Job Discussion Forums

[heinz77]

I can't seem to find the thread that dealt with this subject. I recall reading about it some months ago. Anyway, Ill be teaching in Suzhou this fall. Im curious about people's experience with on campus housing. Do you have to sign in and out? Are there restrictions on having 'friends' in your place?
Thank you.

[mayteach]

I teach at a university in North Jiangsu province with on-campus housing. It's nice enough, two rooms plus a bathroom. The kitchen is communal but I have a fridge in my room and its easy enough to get a hotplate to help witih cooking in the room.

No restrictions on having a "friend" over; no need to sign in or out. All in all its a pretty relaxed environment and the staff are fairly quick to fix things that go wrong based on Chinese standards of "quick".

[Ariadne]

University housing comes in all shapes and sizes so be sure to ask about it before you sign. The accommodations should also be described in your contract. I have 2 bedrooms, bathroom, kitchen, and a balcony with a washing machine. Very comfortable. At some schools the FTs are housed in dormitory rooms with no kitchens.

I've never been at a school where I had to sign in or out, but where I am now my guests need to sign in... if there's anyone in the office. No one ever signs out. Some schools are funny about guests, at least on paper. One of my friends works for a university nearby that has included in the contract, "No Chinese citizens may spend the night in the foreign teachers' apartments." I don't know if they enforce it or not, but it's there.

At my last school the most convenient gate was locked at 11pm so I did climb the fence several times instead of going in through the main gate.

Some schools pay part or all of the utilities, including internet, some don't. My school supplies a TV, microwave, washer, rice cooker, fridge, wok, and A/C units in all main rooms. The windows are screened.

I like the convenience of living on campus but I would never agree to live in a dorm room or share accommodation with anyone.

.

[siberiantiger]

I teach at a university in the Northeast and live in on-campus housing. I have one bedroom, one bathroom, kitchen, and a large living room. Some windows have screens, others don't. The utilities and local phone are free and internet is free as well, though use is limited to 20GB/month. The school supplies a TV, microwave, fridge, hotplate, some cookware, and utensils. There are free lunches during the week.

Our bed sheets are changed bimonthly and they will also empty trash cans and sweep/mob floors, if needed. The school doesn't supply a washing machine but we can pay 100 yuan/month for weekly laundry service.

There are no restrictions on having guests over and there's no need to sign in or out. The gates are locked around 11 pm every night.

It's a pretty relaxed environment here, too, and the apartments are very comfortable.

[Happy Everyday]

*note: the law only allows Faculty and Staff to be with their spouse (i.e. legally married husband or wife) within campus housing.

I've visited many a campus apartment throughout China and in my home country. I do not regard a hot plate and microwave as being a stove. I like to cook.

On campus housing varies. The law of China forbids your having the opposite sex in your room UNLESS it is your husband or wife. This law is loosely enforced, deping on school, location, and who you are. I've seen extra gates added and closed circuit cameras to "protect you." I've seen ID required and a guard posted for signing in for guests at some unis. Some places will unofficially allow overnight guests. No place will officially allow students, but some places turn a blind eye. I've never dated a student. But I've tried dating when living on campus, and it was a nightmare. I've seen places where they threaten to call the police if you bring in a guest-- any guest from outside the school who is of the oppposite sex.

The inability to cook normally (no gas allowed), making guests a crime, and locked gates at night are all reasons to avoid on campus housing. Some Chinese teachers really want to save money and move into a campus home. Others enjoy having a place to catnap on campus but most who can live off campus will live off campus. Last spring, several schools changed their policy. The rents on campus have become as expensive as off campus.

Schools have an official policy against students being married, having children, dating on campus, public displays of affection on campus, and having off campus housing. Policy enforcement also varies per school. Many students who can afford to live off campus will do so in order to have a private social life (i.e. a normal, healthy life).

Enforcement is very selective. You might have a normal social life if you live on campus. Technically, they exert a lot of control and keep track of any of your friends who visit. You run a very high risk of granting them authority over your personal life. I would strongly suggest you geta housing stipend and live off campus.

For example, in 2005, a so so salary for a particular school in Shanghai (not bad not great) would be 10,000rmb a month for 16 classes a week. If you lived on campus, the salary was 7,000. Living on campus would be convenient. You're better off spending the 3k on an apartment outside of school if you like to go out at night and socialize. I love to dance, love art, and love the nightlife. I'm in rehearsals for a run of shows. My former instructors also perform as well as teach. Living on campus usually sucks for me unless there is a very significant foreign student and foreign teacher population on campus. I've had my Chinese immersion experience for several years. China has all the modern facilities of the rest of the developed world. Choose the lifestyle that's best for you.

Many schools (but not all) want you on campus so the talking monkey will be on campus 24/7. They do not consider the needs of a person beyond discussing it in the context of closed door meetings (no FT present) and budget paperwork. They do not consider that you need to eat your home food (kitchen) even though Chinese abroad all cook at home. Their goal is to increase language access to students, not your social life. Your new social life is talking with students. TALKING, not procreating. They can destroy any ability to satisfy biological urges if you live on campus. It's easy to monitor you and scare away lovers who go near you... if they want to. You're not human with human needs. You're a rented animal to some schools. Like an exotic kitten to be maintained, played with, and caged. Not everyone has this outlook, usially not the Chinese scholars and leaders who studied and lived abroad. They usally know from personal experience the standards of work and standards of living.

Some schools, as posters have mentioned, are ok places to live. Avoid it at all costs, I say. Don't even let it be put into your employment history that you have ever lived on campus. Get private housing off campus, get a housing stipend from the school. Maintain a positive and professional relationship with your employers, and keep your personal life personal.

