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Yeah, got a friend in Hangzhou as well, but I really do want to see the west lake. Someone did a write up about why it's beautiful, can't remember who but it was a while back, and it's always made me want to go there and the timing works out well now.
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Jan 1, 2016 05:47
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btw the hostel thing, i was trying to do the joke where i asked you a question even though you just said it... I went to west lake and it was like...okay. The main good memory I have of it are the museums and art galleries around it, which were pretty cool. The lake itself was kind of just a lake tbqh
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Jan 1, 2016 07:09
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I liked the area around the west lake where there weren't too many people. Just riding my bicycle and chilling out in the smog.
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Jan 1, 2016 11:51
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angel opportunity posted:btw the hostel thing, i was trying to do the joke where i asked you a question even though you just said it... I know what you were going for. Foreign Devil: How can I get to West Lake from here? Rainy: Oh, Xi Hu so lovely, very famous in the China, do you know it? Foreign Devil: ...
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Jan 1, 2016 18:19
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Is there a sane way to watch college football in China?
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Jan 1, 2016 21:31
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Warbird posted:Is there a sane way to watch college football in China? No.
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Jan 2, 2016 00:56
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Warbird posted:Is there a sane way to watch college football in China? Expat places will open for it if you ask, and if you go to a five star hotel like the Westin or whatever they'll have ESPN.
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Jan 2, 2016 01:19
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Im watching college football right now and you arent missing anything
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Jan 2, 2016 01:20
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I stopped watching college football and the NFL when I realized how boring it was.
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Jan 2, 2016 01:25
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Well of course not, the important games happened last night and won't happen again for a week or so.
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Jan 2, 2016 01:25
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5 am breakfast super bowl is fun
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Jan 2, 2016 02:54
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NFL is bad football, and kills its players with brain damage, and creates rape trains. http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/dec/29/college-football-game-day-rape-reports-increase-study http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/new-study-finds-brain-damage-in-living-ex-nfl-players/ http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/13/sports/football/actuarial-reports-in-nfl-concussion-deal-are-released.html?_r=0 
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Jan 2, 2016 06:35
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So probably a great sport for China
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Jan 2, 2016 06:35
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So I'm about to be offered a job in Beijing in the management consulting team of a big 4 accounting firm. But this will mean a significant pay cut from my current position (apparently ~30%). I'm willing to take the cut, so long as I have enough money to live a comfortable life. I'm currently trying to calculate the kind of monthly salary that will afford me to live in a one-bedroom apartment within the 4th ring road, eat out decently a few times a week (I actually quite like cheap food in China), go out to clubs/bars once a week, and save a bit too. My best guess is about 25-30,000RMB per month before tax. I understand that people define 'comfortable life' differently but I'd appreciate hearing other people's views. Another thing: what's a decent website to find Chinese apartment rentals online? Can be in Chinese, as all the English websites seem to be catering for corporates and apartments start at 10,000RMB a month.
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Jan 2, 2016 06:37
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danse macabre posted:My best guess is about 25-30,000RMB per month before tax. I understand that people define 'comfortable life' differently but I'd appreciate hearing other people's views. Even in Beijing this is a ton of money. You'll be fine. quote:Another thing: what's a decent website to find Chinese apartment rentals online? Can be in Chinese, as all the English websites seem to be catering for corporates and apartments start at 10,000RMB a month. 58.com will give you an idea of what's around, but in my experience you'll want to get an agent because most of the listings there are lies. Grand Fromage fucked around with this message at 06:41 on Jan 2, 2016 |
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Jan 2, 2016 06:39
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danse macabre posted:So I'm about to be offered a job in Beijing in the management consulting team of a big 4 accounting firm. But this will mean a significant pay cut from my current position (apparently ~30%). I'm willing to take the cut, so long as I have enough money to live a comfortable life. Even though the dollar is worth way more than renminbi, I don't think I'd do it for a pay cut. Push for the same salary. Chinese expats deserve hazard pay due to the pollution and everything is more expensive for foreigners until you've lived there for awhile and make an effort to live more like a local.
