & China: if saving cash is numero uno in your mind, then Korea, for all its faults, wins hands down. A compromise might be Taiwan, where you can still experience "China"(ha, ha) and save decent enough dough(from what I've heard).

[cj750]

if t is possible to save 1k per mnth..then at 12k USD per year..you would be saving more than most do back on the block...

[nickpellatt]

It would be hard for me to save anything that would be worth taking home...my salary is much lower than those mentioned here....I think this is typical in Hainan, so it will depend on where you are I guess.

The flipside is cost of living is incredibly low, although I havent been to the mainland so i cant compare.

A big factor in my eyes, is in making life happy here....if you want to travel, and enjoy a few comforts from home often...saving is harder.

Many of the students here, budget for 10 rmb per day...so I could live like that and save the rest in theory....

[jammish]

The question comes down to how western you want to live. If you want to prop up your local expat bar each weekend, regularly eat out at western restaurants, buy imported western foods, attend decent english-language cinemas, go bowling, go to a decent swimming pool, then you could quite comfortably get through 10,000 per month without breaking sweat.

On the other hand, if you eat chinese etc, then you can save lots of money even on 5000 a month.

[jammish]

[mondrian]

[jammish]

[7969]

[eslstudies]

[jammish]

[jammish]