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Should I Choose a China ESL Teaching Package With Free Housing?
Written by Robert Vance on September 11, 2008 – 9:08 amWhen it comes to ESL teaching compensation packages in China, there is usually not a huge difference money-wise between choosing a free apartment or not. For example, if an ESL school is offering you a 7500 RMB per month salary with a free apartment, the entire package may be worth closer to 10,000 RMB depending on where you live. If a school is offering you a 10,000 RMB salary with no housing allowance, you will be paying for an apartment out of your pocket. Some ESL schools offer housing allowances, but generally speaking, these stipends only cover the cheapest housing available. It is better to find a salary that can provide for you a comfortable living plus the cost of housing or a package that provides a decent place to live.
Unless your ESL school in China has someone who really knows how to help you find a good apartment and bargain, choosing a package that includes a free apartment is the best choice. Most schools really do not have staff who have the time to spend with you hunting for apartments. By finding a school that provides housing, you will mostly likely save yourself a lot of trouble because looking for an apartment on your own as a foreigner usually produces one result; you end up paying much more than you should. This is especially true if you are not familiar with the culture or the language.
In my experience, most English schools in China provide a decent place to live for their foreign teachers. Nevertheless, it is never a bad idea to ask your school to send you photos of the housing before you agree to teach. Ask for photos of the outside as well as the rooms in the apartment including the kitchen and the bathroom. Also make sure that the apartment comes with a refrigerator,microwave,TV, DVD player, and washing machine; these items come standard with most rented apartments in China.
After you have some experience living in China, of course, you can find your own apartment. Teachers in China who can speak Chinese or have some close friends often find a higher salary without housing included and then bargain for a cheap place to live. These teachers end up saving a lot of money.
If you have questions or comments about finding jobs in China, feel free to leave us a comment below.
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You forgot to add ‘high speed internet service’ to the standard equipment that your apartment requires……I can’t imagine today’s modern Chinese citizen wanting to rent an apartment without high speed internet..! ! By the way, is it easy to get ‘technical computer-internet support service’ in China, and how do you and the Chinese technical service staff manage to communicate- Possibly in Chinglish?