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Jan 2, 2016 09:17
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Yeah that sounds like a really lovely deal to me unless you really want to live in a smog-choked hellscape for some reason
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Jan 2, 2016 09:37
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Grand Fromage posted:Even in Beijing this is a ton of money. You'll be fine. That's not a ton for mid-career move to management consulting at a big 4. Danse Macabe don't take a cut like that, push for matching current salary unless you're switching careers and this is your foot in the door or something.
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Jan 2, 2016 09:44
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LimburgLimbo posted:That's not a ton for mid-career move to management consulting at a big 4. Thanks for the advice. The problem is that Big 4 pays terribly in every country. I worked for the same firm as a graduate and when I left I got a ~60% pay rise (ridiculous right?). Moving back to this Big 4 means that I'll take a pay cut, but would be on the equivalent salary for somebody with the same position in my country. I want to move to China so I can perfect my Chinese. I've travelled there 4 times, including a 6 month stint, and have always wanted to go back to live. This particular Big 4 firm is basically the only place I can work without fluency in Chinese. It's a raw deal but as long as I can live a comfortable life, then I am happy to work for a couple of years on low salary, and move back home to a good salary when I have achieved my goals in China.
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Jan 2, 2016 11:10
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You can live on 25-30k a month in Beijing just fine. When it comes to being paid fairly and you making money, it's an entirely different subject. But 22-26k a month in Beijing is enough for a decent to good life. Source: I live in a city near Beijing where everything is cheaper but I know the prices
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Jan 2, 2016 11:40
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If you don't mind the pay cut and living in China then even the low end of 25k would be enough to live p comfortably if you're just by yourself. http://bj.58.com/zufang/ Here's the 58 link. Most places will require 3 or even 6 month payments at a time, plus 1 mo rent as a security deposit and if a realtor is used it's another half month/full month for their fee. Almost every place will be by a realtor on 58, but you can filter by if they are or not, though. You can also filter by size, other amenities, location, and use the map to pick a place. Generally speaking you can negotiate prices a bit from the list fee. I've always knocked it down a bit in negotiations. If you're by yourself you probably want a 套一。 If you really like a place and know you'll be there, and have the cash, a lot of landlords can be persuaded to give you a discount if you pay 6-12 months up front. I got another 10% off the rent I already negotiated down doing that at my current place. Maybe it's part of China's anti-landowning recent history, but leases I've signed always seem to heavily favor the person renting over the renter. Generally speaking there are more penalties for them kicking you out (refunding the security deposit + extra fees) than you leaving early (forfeiting the security deposit if you can't find someone to rent the place before you leave).
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Jan 2, 2016 12:48
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LimburgLimbo posted:That's not a ton for mid-career move to management consulting at a big 4. Pretty much this. Senior Managers in big 4 Hong Kong is at least 55,000 rmb a month before bonus. And this is Hong Kong with sky palace crazy expensive real estate. Even if you do take a "pay cut" it's 35,000 rmb a month tops. The compromise is to have a transition phase - A price match for the first 2 years then another readjustment If you really want to move to Beijing over estimate living expenses to cost you 14,000 rmb a month for the standard of living you are used to. You can most definitely go native and live by for a lot less but it's safer to be aggressive and save more money for retirement.
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Jan 3, 2016 06:09
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caberham posted:Pretty much this. I am not quite sure that I follow this... But look guys, I'm not really mid-career - I've had 3 years experience since graduating. I don't care too much about the money because China is most likely to be temporary, and I will be able to come back to my country and earn a great salary again. I'm going to push for at 35,000 RMB per month, which is still a significant pay cut but I know that an ex-colleague of mine was able to get it in Shanghai.
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Jan 3, 2016 09:02
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danse macabre posted:I am not quite sure that I follow this... If an ex-colleague was able to get 35k several months ago then push for a little more 😉 the experience should be great either way.
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Jan 3, 2016 09:38
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Always ask for more. The HR person does not care; they have a limit and that's it, it's not personal to them the way it is to you. You're much more anxious about this than the person making the decision. Nobody will bat an eyelash if you ask for more money. They will come back with a counter-offer.
