Job Discussion Forums

[Ramblin' Man]

I'm mulling over a job contract in Wenzhou currently, and so I have some questions about it.

From some quick research I've found out that it is a smaller city but also reasonably well to do. This leaves me unsure as to the cost of living in the city.

I am one of those westerners that likes to eat Chinese food and only occasionally eat western food, so I don't need/want to spend a ton of money on western food at Carfeur/Wal Mart.

It would be nice to be able to eat out frequently and go clubbing when the occasion calls for it. Stocking up on a ton of cheap DVD's and ,hopefully, video games would be great too. At the same time I do want to expierence the area I am in and the Chinese culture as well. On top of this I'd like to save at least a few thousand rmb each month as well.

So far I have spent time in both Wuhan and Guangzhou. In Wuhan I was able to live as written above while still saving every month. In Guangzhou I saved as much as I had in Wuhan but I had to budget like crazy to do it.

I'm pretty sure that Wenzhou won't be as expensive as Guangzhou but is it as cheap as Wuhan was for me. Probably somewhere in between. Anyone who knows, I hope you will chime in.

[GeminiTiger]

I've heard from Chinese in Wenzhou that it is an expensive town. From what I understand their is a lot of guys who think they can buy anything they want and do anything they want because of variation between (working) poor and rich in the city is huge. Foreigners have a bad rep generally and apparently there are a large population of Russians and Africans.

Knowing one recruiter, who coincidentally I just spoke to last night (She lives there in Wenzhou) it seems really hard to keep qualified foreigners around.

[YankeeDoodleDandy]

Don't know much about Wenzhou, but a new teacher in Xi'an I work with, worked there for 6 months and his school, as well as others were out in the boonies.Find out where you will be living in the city, in relation to the city center and where you will be teaching. If your out in the boonies, have them put it into your contract that the school van will take you into town twice a month as Kev said on another thread. Caveat Emptor

[Ramblin' Man]

Thanks for the replies.

YankeeDoodleDandy and GerminiTiger if either of you would be willing to pm me with contact info for those recruiters/fellow foreign teachers you know that have been to Wenzhou, that would be very helpful.

@Gemini: I don't think of myself as somebody who can buy anything he wants, but it would be nice if I didn't have to constantly be thinking about how much money I have, and how much I have to spend on groceries and what little bit left over I have to spend on fun/entertainment. I've been living that count the pennies lifestyle since I left Wuhan, about a year ago. Some respite would be nice.

[North China Laowei]

When I was in Guangzhou, I worked with an American guy who lived in Wuhan and Guangzhou and then returned to Wuhan. He made about the same about of money in Guangzhou as in Wuhan. In Wuhan he indeed was able to save money -- and he was a very social, very entertaining, very friendly kind of a person -- but I believe that in Guangzhou he found it much more expensive.

I am now in Greater Shanghai and I can tell you that while Shanghai is truly expensive, if one looks carefully one can live cheaper than in Guangzhou for a fact.

As to Wenzhou, I interviewed for a job there. What another poster writes is perfectly true. Go see the place PLEASE before you move there. Do not believe all the hype about "this-is-Zhejiang's-most-prosperous-city". Go have a look with your own eyes. I found the place rather musty and you should be warned that it is in typhoon (hurricane) alley. If a typhoon heads for China, chances are 7/10 that it will strike Wenzhou. If you like flooding, and cresting, and Katrina-style effects, then this is the place for you.

As another poster wrote, be very, very careful of the "you-will-work-in-Wenzhou" hype. The area is an urban agglomeration and there are remote villages 40 kilometers from the city center that are still part of it.

Additionally, the area is seriously feeling the effects of the current malaise and street safety is a bit of a concern. And those Russians, yes, they are all over and people will actually mistake you for one and their collective name is not the best as they tend to engage in other business besides teaching (none of which can be politely named here).

All-in-all, if Guangzhou is 10/10, and if Wuhan is 4/10, then Wenzhou is 1/20.

[Ramblin' Man]

Okay, It sounds like I should probably look for work elsewhere.

I was actually mostly looking for answers on the price of groceries, or weather or not dumpling huts and roadstands with cheap bread, noodles, meatsticks or shau mai existed.

The answers I got were probably much more useful though. To be honest the contract I was shown wasn't even that attractive.

I think I will look for work elsewhere.

Thanks everyone

[eddy-cool]

I don't know why anyone who can CHOOSE would opt for WENZHOU in Zhejiang. Nothing to write home about. Industrial, and low-tech at that, with hardly anything attractive about the town.

I would suppose the factories (are you smoker? Lighters!) are now laying off en masse!

[Moon Over Parma]

Please check this thread for my observations on Wenzhou. You could also search my posts and find more on my take in the city. I once warned a poster here named Sam Huston about Wenzhou and even put him into contact with other teachers there. Maybe Sam will post his thoughts.

Whatever the case, you will pay slightly higher than Shanghai prices for less than Shanghai quality, service, and selection.

I have posted on this in another thread:

http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=65233&highlight=wenzhou


and if you search my posts you can find other posts that chronicle why Wenzhou is a city best left off your itinerary unless they are paying you rather handsomely and you can put up with a whole lot of nothing to do, since there won't be much for you to do. Lots of non-native speakers "teaching English" there on dodgy visas. Many spend their time at La Luna smoking dope to cope. I'm not exaggerating, either.


I'd like to add that you will pay Guangzhou prices in Wenzhou.

[Ramblin' Man]