Job Discussion Forums

[jpvanderwerf2001]

Hello all.
I have a wife and a (nearly) 3 year-old son. My wife is Russian, so I would assume she wouldn't/can't work.
How much do think one would need to make in Shanghai to live well?

Our lifestyle:
* Like restaurants and cafes, but rarely drink (much);
* Enjoy walking and being active;
* My wife would require availability to tennis;
* We would probably try a daycare or preschool for our son (not at all opposed to him learning Chinese);
* We don't really need to save much, although it'd be nice to have some coin at the end of the month.

I have found Academic Director positions in Shanghai offering between 18-20K RMB. Does this sound like enough to live on?
Also, I'm an IELTS examiner. Is it difficult to find IELTS work on weekends in Shanghai?

[Kurochan]

Hi --

If you get 18-20 K RMB per month, you should be doing very well. I did fine a couple years ago as a single person on 7,500 a month. I would also think your wife could find work if she wanted to -- quite a few universities offer Russian courses. The only thing I don't know about would be preschool fees, but a guy who made the same amount as I did and whose wife was a stay-at-home mom was sending his daughter to the preschool that was affiliated with our university.

The only thing that could make a big dent in your salary could be rent. I would say avoid looking in expat-oriented papers or web sites because the rents will be very high. See if you can start off at school housing until you can get a good idea of what you can get for your money. For example, used to have a two-bedroom apartment at almost the same rate that a co-worker of mine was paying for a studio nearby, and for half as much as a one-bedroom in the complex one block behind mine.

[China.Pete]

I'd say you could be no worse off financially than if you made a similar amount in some Western countries. However, much can depend upon factors such as accommodation and health care. The former might be included as part of a job in Shanghai, whereas the latter is unlikely to be, at least not for your entire family. Either can represent a significant cost, and for widely varying quality. Ditto with regard to educational expenses for a foreign passport holder. By way of illustration, an international school here can sometimes be even more costly than a branch of the same school in the West, with unaffiliated schools usually charging similar amounts.

So you see, TEFL employment can definitely be more challenging for someone with a family. At minimum, you should factor in the cost of international health insurance, and consider the option of homeschooling. Of the few FTs I have seen with families, the vast majority have included a Chinese spouse with attendant access to local knowledge, family support and inexpensive schooling. In the absence of such connections, I would not anticipate saving much money while living here. Also, for a variety of reasons, TEFL jobs are not known for their longevity, so you should be prepared for the possibility of having to change jobs within a year or two.