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Jan 4, 2016 07:26
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Arglebargle III posted:Always ask for more. The HR person does not care; they have a limit and that's it, it's not personal to them the way it is to you. You're much more anxious about this than the person making the decision. Nobody will bat an eyelash if you ask for more money. They will come back with a counter-offer. Maybe I didn't make this clear in my posts but of course I am going to negotiate my offer. I have no problems doing that and I know there's little risk involved. The reason that I ask about salary is so, when the dust settles (i.e., when the negotiation is finished), I know if my salary is high enough for the lifestyle I want. Appreciate all the advice 
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Jan 4, 2016 08:15
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danse macabre posted:Maybe I didn't make this clear in my posts but of course I am going to negotiate my offer. I have no problems doing that and I know there's little risk involved. We just don't want to see you getting hosed and coming to China. China is hard enough.
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Jan 4, 2016 10:04
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Ordinarily I'd say that the various breaks on tax / living cost / etc of China should more than make up for a loss in raw salary, but you're headed to Beijing and so you need to factor in "being paid to breathe what passes for air there".
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Jan 5, 2016 14:17
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Hey all, So I'm going to China for the first time later this month (two weeks for the spring festival) with my wife. We'll be spending a few days in Shanghai (probably to let me sober up from jet lag), then flying to Kunming where my wife's family is based. Furthermore, later on this year (October-ish timeframe) my wife and I will be going back to Kunming for a longer period. At this point it's anywhere from 6 months to 2 years, depending on whether my wife wants to help with family business ventures or just learn from them and then start a business in the US. The plans (for me specifically) for that whole adventure are more murky at this point as my wife likes to hand-wave away any of my worries with "you can just teach/tutor English and make tons of money." Sure, okay. I've traveled around the US quite a bit, but my international travel experience is all of a weekend in Vancouver and a cruise to the Bahamas. I am a total novice at this, and as such I'm both scared shitless and incredibly excited. I'm all set up from a Visa standpoint (Q), getting updated on vaccines, VPN and phones I'm not sweating for the two week stint but will revisit before we head out for a longer period of time. My Mandarin is barely above 我不明白你的意思 and my progress is frustratingly slow but I'm making progress nonetheless. Is there anything I should prepare for/worry about/be cognizant of for this two week stay in China? Maybe some etiquette tips that 外国人 paleness won't save me from? Tips for handling a long international flight and/or the jet lag condiment? I'm considering this a dry run to see if I'm man enough to handle China for a longer period of time... I'd like to think I can, but China seems like a place that chews up pudgy pale manchildren and spits them out with opioid addictions and STDs (or maybe that's just Kunming  ).
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Jan 6, 2016 18:09
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Hey, how come I never see roaches in the apartments in china? The outside of the building is completely littered with trash (including food waste), there are chickens on the first floor, the plumbing is basically open sewage. People leave meat/fruit on the table all day in the heat. But I never see any bugs. Are they using some ridiculously strong insecticides or something that I should be concerned about, in addition to everything else being poisonous as poo poo? Or am I missing out on some awesome TCM cockroach/ant repellent deal.
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Jan 6, 2016 20:15
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What do you think the chickens are for?
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Jan 6, 2016 21:46
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My last apartment in Chengdu had roaches. I never noticed them until it got bad, but they were there all along. Edit: there were no chickens, so maybes thats it Tom Smykowski fucked around with this message at 21:50 on Jan 6, 2016 |
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Jan 6, 2016 21:47
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Amergin posted:Hey all, For the two weeks, you'll be fine. Jet lag differs from person to person, it always slays me but maybe you'll be fine. You probably want to use this two week trip as a trial run for what life is going to be like starting later this year. Kunming is pretty big city, so I imagine you'll be able to find other expats there. It looks like there is a Facebook group here. I would recommend you try to develop some kind of plan for your time in China, and I'd be incredibly wary of a plan that is "hey don't worry you'll make a ton of money teaching English", because that's not a plan, that's an idea, and that's not a very real one. I don't really know what you like to do, or what your hobbies are, or anything like that, but perhaps people on the Kunming expat page could point you in the right direction. Enjoy Spring Festival and I'd recommend you ask people in this thread from time to time if you have any specific questions or the like. A lot of people that post here are either married to Chinese nationals or have lived in China for a while so they've done a lot of things that you'll specifically have questions about (setting up a taobao account, setting up a bank account, transferring money home, etc). Along those lines, I'd also recommend you to realize that being a foreigner in China is very different from being a Chinese person. For example, when you're staying in a private residence, you're required by law to register with the police station within 48 hours of your arrival. This is something that the average Chinese person would have zero knowledge of that affects foreigners, so your wife and family may be completely unaware of this. In fact, you probably don't have to do this for your two week stay in Kunming, but it is one of those things you'd have to do if you're going to be here for six months to two years.
