Job Discussion Forums

[Linz]

Hello. My girlfriend and I are moving to Dongguan in the Guangdong province in china. We are teaching Kindergarten. Can anyone tell me some stuff about Dongguan. It is very hard to find stuff about it on the internet. There is not much out there about it. We would like to hear some of the good things about it too. Although I know there must be some bad things about it. What are the people like? Is there a lot of other english speakers there? What is the nightlife like? EVERYTHING!

Also what should we bring? any help would be greatly apperciated
THANKS A TON!!!

Brando

Also if anyone has any pictures of dongguan I would really love to see them .

[Roger]

Dongguan is halfway between Shenzhen (next to Hong Kong) and Guangzhou, an hour plus from each on the motorway. It's a fairly sprawling urban jungle with no defined heart. Ten years back, it was virtually unknown; now it has a sizeable migant population. Many employers are from Taiwan.
It has to be pointed out that hardly any school hires you legally. There is a lot of underhandedness involved in business.
But the standard of living is astonishingly high, the city is more attractive than Shenzhen, more westernised, cleaner, and it has attracted a number of Western businessmen and expat teachers.
Now how you are going to perceive Dongguan depends, of course, on you and on where exactly you are going to live. Some areas are less developed, and life there can look pretty pedestrian. I happen to be friends with a bunch of Aussies and Portuguese and Brazilians in one of Dongtguan's most cosmopolitan districts. They are a happy crowd - the Brazilians making shoes and music, and the Aussies teaching and making money!
PM me if you want to know more details, but I would appreciate if you added which place you are headed for.
If it's Camford/Oxford School in Houjie, don't expect a rave review from me!

[Linz]

Hey Roger!
Thanx for responding. This is Lindsay, my boyfriend borrowed my login :p Anyway, you've comforted me a bit with your brief description of Donguang. The school we are teaching at is called Wah Yan Kindergarten. We aren't really sure what to expect as this is our first time teaching overseas, but we are really excited to get over there and see what china has to offer. Did you have a good time while teaching over there (or are you still there?). By the sounds of it, you didn't like your school, but otherwise, how was your experience? Did you find it easy to communicate over there? Did many people speak english?
Thanx so much for your imput!

Linz

[Roger]

Hi, Lindsay,

Wah Ya, whatever, sounds Cantonese, not Mandarin. Probably a private kindergarten. If it's Cantonese, it might be operated by a Hong Kong business.
Can you get more details - district such as Dongcheng, Houjie, Nancheng? Working conditions? Do they house you, offer visa sponsorship?

I only put in a part-time stint on request from a freind based there. It was easy enough for me even the commuting to and from another Guangdong place. What I disliked - and generally dislike - is the tendency these days of being hired by business types who farm you out to real schools. I didn't have the problems other such business types usually give you: my weekly timetable was pretty stable.
As for kindergartens, I worked in a public kindergarten for two solid years, and my first year there was my best ever in China, though the second year was considerably worse.
What often goes wrong is that you are told by parents and by incompetent teachers how you should teach. Sorry, but that's not my cup of tea! It's very common, especially at private kindergartens, to hear from parents "my son/daughter hasn't learnt the five new words a week I expect him/her to learn..."

Anyway, this has nothing to do with Dongguan as a place. I just mentioned it because most employers there ae private employers, and so far as I know none can offer you legal employment.
Since you asked about the nightlife, it's somewhat important to know which district you are headed for. You won't be bar-hopping by bus! the most dependable means of transport is the taxi, and you often have to haggle over the right price before you actually start your journey.

[Linz]

Hey roger!
Thanx for the heads up in regards to teaching over there. All of the information you have given us has been very helpful. It's good to hear that the teaching aspect was good for you, however I could see how the parents could get on your nerves As far as our jobs go, they have offered us a number of benefits including housing and medical insurance and I am confident that we will have a decent time being employed by this kindergarten. I am not too sure of the actual district that the school is in but I will look into it.

I am sorry to ask you so many questions but it just seems as though no one else has been to the area in which we are travelling to. I have just one more question for you and I promise that will be it.....I'm not really sure what I should pack. I've heard that in some places in china, it's hard to find things like deoderant or basic medications like tylenol, etc. Are there any other things we should consider bringing? And do you know if prescriptions are needed for things like vitamins, pepto bismol, etc.????

Thanx again roger....you have helped us so much

Linz

[Roger]

Belated reply: I can't answer your question satisfactorily. Personally, I would never buy prescription drugs in mainland China, with a few exceptions. Don't ask me to be specific - it's a matter of emergency situation or not.
But Dongguan is sufficiently close to Hong Kong, where you can buy just about any drug from the West.
Are you going to get a multiple entry work visa?
That would, of course, be the conditio sine qua non!

[woza17]

Hi Linz,
I am one of the Aussies working in Dongguan that Roger mentioned. Excellent chap and a mine of information. If you could tell us where you will be working we could give you more information especially the district.
Are you being hired by the kindergarten directly and what are your pay and conditions?
I live in East town, Dongcheng Zhung Xin which is a very wealthy clean and attractive area with 2 great parks in walking distance. There are 3 major western supermarkets and it's much cheaper here than say Shenzhen. You could do a lot worse. The locals are great, the phone has been constantly ringing, people asking me to go out or visit me so I won't be lonely over spring festival.
Cheers Carol

[Kurochan]

Just to add a few tidbits --
From what I understand, it's like Dongguan is a region, rather than a town. It's really spread out and big, with different sections that have really different characters. Myself, I've only been in the Hojie area, because I dated a guy who lived there.

As far as stuff to bring, you should bring a lot of Peptol Bismol, which you'll need at first when you'll probably be taken to a lot of banquets. It will probably be very hard to buy dental floss, deoderant, or tampons, so bring a bunch of those. If you've got big *beep*, bring a bunch of bras because most people here are A cups, so you'll have trouble in stores. It's tough to buy big shoes too, but I heard you can have them made for like 40 RMB.

One bad thing I've heard about Dongguan is that there is a lot of pickpocketing, so it's good to have a money belt or some other inconspicuous, safe way if you need to carry a lot of cash.

[Linz]

Thanx so much for all your advice! I just emailed the contact that I've been dealing with to find out what district I'll be in. It sounds like a pretty nice place to live....maybe we'll all meet up one day!!

Linz