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davoosh
Joined: 03 Mar 2013
Posts: 38
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 Posted: Sat May 16, 2015 9:40 am Post subject: 14,000RMB in Beijing, no accommodation provided? |
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Hello,
I have recently been contacting a public school in the Chaoyang district of Beijing which offers "up to" 14,000RMB (so I'm guessing they're more likely to offer me 12k). There are 18 teaching hours a week and paid summer and winter holidays.
The only problem is, accommodation is not provided. Is it possible to live 'decently' (I realise this is subjective) in Beijing on this while also paying for rent? I'm not much of a drinker or partier, so main spending would be food and travel. I hear conflicting opinions about how expensive Beijing really is?
Thanks for any advice.
(Edit: This post may be better suited to the off-topic section.) |
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djwheat
Joined: 25 Mar 2015
Posts: 15
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| Posted: Sat May 16, 2015 12:57 pm Post subject: |
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I can't really answer that because I haven't lived in BJ..
But why would you even want to!?!?!?!?!
At the very least, you're going to need lots of money to start up. Paying a few months rent in advance in BJ, that's not going to be cheap.
So many jobs in China, so many agents and employers, why would you even entertain this low ball offer..? |
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water rat
Joined: 30 Aug 2014
Posts: 1098
Location: North Antarctica
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| Posted: Sat May 16, 2015 1:30 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| I hear conflicting opinions about how expensive Beijing really is? |
Do you? I hear unanimously that it really is expensive. |
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davoosh
Joined: 03 Mar 2013
Posts: 38
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| Posted: Sat May 16, 2015 1:58 pm Post subject: |
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| Hmm yeah. I mean, I've heard people say it can be 'reasonable' depending on your lifestyle and spending habits, but looks like I'll be giving this one a miss. Thanks. |
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creeper1
Joined: 24 Aug 2010
Posts: 481
Location: New Taipei City, Taiwan
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| Posted: Sun May 17, 2015 7:38 am Post subject: |
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Well, actually, if vacations are fully paid for then that is not such a bad offer.
Why Beijing? For me, I have visited some 2nd and 3rd tier cities and wha! Boring!
At least you can do some things here. |
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hdeth
Joined: 20 Jan 2015
Posts: 583
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| Posted: Mon May 18, 2015 5:53 am Post subject: |
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Beijing is huge....you can be in Beijing and still be out in the boonies (I am). And Beijing is kind of a boring city.
For just basic needs the main difference is expensive housing and a lack of street food. Expect to pay around 4k for housing. By the time you pay for housing and taxes that 14k is more like 9k. That's very low for a high school imho. It's do-able but there should be better. Paying the deposit up-front is also a big deal to most people (shocking how many people come here with a couple hundred bucks).
Not that many people want tgo work in Beijing or teach high school, so the salary should be highly negotiable. If you have experience I'd do an interview and ask for 18+k or 15+ with housing. If they take it fine, if they don't then no loss.
There's entertainment here but it's fairly expensive. |
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Markness
Joined: 30 Dec 2009
Posts: 738
Location: Chengdu
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| Posted: Mon May 18, 2015 6:02 am Post subject: |
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| hdeth wrote: |
Beijing is huge....you can be in Beijing and still be out in the boonies (I am). And Beijing is kind of a boring city.
For just basic needs the main difference is expensive housing and a lack of street food. Expect to pay around 4k for housing. By the time you pay for housing and taxes that 14k is more like 9k. That's very low for a high school imho. It's do-able but there should be better. Paying the deposit up-front is also a big deal to most people (shocking how many people come here with a couple hundred bucks).
Not that many people want tgo work in Beijing or teach high school, so the salary should be highly negotiable. If you have experience I'd do an interview and ask for 18+k or 15+ with housing. If they take it fine, if they don't then no loss.
There's entertainment here but it's fairly expensive. |
Oh god, imagine paying 4k for 6 months up front, plus using a real estate agent/key deposit. That's 4k x 8 = 32k just for the first lump of rent. I've also seen people here in Chengdu who couldn't do that so they stayed in hostels for a few months. So 32k + 8k for a one-way flight = 40k to start your life in Beijing. (Not including not having any salary for a month). So the OP will need about 45k RMB about 8-9 thousand dollars before they come.  |
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Shanghai Noon
Joined: 18 Aug 2013
Posts: 589
Location: Shanghai, China
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| Posted: Mon May 18, 2015 6:09 am Post subject: |
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| Is six months plus security deposit common in Beijing? In Shanghai, they ask for three months plus deposit. Also, I have never known a real estate agent to charge a full month's rent for their services. |
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hdeth
Joined: 20 Jan 2015
Posts: 583
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| Posted: Mon May 18, 2015 6:22 am Post subject: |
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| Shanghai Noon wrote: |
| Is six months plus security deposit common in Beijing? In Shanghai, they ask for three months plus deposit. Also, I have never known a real estate agent to charge a full month's rent for their services. |
Where I live it's three months, but I suspect it's more demanding the closer you are to the center.
I think it's a full month here for the agent, plus one month deposit (for any cleaning or damage), plus 3 months rent. Something like that. I never went through the process personally but a few people have talked about it because they don't want to live in shared housing but don't have the money for a deposit.