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Jan 7, 2016 00:04
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Baddog posted:Hey, how come I never see roaches in the apartments in china? The outside of the building is completely littered with trash (including food waste), there are chickens on the first floor, the plumbing is basically open sewage. People leave meat/fruit on the table all day in the heat. But I never see any bugs. Are they using some ridiculously strong insecticides or something that I should be concerned about, in addition to everything else being poisonous as poo poo? Or am I missing out on some awesome TCM cockroach/ant repellent deal. Where in China are you talking about? Literally every building in Shenzhen and the urban part of Guangzhou has them. The only time I was without them is when one of my apartments got infested by geckos, which eat roaches. So they must have still been there for the geckos to have something to eat, but I stopped seeing them when the geckos moved in.
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Jan 7, 2016 01:23
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Amergin posted:Is there anything I should prepare for/worry about/be cognizant of for this two week stay in China? Maybe some etiquette tips that 外国人 paleness won't save me from? Tips for handling a long international flight and/or the jet lag condiment? I can't think of anything in particular other than "don't be an rear end" and I got away with violating that plenty. Getting around is fairly easy as most places have Chinglish translations, so common sense and using context clues are both great boons. Being pale as gently caress is often a benefit or at least it was in my case, particularly if you're in an area without too many other foreigners. Novelty will make up for many shortcomings. As for jet lag, staying up the entire flight over is hell on Earth, but I beat my fiance back to normal by half a week. I slept most of the way back and I still haven't fully normalized a couple of weeks later.
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Jan 7, 2016 01:31
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fart simpson posted:Where in China are you talking about? Literally every building in Shenzhen and the urban part of Guangzhou has them. The only time I was without them is when one of my apartments got infested by geckos, which eat roaches. So they must have still been there for the geckos to have something to eat, but I stopped seeing them when the geckos moved in. Changsha. Maybe it was the chickens on the first floor keeping the bugs in check, but the chickens didn't look all that healthy/well fed.
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Jan 7, 2016 01:48
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Amergin posted:The plans (for me specifically) for that whole adventure are more murky at this point as my wife likes to hand-wave away any of my worries with "you can just teach/tutor English and make tons of money." Sure, okay. You can't legally work on a Q visa in China. This puts you in a bad position from the start. I'd suggest trying to find a company that'll get you a working visa before you come to China.
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Jan 7, 2016 04:40
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Baddog posted:Hey, how come I never see roaches in the apartments in china? The outside of the building is completely littered with trash (including food waste), there are chickens on the first floor, the plumbing is basically open sewage. People leave meat/fruit on the table all day in the heat. But I never see any bugs. Are they using some ridiculously strong insecticides or something that I should be concerned about, in addition to everything else being poisonous as poo poo? Or am I missing out on some awesome TCM cockroach/ant repellent deal. There's roaches loving everywhere dude. When I move into a new apartment I always put out a ton of poison first thing and the place was Roachwitz for a week or so. I haven't seen any since then, I keep it clean and the poison plentiful, but they're outside a lot. What floor are you on? If you're high enough bugs usually don't get up there. Before this I was in a 30th floor and I never saw any kind of insect. E: They also have a lot of smaller roaches here that are easier to miss. I haven't seen as many of the bigass ones as I did in Korea. Grand Fromage fucked around with this message at 10:38 on Jan 7, 2016 |
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Jan 7, 2016 10:35
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Grand Fromage posted:There's roaches loving everywhere dude. When I move into a new apartment I always put out a ton of poison first thing and the place was Roachwitz for a week or so. I haven't seen any since then, I keep it clean and the poison plentiful, but they're outside a lot. just buy a bunch of house centipedes and let them loose. They'll fix your roach problem
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Jan 7, 2016 11:02
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Magna Kaser posted:just buy a bunch of house centipedes and let them loose. They'll fix your roach problem I don't have a roach problem, that's the thing.
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Jan 7, 2016 11:07
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