Job Discussion Forums

[mobrien86]

I have been offered a job at an English school in Guiyang, and I think I am pretty close to being offered a job at a kindergarten in Lianyungang as well. I am looking for some help in deciding between them (or neither, I also have an application going in Korea).

1) Both have the free apartment, med coverage, work visa, some kind of money toward airfare. The Guiyang job pays 6800 rmb/month while the Lianyungang would be 5000.
2) I am interested in being near the beach which is why Lianyungang is appealing. But I am also very interested in the culture and natural beauty of southern China, and being a bit closer to SE Asia in Guiyang.
3) Both claim to have relatively "mild" climates. I'm more of a warm weather person.

Also an additional question, is it better to come on a tourist visa and have my school convert it to a work visa when I get there?

Any additional information about either city would be excellent. Thanks!

[suanlatudousi]

I can't comment on the cities. If you want to be near south China then why would you consider Korea? Please read the multiple threads regarding the idea of arriving with a visitor/tourist visa. Get your proper and legal credentials before arriving.

[mobrien86]

[Johnmc]

Hi,
I have worked in both Lianyungang and central Korea. Both have good and bad points of course.
I was in LG second half of 2006. It was windy sometimes and ice on water in winter. A weird area since it is a fairly recent city. Not too interesting, crowded or industrial, but a strange combination of resort island ( a bit surreal ), container port and Monkey Mountain with not very aggressive monkeys. It does cost about $10 to get into the main beach (thru turnstills!) . It is a fair bus ride to both mountain and island (joined to mainland by 7 kilometer causeway).
For more info, read my blog on recent trip from Korea.
www.mytb.org\epoch --Chapter 2 is a summary of my time in LG.
�PM� me for more info if you want.

[jamesmollo]

Hi there. lianyungang sucks, I lived there for a year and wouldn't recommend it to anyone. As for the visa...never come hear on a tourist visa, just asking for trouble.
Get an invitation letter from a legit company and get a z-visa, in country.
Then it will be changed to an r.p.f play it safe the first time.
good luck

[tashidelek]

Guiyang is definitely better than LYG. deeper culture + nicer people+better food + lower cost of living, what else will u think? anyway, i have not been to either of them, but i have taught students from both places

[eddy-cool]

I once was contemplating working in Guiyang; the offer made to me was pretty good but I eventually decided against it. The business making that offer has never been heard of since and I suppose they have gone out of business.

Guiyang is one of the poorest parts of China, and, incidentally, one of themore lawless provinces in this country (see the recent spate of sexploitation cases involving government officials and minors, a whole raft of incidents going back to 2007). So, in a way I would draw your attention to the less well-known and less well-publicised facts about Guiyang.

It is a mountainous province with a subtropical climate that's never too hot. The downside is that there is a haze or smog virtually every day of the year. It is one of the more scenic provinces, though, peopled by many different groups of non-Hans. But poverty is crushing and visible, at least outside of Guiyang (which has undergone major renovation over the past few years). Many villages have no electric power or running water. That contrasts with scenic spots where tourists pay huge admission prices (such as Huangguoshu waterfall near Anshun) or some 'native villages' near Kaili that charge you for entering.

[mobrien86]

Thanks for the replies so far, and by the way, I have now officially been offered the Lianyungang job. I tried to PM but apparently I am too new to the site to send them so if Jamesmollo or Johnmc could PM me instead, that would be great. I would like to know more why James did not like Lianyungang specifically.