With a longer commute you could probably get down to 3k, maybe lower if you can find a studio. Maybe 45-90 minute commute depending on where the school is.
Yes, it's a very big deposit and housing allowances are taxable here, so I would definitely want housing provided in Beijing....or really any of the big cities. |
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Shanghai Noon
Joined: 18 Aug 2013
Posts: 589
Location: Shanghai, China
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| Posted: Mon May 18, 2015 6:26 am Post subject: |
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| Housing allowances are not taxable if you get an invoice for them. |
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creeper1
Joined: 24 Aug 2010
Posts: 481
Location: New Taipei City, Taiwan
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| Posted: Mon May 18, 2015 6:58 am Post subject: |
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| hdeth wrote: |
Beijing is huge....you can be in Beijing and still be out in the boonies (I am). And Beijing is kind of a boring city.
For just basic needs the main difference is expensive housing and a lack of street food. Expect to pay around 4k for housing. |
Beijing is boring relative to where? To Seoul? To New York? I'd say relative to other cities in China it is not boring.
Now the entertainment, sports, clubs etc available here will eat into your pocket but they are there.
Loads of street food where I am (though who wants to eat that? - I've been advised by Chinese people to stay away from it)
Rent for me is 2500 for an apartment all to myself but I don't live near the centre. Still I would say the figure of 4 is on the high end unless you are planning on living in sanlitun.
Though I will admit I paid a lot of rent up front, a deposit and a agent fee. The start up costs are considerable. |
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hdeth
Joined: 20 Jan 2015
Posts: 583
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| Posted: Mon May 18, 2015 7:45 am Post subject: |
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Pretty much the only thing I like about Beijing is foreign food being more available, but I'm so far from places like sanlitun it's not really worth it. 1.5 hour bus and subway ride for a foreign restaurant? Meh. I am only here for the money. There's an ok local pizzeria. Would not be worth putting up with the crowded buses and pollution if I was getting paid anything less. No parks or anything anywhere close to where I live.
What Chinese person told you not to eat street food? You're missing out on the best food here. Most Chinese only go to the fancier sit-down restaurants for the environment..
Street food for the taste... It's the "real" Chinese food. If you go to Chengdu pr Chongqing and don't try the street food Chinese people will think you're some sort of freak. I went to Chongqing without a local friend and my Chinese co-worker was offended... If I hadn't tried the street food I'm not sure she would talk with me.
They shut down all street vendors within a couple miles of my school last week. Sucks. Will see how the Shaokao guys fare. They've cleared out certain parts of the city. |
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asiannationmc
Joined: 13 Aug 2014
Posts: 1342
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| Posted: Mon May 18, 2015 9:29 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| Is six months plus security deposit common in Beijing? In Shanghai, they ask for three months plus deposit. Also, I have never known a real estate agent to charge a full month's rent for their services. |
I used an agent several years ago and asked for a 40% discount, and got it ... asked for a two year contract on the price at that time and got it. I have since improved on my abode and am now paying 2900rmb per month; around 10 minutes from 798. Stones throw from Lido area. I have a court yard and two garage rooms with roller doors, bar'd windows inside a metal works yard near shunyi for 12K rmb per year.. 3 year lease.
The other side of the coin: My girl has a place near the CDB and pays 6500rmb per month .... nice place though ..... actually I think most of the workers are gov employees or work for quasi-gov companies. We are actually thinking of buying a place (outside the city proper) due to a program by the gov to pay a portion of the monthly .... Mutianyu is fairly reasonable and near the mountains also a place called Shurman (sp) has some really nice place with little traffic... Inside the city the traffic is a night mare.
Small cafes eliminate the need for street food as many are low cost and tasty. Recently one of my favorite was a place we affectionately called Punk Rock Noodles which was owned by Oi punk rock legion Lei Jun of the band "Misanda" who sadly passed away at the age of 49 from a heart attack just a few weeks back. Plenty to do in Beijing, last Saturday I attended Yaksa,夜叉 20 year celebration at Tango near Yonghegong. By bike home in 20 minutes on the airport highway. Get involved with Weixin and receive promotional deals ...like movie tickets for major films for 20rmb. Lance Crayon, did a film on Beijing's graffiti culture and it was screened at a street party last Friday. Beijing for all its faults has a lot going on. As this is my last year working .. July 1st is my last day.... who knows what the future holds, however, likely I will stay in Beijing for at least a few more years. |
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davoosh
Joined: 03 Mar 2013
Posts: 38
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| Posted: Mon May 18, 2015 10:28 am Post subject: |
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| After speaking with them some more, they have said they would pay the initial rent for me and I would pay them back each month. I have a feeling this would end badly or get messy, and the initial start-up costs would be too much. |
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weigookin74
Joined: 30 Mar 2010
Posts: 265
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| Posted: Sat May 30, 2015 7:07 pm Post subject: |
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Are public schools in China not a lower salary to begin with?
I think if the pay is low when the housing is factored in, I'd ask about things like desk warming. If it's kept to a minimum and you can teach other outside lessons, it might be ok. But some of these jobs if slacker on the hours might be better suited towards those that don't have large loan payments back home. Not sure though. So, I am asking if my hunches are correct here? |
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