Apartments in China

[RobertBfrom aust]

Whilst staying in ChongQing recently after we stayed at the Hilton for 3 days [ not really in the town centre and not wishing to have all of the neighbors in 24/7 we took an apartment for 8 days right in central ChongQing in fact 3 minutes walk from the main centre more than okay for resting [ not sleeping  haha ], cost for the 8 days was 1000 yuan as against a super deal at the Hilton of 241 a day plus plus plus , regards Robert .

[Brian Mc]

Brian, I really think you should stick to Beijing or Tianjin, you will not have problems finding work in either city, and they are far more convenient than Handan to get to.
Tianjin is a mere 30 minutes on the bullet train from Beijing and it only costs 58RMB, Handan takes about 6 hours from Beijing - that's not a pleasant jaunt, more like an ordeal!

Greetings Brothers,

Ok here is an issue with the work thing that I dscovered.  If you are applying to a state school you must have a degree in something.  If you are applying to a private school you can get by with a diploma not a degree.  I do not have a degree.  However if its a state school you can have a diploma and a TESL certificate and you are good.  So basically it depends on what school you are applying to what educational level you need.  Also it seems from emails from a school in Handan that if I am in country when my Z visa is approved I have to leave and go back home for the visa to kick in. Kinda strange and maybe that is just a translation issue but it does make it tough to go over on spec as it were and try to find work in country.The school was not sure if I could just hop over to Hong Kong and back as they may have closed that way of doing it.  

Also as far as the cities Irish, Zhen is from Handan which is why it is her first choice. Oh and the bullet from Beijing to Handan is 3 hours so not so bad .  My choice would be Tianjin or a similar city but I may not have a choice.  I think If I get a confirmed offer before I leave I may just  have to take it and work out the logistics of visiting Handan after I get there.  Zhen is out of town for work so its really hard to discuss this with her,  talk about terrible timing hehe.

Regards,

Zhen and Brian

[Paul Todd]

Hi Brian,

The Hong  Kong way of doing it is still running.  My Oz mate here has just got a job with a very upmarket private school. They are taking care of all the paperwork as well as flying him and his wife to HK to do the deal all expenses paid. Seems to be a standard thing here. As he would say" no worries mate!" His apartment leaves a bit to be desired though, and remember your taking a hit on your wages for this.
I think that finding work in Handan will not be a problem for you. Its a bit of a balancing act. If you come here on a tourist visa you can extend your stay. Ask Willy he seems to have worked this one out. Then you can do private tutoring, wait for the right job in the right town to turn up,and I have no doubt it will.  Once you are married then a rolling 6 month visa takes over. Everything looks different from here they really are so short of teachers especially in the more off the beaten track places that picking up work is not difficult. Here in Baoding after asking around there are only 5 other foreign teachers and that's for a population of 635000. So don't get too hung up on qualifications. A native English teacher at a school is a cash cow for them,
I asked my wife about finding an apartment and she said the same thing that Vince is telling you.
no problem.
Best of luck
Ming Zhi,Paul

[Brian Mc]

Hi Brian,

The Hong  Kong way of doing it is still running.  My Oz mate here has just got a job with a very upmarket private school. They are taking care of all the paperwork as well as flying him and his wife to HK to do the deal all expenses paid. Seems to be a standard thing here. As he would say" no worries mate!" His apartment leaves a bit to be desired though, and remember your taking a hit on your wages for this.
I think that finding work in Handan will not be a problem for you. Its a bit of a balancing act. If you come here on a tourist visa you can extend your stay. Ask Willy he seems to have worked this one out. Then you can do private tutoring, wait for the right job in the right town to turn up,and I have no doubt it will.  Once you are married then a rolling 6 month visa takes over. Everything looks different from here they really are so short of teachers especially in the more off the beaten track places that picking up work is not difficult. Here in Baoding after asking around there are only 5 other foreign teachers and that's for a population of 635000. So don't get too hung up on qualifications. A native English teacher at a school is a cash cow for them,
I asked my wife about finding an apartment and she said the same thing that Vince is telling you.
no problem.
Best of luck
Ming Zhi,Paul

Paul,

Thanks for the reasurrance, its good to hear these things instead of just hoping and guessing hehe.  If thats how it works then maybe I will follow Zhens wishes and play tourist for a bit till I find something closer to Handan.  I guess if I am in country and with Zhens help I can send a resume/letter to every school around and go from there.  As you say of the main road should be easier and Handan sure is not on the main road hehe.

Also I am starting to see ads for teachers for the Feb2010 school semester starting so maybe that will help open things up.  Personaly I am not looking to get rich doing this I just want to be with Zhen until we can come to Canada and so virtually any position that pays enough to live on reasonably well with a little left over to save for the wedding will be good.  If its in or near Handan so much the better.

Also since we are planning on getting married in Feb2010 thats only a few months away so as you say I should be able to tutor and maybe help out our agency and work with the ladies and translators there also.  They might even throw me some cash along the way.  Either way it keeps me busy and will no doubt help me with my chinese too so a win win for everyone.

Regards,

Zhen and Brian