VISITING FROM USA

Hi,

   I am a teacher from Los Angeles coming to visit for nine days.  I will be touring Bejing and Shangai 3/14/08.  Any advice on weather, clothes to wear, money to spend?

Thanks,

Teacha

What part of L.A. are you from?  I'm from Pasadena.  For the middle of March (I'm assuming I got that correct) you should bring some warm gear, as in coldest day in L.A. warm gear.  As for money I think $1000 is more than enough for you to live high on the hog while you're here....heck you could get by for half that too.

Hey guys I am strongly considering a job opportunity in Shanghai beginning in Early April. I have been researching this site along with others to get as much information as I can that will aid in my decision making. Maybe you all can fill in a few of the blanks for me.

1. Is there an Apostolic, Baptist or Nondenominational church in Shanghai I can attend?
2. Is there some sort of African/AA support group or community in Shanghai aside from this website?
3. How important is it that I learn Mandarin (Chinese) before arriving?

I will be traveling from Baltimore to stay with you guys for 2 yrs. It's a large leap but the opportune time in my life to do it.

check out this link below for a list of churches.  I'm from NY and some of my friends from botswana and zimbabwe go to the church on Hengshan Rd, so I'd say that's your best bet.

http://shanghai.iknowthiscity.com/?p=280


you don't have to have to know chinese but it's very very useful to know the basics.  i didn't speak any when i came here except "xie xie" (thank you).  it's completely *worth it* to plan to study it if you're going to be here for 2 years. If I were you i'd pick up a phrasebook and easily teach yourself "pin yin"----that is the official roman-based pronunciation alphabet used by many foreigners to learn chinese pronunciation in lew of learning the thousands of chinese characters.

Also, this is a bargaining culture and opportunistic vendors almost always rip off foreigners.  so think of learning chinese as saving yourself money and hardache.

lastly, did you sign a contract already? which city would you be you living in?  be careful.  you don't want to get underpaid for your services or stuck out in the vast inner countryside of underdeveloped china....though that is a better place to learn standard chinese than shanghai (where I am, and the best most cosmopoilitan city in China...and the bar is still low here ;O)
other questions?
peace

It depends of your specific job and previous experience, but if they are bringing you over from the US then RMB18K is kinda low. You can live quite nicely on that in Shanghai but it is still far from the typical "expat" package. I hope for you that it is AFTER tax.

Another thing to know is that if you are going to live in Songjiang, it is not exactly downtown Shanghai

Thanks for the response but now I am a little more afraid. They will be taking care of the flight and a few other things but that's it. Also I received confirmation that the campus is in Pu Dong

It depends of your specific job and previous experience, but if they are bringing you over from the US then RMB18K is kinda low. You can live quite nicely on that in Shanghai but it is still far from the typical "expat" package. I hope for you that it is AFTER tax.

Another thing to know is that if you are going to live in Songjiang, it is not exactly downtown Shanghai

Considering what your qualifications and experience are RMB18K is quite nice!  It's well below what the engineers and business men are getting but it's more than enough.  In fact with that you will have more disposable income than most peeps in the U.S. earning $4000 a month because the cost of living is low.

Pu Dong is a nice place and very developed.  It's not exactly downtown either but the public transportation system makes it easily accessible. 

MingHei,
  Thanks for the update. I have about 7 years post college experience so I'm not sure how good I feel about being below an average business man's salary. I think I've gathered enough information to make an informed decision with your and other's help.

What is the actual job you are being hired for?

Visual Communication Instructor

Well I am not very familiar with the pay range with this discipline but you might try to find out and get some kind of written certificate about what is being paid for other people holding similar positions here. You don't want to sign the contract and once here find that you are being underpaid. However, as pointed out 18K should be more than enough to cover your living expenses and live quite nicely in Shanghai.

Yeah...get your contract straight before you arrive.  A legitimate program will do that with no problems.  If I had to do it all over again I would have sought a more competitive beginning salary.  But for where i was living the small salary they gave me ($500/month) made a me a rich man in that small town.