Filed under: FAQ, Work Advice | Tags: Advice, China, Education, HK, Living, Teaching, Travel, Work
A new expat to be joined us in OE board the other day, and even though this is a China blog, I’ve decided to put my replies here. I usually don’t consider HK to be part of China, since 100 years of British rule has change the port city into a Singapore like city state. But make no mistake about it, HK is politically controlled by CCP. Anyway, that’s not important, let’s get on to the discussion:
Her question:
Hello,
I am a 26 year old American and I just took a job as a kindergarten teacher in Whampoa Garden, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong. The pay is $17,000HK a month but my housing is provided and utilities are split with a roommate. Is this reasonable to live in that area? (I will be walking to work.)
Also what is the cost of living like? I don’t drink and don’t really party so I won’t have to worry about those expenses.
I am also open to any advice that any of you have. This is a new experience for me and I could use all the help I can get.
My first reply:
I would hate to tote my own horn here, but if you have never worked in an Asian/Chinese environment before, I recommend these 2 threads from my blog:http://chinasurvivalguide.wordpress.com/20…ina-in-general/
http://chinasurvivalguide.wordpress.com/20…english-part-1/
HK is quite a bit more westernized than the Mainland, but there are still quite a few thing apply here. HK is a shopping haven though, so it’s easy to over spend when going out. It’s also similar to Vancouver that it’s a touristy town, so you might have to dig a little deeper for local stuff at local prices.
I didn’t catch 2 things earlier, 1. you are female, 2. you are new at this,
http://chinasurvivalguide.wordpress.com/20…ngers-of-china/
HK is relatively safe compare to other places. I never actually lived/worked there long term, so Mandy is probably the one to ask for that. You can never be too careful sometimes. If you aren’t from a big city(are you?), HK can still be a daunting experience.
In terms of cost, HK is one of those places like Taipei where everything is so convenient that I usually don’t know where my money goes until the end of the month. A few coffees here, a few 7-11 trips there, and it all adds up. There is a huge temptation to eat out all the time, which can cost a fortune unless you find out about decent spots with local prices.
In terms of packing, don’t bring your whole wardrobe + closet. It’s a tempting option for new expats sometimes. HK is fairly humid, while a lot of regions in US are fairly dry, so you might want to find out if your favourite skirt/jacket will survive the trip. Sweating can be problematic for some people. You might want to pack things that will wick away moisture. Layering is probably key. Anyway, just bring essentials, and you can probably buy (the rest) some very nice clothes in HK on sale for very good prices compared to home.
Things are more crowded in a lot of Asian Cities, especially places like HK. I don’t know how big your room is, but some of my friends had trouble adjusting to their much smaller lodging. And make sure whoever roommate they set you up with is tolerable. Looking for a place on your own in a foreign land is not a fun experience.
If you have never taught Chinese students, it can be a bit of a daunting experience. Kindergarten teachers usually face a lot of pressure from Chinese parents. That is one of the reason I stopped teaching young children.
Anyway, good luck and have fun. Keep us in touch.
These are just some basic advice based on my own personal experiences. I am sure they can help you as well if you ever decide to drop it all and go work in Hong Kong.
This is the original thread from OE: Linky!
Filed under: Essential / Must Read, FAQ, Work Advice | Tags: Advice, Beijing, China, Culture, Education, ESL, Must Read, Teaching, Work
This seems to be an extremely popular section, so I’ll give it more press.
I have taught English/ESL part time for nearly 10 years, and my experience is more than enlightening. If you want to teach English or otherwise in China, here are the general advices:
1. What do you want?
I can not stress this one enough.
Look, a lot of people came here with the reasons I have posted in section 1, and I really can’t say I approve it. The reason is very simple, working in another country is a VERY BIG commitment. China doubles that equation by 5 or more. Most westerners are JUST NOT prepare for the experience. This is in no way patronizing on my part because it is true. The amount of people, time, man hour, money and life wasted away here by westerners is probably enough to take the current USA out of recession. China didn’t build their current economy. Foreign investments, technology transfers and eager beavers who tried to cash in did. They lost trillions. I want to prevent you from doing the same.
