Job Discussion Forums

Vancouver Jim · Joined: 03 May 2004 Posts: 23 Location: Shanghai

Hiya all;

My Chinese wife will be relocated to Shenzhen or HK at year end. We would probably live in Shenzhen. I'd appreciate any tips, job leads, or any other feedback you may feel inclined to give. I work full-time for one of the chain language schools here in Shanghai. If you send me a personal message I'll get back to you. Be happy to exchange feedback on SH. I would consider living in HK however the costs there seem horrific. And the air seems pretty bad these days.

Look forward to hearing from you.

Jim.

tradinup · Joined: 13 Nov 2004 Posts: 132 Location: Shenzhen, China

The air is Hong Kong is pretty much the best there is for major cities in China, don't know where you got that from. Shenzhen is good too, but a notch lower than Hong Kong.

You can live in an apartment here cheaper than Hong Kong, but you have to consider the cost/effort of commuting everyday.

Why don't you see if your chain language school has a branch in SZ?

Susie · Joined: 02 Jul 2003 Posts: 390 Location: PRC

http://www.shenzhenparty.com/classifieds/

arodeorowdy · Joined: 09 Aug 2004 Posts: 125 Location: Shenzhen, China

The air in SZ was as bad as I've ever seen it yesterday. I couldn't even see a half a kilometer. As tradinup says: HK's as good as it gets!

SZ is boring, plain, devoid of culture and did I mention not a great place to live. Oh the Chinese just love SZ cuz the salaries are higher here, but then consider that many of them come from a village. Having said that I often forget that I'm in China sometimes while out and about. Big streets, many cars, wide sidewalks and too many apartment complexes. It's a big jungle of apt. complexes.

HK is a beautiful city with one of the prettiest skylines in the world!

Cheers, Rowdy4Bush

Roger · Joined: 19 Jan 2003 Posts: 9138

Strange that the employer of your wife doesn't know whether your wife is going to work in HK or Shenzhen; this is like relocating from China to, say, Europe and not knowing in advance whether people will have to find housing either in France or in Britain.
If your wife has a job in Hong Kong it will be too difficult for her to commute daily between HK and Shenzhen, although there are shuttle buses now from Wanchai to Huanggang. I am sure she will want to live and work in the same locale. I promise you the daily commute is too tiring and costly (around 80 kuai a round trip, more if you take a bus!).

It is more reasonable for both of you to be looking for accommodation in HK - if you can afford that. Rents are skyrocketing now that HK's economy is booming again (not that this takes the unemployed off the congested roads! Don't expect a job for you either!).
Perhaps you will have to make some arrangement: she rents a room in HK and spends weekends with you in Shenzhen; or you spend time travelling between HK and Shenzhen, working across the border. (You won't get a dependant's visa for HK, I suppose!).
If her job is in Kowloon or better still: in the New Territories outside the actual city limits, in a town like Sheung Shui or Taipo or Shatin, then you can live together, with both commuting in opposite directions.
But the job your wife is likely to find in HK will no doubt require her to commute to Central, Wanchai or Kowloon.

Housing in Shenzhen: Shenzhen has been expanding in the west, mainly, far away from HK! Closer to the Lowu checkpoint, you will find crowded and grotty high-rises. I lived in Jincheng Dasha, a complex behind the Pangolin Hotel opposite the Sunshine Hotel, near the Dongmen bazaar area (now redeveloped into up-market shopping malls). Here, rentals are pretty steep, yet air pollution is as bad as in most mainland cities. Modern and clean estates have gone up in Nanshan - but that's way too far out of town for you and your wife.

arodeorowdy · Joined: 09 Aug 2004 Posts: 125 Location: Shenzhen, China

Roger, the fare on the KCR is 73 kuai R/T to be exact, or only 36 kuai R/T from E. TST to LoWu f your brazen enough to ride on a childs ticket, I do and I am, but remember...could be a 500 kuai surcharge if you get popped.
Then if he wanted to live in, what I consider the better part of SZ, Nanshan it is only a 25 min. bus ride on the 337 from SZ U., 5 kuai and as comfortable a ride as they get.
When I go each weekend to E. TST it takes me 30 min. to get to the LoHu border crossing from the bus stop from the bus stop in Nanshan, about 10 min to get across the border and then 45 min. to get to the end of the KCR line in E. TST. For me to get to Wan Chai from my apt. next to SZ U. in Nanshan takes less than 2 hours. It's a long comute, but there are hundreds of thousands of Americans who communte to Silicon Valley and back to their homes cuz they can't afford to live in Silicon Valley.
But I love going to HK for the weekend. It feels like I'm going to another country, I don't care what anybody says, HKIS ANOTHER COUNTRY!

Cheers, Rowdy4Bush

Roger · Joined: 19 Jan 2003 Posts: 9138

Vancouver Jim · Joined: 03 May 2004 Posts: 23 Location: Shanghai

Thanks to Roger, the Guangzhou-based expert, and the others. The wife will look for a new job at a 5-star hotel. I have already contacted my companies' head office re a new school startup there. Seems there is no Wall St, Web, Canilx, or other big SH players there. You guys mention some places to change trains, etc. Been scouring the websites and need to find a decent map. At this point I'm thinking of basing in SZ and working there and sometimes HK. Maybe even Dongguan sometimes. I'll look at part or full time language schools and Corp Training. I may even buy a car, get a business license, and do some self-employed gigs.

Any good websites for rental info or just general stuff?

Thanks again,

VJ.

garbotara · Joined: 15 Sep 2003 Posts: 529 Location: China

arodeorowdy · Joined: 09 Aug 2004 Posts: 125 Location: Shenzhen, China

garbotara read it right. R/T = round trip.

And the Shekou ferry takes less than 45 minutes to either Central/TST and costs 110kuai from Shekou and 130HKD from HK. And about 20minutes more time to walk from place to place. so this ferry trip is not that much faster.

I've figured this out and from my apt. door it takes me 120 min. to get to TST via bus&KCR, but I spend 50kuai R/T! The fast ferry takes 90 min. (apt. to TST) but costs 240HKD (almost same as kuai).
So the difference in time is only 30 min. but a savings of 190HKD!
A big difference!
Cheers, Rowdy4Bush

Roger · Joined: 19 Jan 2003 Posts: 9138

Vancouver Jim · Joined: 03 May 2004 Posts: 23 Location: Shanghai

Hello again;

I keep hearing about New Oriental paying a very high salary. Does anyone have experience with this outfit? The only things are hear are usually pretty bad. I interviewed them in Guangzhou once with a young girl with dirty clothes who knew nothing.

Re SZ, where are the decent jobs? Are there any? Be happy to reciprocate with SH info!!

VJ