Job Discussion Forums

[ghost]

Has anyone taught in this city in Hunan Province? Zhuzhou (excuse the spelling if incorrect).

I think it is located in a rather industrial area of Hunan Province, and the city seems to have at least one million population, possibly more.

When I finish my contract in Korea, I am looking to China, even though the salaries are far less, I will be looking for a post with at least 3 months off per year, so that I can take care of family matters at home. One month a year will not cut it.

I speak reasonable Mandarin, learned in Taiwan during 2005-2006 school year, but can only read and write Pinyin, not Chinese characters.

Thanks for any info. you may have.

Ghost in Korea

[HunanForeignGuy]

Zhouzhou is not an unpleasant city by any means. It is located about 30 minutes from the capital Changsha and for all intents and purposes forms part of the extended greater Changsha metropolitan area.

It has one of the largest train stations in China because for whatever reason, when the rails were laid years ago, Zhouzhou was selected as a major transfer point. You can get directly to about anywhere in China from Zhouzhou.

It has a moderately-nice evening cafe life (I don't go to bars so that I can't speak to that) and the city overall has, at least for Hunan, an OK pleasant feel to it. It is verdant.

The heavy industrial belt is in Xiangtan, about 30 minutes from Zhouzhou, and that is a real bleak, dirty, dangerous slum of a city. That is not the case for Zhouzhou.

Changsha is within striking distance so what you can't find in ZhouZhou you can find in ChangSha.

I spent a good amount of week-ends in ZhouZhou and was offered several jobs there, at both nice senior middle schools and a university. I can tell you very, very honestly that I regretted not accepting these positions and working there.

The winters are short but very rainy and the summers are quite, quite long and very hot Indeed, the weather was clement almost until November 1st and then it ressembled Vancouver for three months and then summer suddenly arrived in April and last until almost November.

The salaries in Hunan tend to be lower than in the rest of the country BUT so is the cost of living. RMB 4,000 per month in ZhouZhou is equal to about RMB 8,000 or more in GuangZhou. Example = taxi ride in ZhouZhou, first kilometer equals RMB 2; in GZ, it's 7.

Next, Hunan people, while more countryfolk than other places, are warm, inviting people...that I will also tell you. I had more dinners out in Hunan compliments of colleagues and friends that I have ever had here in GZ.

Any more questions, please let me. All-in-all, it's not a bad choice.