Job Discussion Forums

[Mister Al]

Both not bad but the Shanghai job is better if there are minimal or no office hours. That's the main thing for me. Rent allowance in Shanghai is a little bit light but good for sharing in cool areas.
http://enjoyshanghai.com/property/

If the wages are net you can save a good wack if you want.

[fortunatekooky]

Hi, not wanting to spread bad info here. I'm glad an expert in Shenzhen could chime in. I never said that the 20k job was easy to get, or advertised all over this site.

As I said before, I think quality of life is more important anyway.

In saying you are an A-level subject teacher, I assume you mean you have a real teaching credential, not some tefl cert.

Salary is negotiable anyways. Schools might pay more for a REAL, QUALIFIED teacher but they just want you to put your head down and take what they offer.

Tell the next prospective what you expect for salary. The worst they can do is say no. You have already received offers that are better than what many teflers here are making. You must have something positive going for you. I still think that the Middle East might pay you more, but China might be more fun anyways. Good luck to you.

[Vietnamarama]

Thanks all for the replies and advice.

I have decided to take the offer in Shanghai because the salary is net and holidays (13 weeks per year!) are paid. The school in Hangzhou only pays for 3 weeks winter holiday.

I think given the significantly higher salary, Shanghai will allow me to save a lot more money.

[Halapo]

I see you already picked Shanghai, but for others looking at this one...

I would recommend Hangzhou. I live in Shanghai now myself, and have never lived for more then a week or 2 in Hangzhou. However the expats in Hangzhou are a tighter group, with only a few known local hangouts ( thus easier to find, see often and get to know), and not just other teachers and rowdy exchange students. Here in Shanghai you can find whole communities of expats, yet we are somehow more isolated from each other at first, we need some common interest to meet and share. Whereas in Hangzhou, just being "not-Chinese" is enough to get a nod/smile/hello. I guess I still have some small-town expectations at times.

As well, the city is not as oppressive as many modern cities are today. Personally I think it is because most of the buildings are so tall, and block out the sky. In Hangzhou you can always see the sky, to enjoy a sunny day. Also, space. In any Chinese city, you can never find a lot of free space, but there are some very impressive public LARGE parks in Hangzhou. Plenty of green space in Shanghai as well, but it more like scattered enclaves. In the lager spaces it easy to ignore the population, in the enclaves its all the more obvious.