Job Discussion Forums

[atomicneon]

I'm thinking about going to China to teach english. My hobby is making
moving scultpure using battery drills and remote controll radios, like
the ones used for remote controlled model air planes, nuts and bolts,
and other stuff found at home depot. I'm thinking that if I'm earning less than $1000 a month it might be very difficult for me to buy a $300 dollar
remote controller and other things. Maybe I should purchase most of the stuff that I want here in the U.S. and ship it there? Does anyone know of stores in Shanghai listed on the internet.

Mike

[kungfucowboy83]

if you can read chinese you might try taobao.com. it's kinda like a chinese ebay.

[brsmith15]

Be careful about anything electrical from the US designed for your 110 vac, 60 Hz power; we have 220 vac, 50 Hz here.

Don't know of any internet stores, but you can find just about anything here in this burg.

[atomicneon]

I was thinking that that would be a simple matter of using a power converter.
220 volts are scarry, it can kill, so is it true that if you're plugging a lamp, or an appliance into the wall socket, that you're risking your life? People get zapped from 110 wires inside their homes
all the time.

[platinum peyote]

Yep, 220 volts can indeed kill; buddy of mine in Nanchang died recently trying to plug his toaster in, and my mate in Chengdu spent 3 days in the hospital merely for attempting to use an electric razor.

As horrifically dangerous as it is using electrical appliances in The Middle Kingdom, I sure hope you don't like soccer and are not intending to go to the world cup next year, have you seen the three-pronged beasts they use in South Africa? Holy cow!

http://lh4.ggpht.com/clifguy/R5P6xMbAdgI/AAAAAAAAARo/PERbcibIvZA/IMG_0694web_thumb1

[daveups]

Sounds like a cool hobby. Any pictures?

[SeoulDee]

[atomicneon]

Ya, sure, where do you want me to send them?

I might be wrong, but I think that 220 volts are twice as dangerous
as 110 volts. If you get zapped by 110 vts, it's alternating, so you're
only getting zapped for half the time. 220 is two 110 vlt lines with a common ground. It's a steady flow. Most house hold outlets use 20 amp
circut breakers. A couple of years ago I was frozen on a 110vlt line for about 15 seconds. I felt every current alternation. 60x per second. If it were 220, I'd surely be dead. I wonder if I could earn a living
installing power converters and GFI outlets in China

[SeoulDee]

Getting back to the cost of things in Shanghai, how much should I be expecting to pay in rent for a small apartment in Shanghai. I'm not wanting anything fancy in a fancy location, just a run of the mill, small apartment.

Also, do most English teacher in Shanghai have to find and pay for their own apartment, or are they normally supplied and compensated for by the employer?

[Sugar Magnolia]

If you're lucky, you might be able to find something for 2000 rmb in an out of the way location. A friend of mine recently rented a place for 2600 in a better area. I once paid 3000 for a place in a nice location. Of course really nice apartments will be 4000 or more.

Assuming you teach at a training center or a few of the universities in the city, the school will not provide an apartment. Some will though, especially if you live in the "university town" area outside the city.

[M3tt]

Voltage doesn't kill you, amperage does. That's why you see science shows where "Mr Wizard" gets zapped by a few thousand volts and his hair stands up; it sounds cool and dangerous but at half an amp it's nothing.
220 is not twice as dangerous as 110 and they're both cycling at the same rate (60 Hz in some countries, 50 Hz in others like China). 220 is just more efficient for large motors.