Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Useful websites for expats
China Business World
W
www.cbw.com. A corporate directory site with a useful
travel section, detailing tours and allowing you to book flights and hotels.
Expat Shanghai
www.expatsh.com. Bags of useful info for the baffled big nose -
how to register your pet, what's on TV, and so on.
Green Monkey
W
W
www.greenmonkey.com.cn. Handy business portal, with lots of
links.
Shanghai-ed
www.shanghai-ed.com. Clunkily designed but useful site aimed at
expats, with a large classified and jobs section
W
are plenty of agents, and many advertise in
the expat magazines. When you move in you
must register with the local PSB office.
need to either be employed by a foreign
company or start your own business.
Studying
Teaching and other work opportunities
Private schools aimed at teaching business
people how to get by in Chinese include the
Panda
Various schemes are run to place foreign
teachers in Chinese educational institutions
- contact your nearest Chinese embassy
(see p.35 for addresses) for details, or the
organizations given below. Some employers
ask for a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign
Language) qualification, though a degree, or
simply the ability to speak the language as a
native, is usually enough. You can also study
for your TEFL in Shan
ghai (details at
School
(
T
62376298,
W
www
.pandachinesetraining.com) and Mandarin
House (
www.mandarinhouse
.cn). Both offer a wide range of courses and
private tuition. Enjoy Mandarin (
T
62882308,
W
T
52300060,
W
www.enjoymandarin.com) has a course in
Chinese culture - chess, calligraphy and so
on - as well as language.
W
www
.windsorschools.co.uk/tefl-shanghai.html).
Teaching at a university, you'll earn about
¥2500 a month, more than your Chinese
counterparts do, though your workload of
around twenty hours a week is correspond-
ingly heavier. The pay isn't enough to allow
you to put much aside, but is bolstered by
on-campus accommodation. Contracts are
generally for one year. Most teachers find
their students keen, hardworking, curious
and obedient. However, avoid talking about
religion or politics in the classroom, as this
could get you into trouble.
You'll earn more - up to ¥150 per hour - in
a private school, though be aware of the
risk of being ripped off (you might be given
more classes to teach than you've signed up
for, for example). Check out the institution
thoroughly before committing yourself.
There are plenty of jobs available for
foreigners in Shanghai, with a whole section
of expat society surviving as actors, cocktail
barmen, “Chinglish” correctors, models,
freelance writers and so on - the bottom
section. To really make any money here, you
Useful resources
Chinatefl
W
www.chinatefl.com. Gives a good
overview of English teaching opportunities in the
Chinese public sector.
Council on International Educational
Exchange
W
www.ciee.org. Exchange programmes
for US students of Mandarin or Chinese studies, with
placements in Shanghai.
Teach Abroad
W
www.teachabroad.com. Website
on which you can post your CV.
Zhaopin
W
www.zhaopin.com. Huge jobs site, in
Chinese and English.
Mail
Main post offices are open seven days a
week between 9am and 7pm; smaller offices
may close for lunch or at weekends. The
International Post Office is at 276 Suzhou
Bei Lu (7am-10pm daily). This is where
poste restante letters end up (have letters
addressed to you c/o Poste Restante, GPO,
Shanghai). There are other convenient post
offices inside the Shanghai Centre on
Nanjing Xi Lu and on Huangpi Bei Lu at the
intersection with Jiangyin Lu.
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