Click Here to Subsribe to the 'Finding a Job in China' Feed When 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?
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Yes, I agree with RV, when 1st here go for the job’accom’ package & then after some time, if you want to, find your own. (esp’ if switching jobs)If you can do so without an agent this is best as agents can charge awfully high fees. You can also ‘barter’ the rent cost& it is not wise to jump in & agree to the 1st rental cost price offer.
Check EVERYTHING over before you agree to anything & if things need fixing/cleaningot & rubbish removed do not sign up umitil it is done.
Also be sure who you rent off is legally allowed to do so. This can save major hassles with your residency permit.
If all goes smoothly then there are certain benefits to living independantly of your place of empoyment, but , yes, 1st time here go with the more easy way, provided accomadation.
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EEe & sorry 4 all my misteaks, misplaced my glasses. JUst as well new ones r cheap 2 buy here!
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housing ranges from the basic bachelor’s pad to the decent condominium-style housing for us here in the countryside. and it depends on what country your from too. i got a shabby pad without any form of communication line or stable water supply in exchange for 16 hours of teaching basic english, while a “western” guy got a condo with everything for just 2 hours of conversation. sheesh.
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