Job Discussion Forums

[TeacherTammy]

Moving to China with my husband & daughter in a couple of months. The plan is to save up money so we can move back to Canada in a year or two. So...here's what I can't seem to figure out: I've heard great things about Zhuhai & Xiamen (beautiful, clean, relatively small) but the salaries are alot less than in the bigger cities (obviously) & I'm wondering if there's enough private work to top up your income so it's comparable to Guangzhou or Shenzhen. If I end up deciding just to follow the money I'm curious what the differences are between Guangzhou & Shenzhen. I've been told that Guangzhou is much busier & dirtier & hotter but has alot more culture & there's a load of private work. Shenzhen is a 'new' city that doesn't have alot of culture but it's got a smaller population and it's cleaner & it's got a bit of private work. That's about all the info I have. Would love to get some feedback from people that have lived & worked in any of these places. And if someone out there has lived in more than one & could compare them for me that would be awesome! Thanks for the feedback guys!

[MisterButtkins]

Ehh... Tammy if you don't mind me asking how are your qualifications? I just feel like moving here with the ostensible purpose of saving money then moving back in a year or two might not be wise, especially not with your family in tow. The reason I ask about your qualifications is that unless you are very, very well qualified you aren't going to be able to land a great job in any of those cities, and maybe not at all in Xiamen or Zhuhai because many people want to work in those areas. All four cities you mentioned are expensive. Forget about saving money, you're more likely to end up in debt if you are trying to support your family without an exceptionally good teaching job.

[thefuzz]

Yup, I agree, unless you have stellar qualifications you will not be making lots of money. Plus you have to support your family as well (doubt your husband will be able to find a job). By stellar qualifications I mean minimum BEd, teaching certificate (CELTA, TESOL or something like it...better if you hold a PGCE or equivalent teaching license from Canada), experience and the right connections / luck to get a high-paying job. And by high-paying I mean something in an international school...a real one, not a fake Chinese one. The British School of Guangzhou has an excellent teaching package, but over 500 people are shortlisted per year for 20 available teaching positions. See the trend here? And if you work in a normal Chinese school, you can earn maximum 15K in the big cities, but you will need to pay for all your bills.

And really, if you have all the right qualifications, why would you even consider China as a place to come and "save some cash" before going home...better would be to go to the Gulf (UAE, Oman, Qatar and so on) where everything is paid for you and you pocket your whole monthly salary (don't even need to pay taxes). Plus no visa issues when you bring in the family and perhaps a subsidy for your kids education.

People come to China for the experience, not to save money, unless you are willing to work 7 days, 8 hours a day for 2 years straight.

[TeacherTammy]

I suppose I forgot to mention certain parts of my situation. We currently live in Indonesia & have decided to move back to Canada when our daughter starts kindergarten. The salaries here (Bali) are very low & the cost of living is very high. It is impossible to save money here & there is no private work available to bump up your salary with. I have been living & working in South East Asia for the past 9 years. I am TESOL certified. I don't have a BA. I have previously worked in China twice before (both times in Shantou, Guangdong). I'm not looking to get rich (obviously) but working somewhere that includes housing, with a decent salary & the ability to fill up some of my time with private work is all that is necessary for us to get back to Canada in about 2 years. I understand that Guangzhou & Shenzhen are similar as far as salaries and stuff go but I was wondering more about the comparison in quality of life & daily stresses (pollution & traffic etc). Also from what I've heard Zhuhai & Xiamen are similar in salaries and stuff but again, wondering from anyone who's lived in these places which one they would consider 'a better place to live'. Also...if I take a position in Zhuhai or Xiamen which has a lower base salary...is there enough private work floating around to supplement my income & make it comparable to what I would make living in one of the big cities I mentioned. Thanks!

[thefuzz]

[Nexus11]

I am also interested in a good comparison between Guangzhou and Shenzhen.

Basically, the only thing I know is that they are both big cities, but Guangzhou is old with a lot of history and Shenzhen is a new artificial city. Some of the things that would be good to know would be:

1. What is public transportation like? How would you compare the subway networks of these cities?

2. I know they are both expensive. Is one more expensive than the other?

3. Does one have greater access to Western goods than the other?

4. Does one have more potential for earning extra money doing privates or part time work?

5. I stream a lot of video and also download a fair amount. I know I won't come close to the speeds I got in Korea, but is internet service faster in one or the other?

[caisara]

The other thing to keep in mind is that Chinese women will throw themselves at your husband. Very few Western marriages seem to survive it.

[xjgirl]

guangzhou over shenzhen anyday


MOD EDIT

u can save loads of money even in gz or shenzhen, just be careful of which job u accept, in that your choice will largely decide whether or not you have a happy year

[thefuzz]

[caisara]

[TeacherTammy]

I've been biting my tongue but...

For anybody that looked at my original post...I was asking for anybody with experience in the different cities listed to give me some pros and cons comparing the different places. If you somehow missed that & for some reason think the post was asking for your MOD EDIT

For everybody else thanks for the info.