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Hansen
Joined: 13 Oct 2008
Posts: 737
Location: central China
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 Posted: Wed Dec 02, 2009 9:49 am Post subject: |
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You are right, Zero. My intended meaning was not clear. In the context of this thread, what I meant was that many local people who travel, including colleagues of the FT, have access to funds which will far exceed the FTs base salary.
Many people who travel and live well in China are able to do so because of income beyond that of their monthly salary. |
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The Ever-changing Cleric
Joined: 19 Feb 2009
Posts: 1523
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| Posted: Thu Dec 03, 2009 11:40 pm Post subject: |
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| piglet wrote: |
| I am a bit lost with all this black/grey economy stuff. I reckon all FTs do a bit of the private stuff under the table,right? is that what you are referring to? |
that isn't what he's referring to and it doesnt really apply to us as foreigners. but its true that a lot of foreign teachers do outside work/part time work. its easy to find and it can pay well. a colleague of mine has a part time job that pays him about RMB200 per hour which adds nicely to his monthly salary.
| piglet wrote: |
| As far as funds go,we have savings on which to travel a bit, but certainly long uncomfortable train journeys are not what we are after.If the original location is interesting enough we should be able to travel in that province.That was why I suggested Kunming in the first place.But certainly Hainan and possibly Nanning sound attractive too.Any other constructive suggestions? |
i've done a lot of traveling in china over the past five years, so i can offer the following advice.
train travel in china can be uncomfortable (hard seat over a long journey during chinese new year, done it) or it can be very pleasant (hard or soft sleeper over any distance, also done that). and its fairly priced. however if the distances are longer it's often cheaper to fly. for example if my gf were to travel to her hometown by train it would cost her about RMB500 one way and take about 30 hours, but she can buy a plane ticket for about the same price and be there in about two hours. for much of the year (outside of the main holiday periods of course), domestic plane tickets in china are very reasonably priced, even on a FT salary. of course you wont be able to afford flying somewhere twice a month but you wont need to if your job is in a scenic part of china. in most parts of china, buses and trains go almost everywhere.
if you find work in kunming i wouldnt worry about having to travel too far in your time off. the province is a gold mine of tourist sites, mountains, hiking trails, ethnic minorities etc. and since kunming is pretty much in the centre of the province its not terribly far to go anywhere. not only that but yunnan also borders guangxi, guizhou and sichuan, which combined form the most scenic and popular with tourists part of china. and then there's laos and vietnam to the south. during some of the longer holidays you'd have the chance to visit some of these places.
if you failed to find work in kunming for whatever reason, then try nanning. my first job in china was at a college in nanning and the city is also in an excellent location for travel. first, its only about 12-14 hours from kunming by train. second, about six hours north of the city you can find the rice terraces in longsheng. you could visit the rice terraces on a three day weekend which you can easily arrange at many of these esl jobs. of course more time is better but we went up to the rice terraces on a friday, stayed two nights then came back sunday night. in fact, the terraces are very different in the four seasons and are worth more than one quick visit (been five times myself so far and always find something new).
a bit further out than the rice terraces is a very interesting dong minority region (sanjiang) and from there you can make your way to guizhou and further afield. you can also get to vietnam rather easily from nanning and on the border with vietnam is one of the most beautiful and least visited waterfalls i've ever seen (detian waterfall).
find yourself a decent job in kunming or nanning and you wont have to worry about running out of places to go and things to see. |
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Hansen
Joined: 13 Oct 2008
Posts: 737
Location: central China
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| Posted: Fri Dec 04, 2009 7:05 am Post subject: |
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Piglet, ECC has divulged something that might pique your entrepreneurial spirit. He has no idea how to get some black/gray income for himself. Of course, he will never really be rich or successful in China, according to the standards of some, without income of that sort.
Defining black income is not difficult. It comes primarily from the use of influence, used to secure for others, that which should be available to them without the use of special influence. It comes at a high price.
For instance, suppose that I have influence with regard to hiring a Chinese teacher for the English department of our [government]school. After interviewing the candidates, I let it be known, on the down low, that for the proper sized hong bao, they have my recommendation. For a larger packet, I can also influence or even buy the recomendation of another teacher or administrator.
The size of a packet like this can amount to many years salary. Thus, in a matter of a single afternoon, I can secure the equivalent of ~10 years salary for myself and my long legged, silky skinned, shiny haired "travelling companion" Hehehehe 
ECC is right, in that extremely few, if any, FTs would ever have influence in the hiring process because of what I just described. Selling a job is a great income opportunity for locals with influence. Those who do have the power rarely want to share it, especially with a foreigner. |
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The Ever-changing Cleric
Joined: 19 Feb 2009
Posts: 1523
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| Posted: Fri Dec 04, 2009 11:43 pm Post subject: |
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| Hansen wrote: |
| Piglet, ECC has divulged something that might pique your entrepreneurial spirit. He has no idea how to get some black/gray income for himself. Of course, he will never really be rich or successful in China, according to the standards of some, without income of that sort. |
your allegation that i know nothing about this so-called black grey income or that i'll never be successful in china without it is incorrect.
unlike many others here, i don't need it. i was successful before i arrived in china, which is one of the reasons i'm able to lead a very comfortable and carefree lifestyle. i could pull up stakes tomorrow and take a few years off before deciding to work again, if i chose to. i've posted before as to my previous career and my major source of income (not related to my current job). |
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Hansen
Joined: 13 Oct 2008
Posts: 737
Location: central China
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| Posted: Sat Dec 05, 2009 3:22 am Post subject: |
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Mr Cleric,
Being as successful as you are, does responding to questions not addressed to you increase your sense of self satisfaction and accomplishment, or were you able to attain your level of success with a dodgy personality? |
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The Ever-changing Cleric
Joined: 19 Feb 2009
Posts: 1523
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| Posted: Sat Dec 05, 2009 3:47 am Post subject: |
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| Hansen wrote: |
Mr Cleric,
Being as successful as you are, does responding to questions not addressed to you increase your sense of self satisfaction and accomplishment, or were you able to attain your level of success with a dodgy personality? |
i didnt respond to a question, but i did comment on one of your statements that was addressed to me, if that's what you mean.
now, can we keep this thread on topic (work, location, pay etc) before someone shuts the discussion down? |
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Hansen
Joined: 13 Oct 2008
Posts: 737
Location: central China
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| Posted: Sat Dec 05, 2009 4:29 am Post subject: |
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EC, Reviewing the topic, I see that Zero and I were discussing black/grey income. Piglet expressed confusion. Then YOU said "That isn't what he is talking about." Does "he" refer to Zero or to me?
Regardless, if you want to stay on topic in a discussion, why not behave in a courteous manner? Then others, such as myself, will not be tempted to drift off into other areas. Most of us are capable of explaining ourselves, regardless of how rich and successful you might be.
My apologies. |
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