Topic: China

Applying to go teach English there for a year  cool
Might need some advice soon...

Re: China

Do you speak any of the Chinese dialects?

Re: China

no not at all  hmm
but apparently there's a possibility to take some lessons while I'm there

Re: China

ask away. was only there (Suzhou) for 3 months. All in all its easy to live there, with a little help from the real estate agent.

Re: China

well the school provides a free place to stay and a salary of 4000-6000, how ok is that for China?
I'd be working 5-6 hrs a day.
Supposedly I dont have a lotta choice as far as city or province as I'm not a native speaker...
Would love to go to Guangdong province in the south...They also send people to Hubei province (Wuhan etc)..
Would prefer small place + nature than big city for sure...
Really had enough of London for now  big_smile
But China for 1 year is still a bit of a mad endeavor  wink

Re: China

sounds cool.

Re: China

I've never been to Asia   smile
But if all goes well I go.

Tube/bus (1hr) - work (9-12 hrs) - bus/tube (1hr) - home - enoughhhhhhhhhhhhh  mad

Re: China

MANASYt wrote:

well the school provides a free place to stay and a salary of 4000-6000, how ok is that for China?

6000 better than 4000 for sure. I take it that's 4000 a month. You can live off 4000,  lots of locals do, as long as you don't go out to exclusive places.

MANASYt wrote:

Would prefer small place + nature than big city for sure...

that may be more difficult. nature takes 2nd place to development in China, and the place has been well populated for a long time.

9 (edited by byron 2010-09-21 23:20:36)

Re: China

MANASYt wrote:

Tube/bus (1hr) - work (9-12 hrs) - bus/tube (1hr) - home - enoughhhhhhhhhhhhh  mad

you need to get a bicycle. my new job is 30kms away. takes 70 mins to get there on two wheels. if i take public transport takes twice that. vive le velo

btw we should hook up for beers soon neighbour smile

keep hackney crap

10 (edited by Scarface 2010-09-22 16:52:02)

Re: China

Came back from a roundtrip through China last sunday. Did it "organized" with my a girlfriend and 22 other people. The program was pretty tight. In 16days (incl. flight to and from China): Hanzou, Beijing, Xi'an, Luoyang, Nanjing, Suzhou, Shanghai. So making long days to see, smell, taste, feel everything (or as much as possible). Hard work so to say but it was worth it! Very fascinating country and "everything counts in large amounts" (at least in the cities I have visited). I really have the feeling of being away a long time even it was only 16 days.

"Are you loving?"

11 (edited by MANASYt 2010-09-30 17:53:20)

Re: China

have a potential offer from a school now, in Huzhou, Zhejiang province.
now i gotta decide  big_smile

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h72/manasyt/zhejiang-map.jpg

Re: China

nice. close enough to Shanghai, so that if you are requiring a hit of civilisation or techno (check the "void" parties) it is just a train trip away.

13

Re: China

MANASYt wrote:

no not at all  hmm
but apparently there's a possibility to take some lessons while I'm there

i know a handful of scousers all living in China, i don't think they're learning Chinese.

Re: China

aic wrote:
MANASYt wrote:

no not at all  hmm
but apparently there's a possibility to take some lessons while I'm there

i know a handful of scousers all living in China, i don't think they're learning Chinese.

big_smile

15

Re: China

MANASYt wrote:

Applying to go teach English there for a year  cool
Might need some advice soon...

Don't.

cuties don't exert

Re: China

why?  sad

Re: China

you're gonna have a blast.
i taught english for 2 years in osaka. best time ever.

i was china for about a month- and i must say, the south west is pretty amazing.

18 (edited by ytz 2010-10-01 02:58:31)

Re: China

MANASYt wrote:

why?  sad

sorry let me elaborate.

don't - because the people you work for and with will be assholes. they will speak in code and be as slippery as fuck. the goalposts will always be moving and without explanation.

do - because the country you are going to visit is mad and wonderful and totally different. there will be beautiful moments of weirdness that will stay with you forever and ever, and they can happen at any time.

maybes - you will be a mixture of a celebrity and a freakshow when you're not in the bigger cities (and even there, a little bit). get used to social appearances and dinners as favours, and a network of rituals that make european manners look 2 dimensional.

it's a lot, man. you aren't going on holiday (though the holiday aspects are the best).

also - restrictions on information (not just of internets, but also lack of english language anything) mean friendships on the ground are going to be important. it's harder to get anything done at night bar eat. clubs are terrible.

cuties don't exert

19

Re: China

neudphoto wrote:

i was china for about a month- and i must say, the south west is pretty amazing.

did you work there? or go on holiday?

they're pretty serious about the work part in china.

cuties don't exert

20 (edited by ytz 2010-10-01 03:17:19)

Re: China

6000 better than 4000 for sure. I take it that's 4000 a month. You can live off 4000,  lots of locals do, as long as you don't go out to exclusive places.

if you're a teacher your rent and bills will all be paid (bar the telephone) so that money is basically walking around money.

Would prefer small place + nature than big city for sure...

the bigger the city the more comfortable you will feel and the less hassle life will be. the countryside is beautiful and calming in parts but living there is third world.

other stuff - your simcard won't work so don't bother taking it, all the cool stuff you see you will not be able to take back, the alcohol is either weak rubbish or very strong rubbish, some of the things that the children are taught and the way they are taught them will probably disgust you (unless you're a bit nazi).

cuties don't exert

21 (edited by heifetz 2010-10-01 07:48:53)

Re: China

while i do not agree with everything ytz said, he's still got a point. the social and work environment is very, very different to what it is in europe. just don't have any impressions that you are going for a fun little holiday. if you have never been to China,  if at all possible, try to get a job in either beijing or shanghai. from there you can explore the countryside if you still want to.

that said, an open mind and respect for the local customs get you a long way. it's a great country.

Re: China

OK, I will talk to the guy again...They do send people to Beijing, Shanghai, Wuhan, Xi'an, Qingdao and Guangzhou...
Its just I'm not a native speaker so I get less chance to choose...
But I am ready to face some ultimate weirdness I think, thats how bored I am... big_smile

23 (edited by ytz 2010-10-01 16:28:08)

Re: China

cool man, i wish you luck.

just go in with your eyes open.

i worked there as a native speaking teacher from 2007-2009. started out in Hubei (3 hours drive from Wuhan), ended up in Shanghai. Shanghai is an amazing city, so is Guangzhou (haven't worked there, mind). Those places would definitely top my list.

i went there with my sister. she left after a week. i stayed two years. some people can love it, some people can hate it. just make sure you have some money for a ticket back at any time wink

oh - if you talk with an american accent people will think that is more authentic  roll  roll

cuties don't exert

Re: China

yeh i do have the american accent thing going on  big_smile
Guangzhou was my first choice...climate looks nice too..:)
ufff I dunno man, I'd just rather work 20 hrs a week than 20 hrs for 2 days (which is my case in London)...
feel fucking miserable, dont have time for shit, everyone is busy, money money money...  mad

25

Re: China

I suppose it's a good end of tether option wink

cuties don't exert