If you want adventure, romance, sex, excitement, and a big pay check.., go to law school or take a MBA program. The best way for you to get that glamorous movie expat life is get hired by a large International Conglomerate and get stationed here. You make foreign currency, and all your living needs are already paid for by your company. Life on the ground is not like that. This is no place to escape a mediocre life. You need to know what you really want before setting foot here.
2. Take a tour.
Come here first. Take a look around. Spend 1- 3 month to travel the country a bit. Backpacking if you must. Talk to some expats around the town you are interested in staying. You need to get a general feel about the place before you decide to settle down here. If you can’t stay that long, 2-3 weeks is probably minimal.
3. Do your homework.
Talk to a career counselor and a financial adviser before coming. This is important. Working in a foreign country is like immigration, except that you are going to a (most likely 3rd world country). You need to have a realistic expectation on how much you are going to spend, and how long you can go without a job. If you loose/quit that first job(extremely common) you get hired for in China, you need to know if you can survive. China isn’t a cheap place to live anymore.
4. Have a realistic expectation.
This is the typical salary range for an foreign English teacher in China (exchange rate may vary) :
3000 – 6000 RMB/Month = 400 – 800 USD/Month.
But what about your living expenses? China is cheaper, right? Let’s use Beijing as an example:
Within 4 ring road:
1000 – 5000 RMB/ 1 bedroom, 1 bath/10+ square meters/Month = 150 – 700 USD/Month
2000 – 8000 RMB/ 2 bedrooms, 1 or 2 bath/20-25+ square meters/Month = 280 – 1100 USD/Month
3500 – 20000 RMB/ 3 bedrooms, 2 or 3 bath/35-40 + square meters/Month = 500- 2800 USD/Month
That’s not so bad, right? As long as you stay within the lower range, and you take on a few private tutor jobs, you should be fine, right?
Wrong. Most Chinese buildings are built to Chinese living standards according to the year they are built. Most of the buildings that are semi-suitable to what you used to as western standard of living are built after 2001 or later. I won’t go too deep into housing here, but expect what you deem acceptable to be in the high range.
What about living expenses?
2000 – 5000 RMB a month for food, public transport, a few nights out, 2 dinners a week is very common.
What about the visit home?
5000 – 6000 RMB for a round trip ticket from Beijing to Vancouver.
What about those jobs with contracts that includes room, food and an airplane ticket?
You get a room in a dorm. You will (most likely) share the bathroom with the entire floor. You WILL have a curfew. You will eat free in the school cafeteria that serves …, anyway. And expect things NOT to work. Your roof might leak, and most of the appliance are probably 5-10 years old. Expect to catch some kind of skin disease.
5. A Personal story.
A friend of mine makes almost 25,000 – 30,000 RMB/Month = 3500 – 4200 USD/Month in Beijing teaching. That’s REALLY GOOD, right? Guess how much he keeps at the end of the year? ZERO. He’s been here for 4 years, got a wife and kid, and takes 2 vacation outside China(mostly going home to Vancouver) every year. Very typical and normal for a western family right? Except that he doesn’t get to save any money. Why? He still hasn’t paid off his student loan, nor his credit card debt that he incurred when he first arrived and he has child support from the first marriage. That is also extremely common for typical western families. Making RMB to pay CAD debts is down right insane and not really workable.
But you will say, it is possible to make that much teaching, right? LOL.
The reason he even makes that much is because he has build up his reputation for teaching excellence after 4 grueling years here. And he doesn’t really teach in schools at all. He teaches for multinationals and big companies.
6. Consider the human cost factor.
I can’t stress this enough. Life is tough here. I am not just talking the pollution, the cost of living, and/or any of the other crap I have mentioned. Working in China can be very tiring psychologically and emotionally. The rudeness, the behind the back talk, the staring, the people asking for free lessons, the constant questioning, the sneaky picture taking and the complete absolute lack of privacy. There are a lot of wonderful things about the Chinese people, but you have to wade through a lot of things to get there sometimes. Think about it.
To be continued. I’ll also answer my board mate TK’s question in the next post. I’ll update this post later.