School administrators, students, and teachers have discussed the personal lives of FT who live on campus. Very personal details that are seldom discussed about FT off campus and CT. Your better off letting your neighbors keep a watchful eye of you, laowei, in a neighborhood away from your job. The same situation applies to your professional and private life in your home country as it does in China. It is your right to choose housing and have a private life.

[Happy Everyday]

Finally, your outside social life should come from outside the school. It should be kept outside the school. Keep your worklife seperate and professional.

Do you know where your boss lives? How she or he likes to get her or his freak on? The answer is probably no. They live somewhere off campus and keep their private life private. They cook at home with a gas stove, and they bonk whoever it is they chose to in their personal life. They keep it private. You are strongly advised to do the same. Otherwise, you risk losing these things. A school can easily forbid these things on campus. Do NOT give them the power to do so. Simply live off campus.

*note: the law only allows Faculty and Staff to be with their spouse (i.e. legally married husband or wife) within campus housing.

[steve b]

The shutter to my block gets locked around 2200. The first time it happened (I never knew about it) I went nuts and was going to make strong representations the following day - what if I was inside and fire broke out etc,

I found out though that one of the keys in my drawer was for the shutter so it didn't matter what time I came home!!! Doh!!

[Non Sequitur]

Not sure that a school that provides half decent on campus FT accommodation, is going to find a subsidy for the free spirit who finds that oppressive and wants to live off campus.
The standard uni/college in the state sector should provide free apartment-type accom. That is:
Single occupancy
Basic furniture ie desk, couch, table
Blankets/quilt but maybe not linen
Washing M/c
Shower
Frig/freezer
Cooktop
TV
Utilities and internet access with maybe a cap on electricity usage.
As to visitors, it can usually be arranged provided it isn't student of opposite gender.
And if it is a student there are plenty of 7 Days Inns or similar budget accom around.

[Happy Everyday]

It is a crime in PRC to share a place. It's also unprofessional to get involved with one of your students during the time he or she is in your class. I've been hot for one of my instructors before, but I've never ever crossed that line.

Graduate Students, PhD Candidates, Post-Docs, Faculty, Staff, and some undergrads have lovers. Grads and PhD students will usually live with their lover. But it has to be off campus and unofficial. Technically, they could get kicked out of school for it. I've never heard of it happening. In Beijing, students openly live together off campus. In Nanjing, it is more of a guarded secret.

Your being a foreigner means that you'll be watched and considered a potential "threat." If you were to meet someone outside of your work, and he or she turned out to be a student? You can get into serious trouble if you live on campus. It doesn't matter if the adult is not one of your students. I personally do not seek out students. But as adults, there is a huge double standard against foreigners.

Don't do anything to rock the boat at your workplace. Yet it is strongly advised that you do not live on campus. Most students want to GET OFF CAMPUS for that very reason. Those who can afford it, do. Paying a roadside motel for a quickie seems kinda gross. I've lived in China without being a teacher, without living on campus. You have the freedom to socialize as you please. Students, young people, and workers will share apartments with their freinds. They'll have small parties, hang out, and be as social as normal people do. If you want to kick it in your home and be yourself, then on campus is not the place to do it. I've seen a few international dorms that are as restricted as Chinese dorms and some that are more relaxed. The same can be said for FT dorms.

I'm not a party animal by any stretch. Yet even I recall as an undergrad in college that living in on-campus housing was for the birds. Some of the faculty housing for unis is OK. The most seasoned professors who visit China will find off campus housing, and a good uni will help out if need be. Not every FT job in China is a monkey job.

[chinanoodles]

[Happy Everyday]

I will clarify. The topic is about campus housing. PRC law only allows Faculty and Staff to be with their spouse (i.e. legally married husband or wife) within campus housing. In other words, you may not legally have an all night guest of the opposite sex in your campus room. It is a crime to have sex in the room unless it is with your spouse. The law is loosely enforced or strictly enforced, depending on the school. In the end, it's the law. It's also a crime in China for unwed couples to have sex in hotel rooms. Ergo, the only legal place to have sex would be in an off-campus residence. I am not condoning pre-marital sex, and I would strongly caution about STDs (e.g. HIV). Most adults have the biological urge for sex, so it is a reality in society. You do not need permission to have sex or an overnight guest in your off campus home. Longterm cohabitation may be a different matter. It is a crime in PRC to have sex with prostitutes (includes your home). I strongly caution any FT to avoid prostitutes for many obvious reasons. Moreover, if down the road the police take in the prostitute, she or he can inform the police about the illegal sex for money that took place in your home, and the police can send you to jail. Many foreigners would like to know the rules before making a decision to live on campus or off campus. There is a much older discsussion on Dave's about the same topic. Please refer to it for more information.


Your sytnax reads similar to another poster on the forum.

[chinanoodles]

[steve b]

My conditions of service state quite clearly that I am at liberty to have friends stay overnight in my teachers on-campus apartment. As an official document that in the case of dispute would be produced in a Chinese court, are you saying that a large university is completely wrong?

As for living on campus, as a teacher I am quite happy to do so for various reasons.
1. It is FOC 2. My commute time is 5 mins 3. My students can approach me for help out of work time 4. I only need to go to town 18km away once a week (and only then because I need pet food) as there are cafes, shops and bars on campus.

Seeing as you are quoting PRC law Happy Everday and holding it forth as gospel, perhaps you would be so kind as to provide links to official Chinese government sites which support your posts?

[The Great Wall of Whiner]

[Happy Everyday]