chinese man going to china for the first time

[jimmyk]

i was born in the philippines. knows very little chinese although i am a chinese citizen by birth. i want to settle in mainland china so that my 3 children can take advantage of the economic boom there. my eldest is 3rd year b.s. geography in the university of the phil.diliman campus quezon city. my next child is 1st year b.s.computer science in the university of the phil. in mindanao my youngest and only son is 1st year high school. both of my college children are scholars. i am a college graduate at feati university . went into business but went bunkrupt twice. first in jukebox the 2nd in arcade video games. the swift advancement in electronics easily relegated my units as museum pieces. will somebody please give me some tips and insight on how to go about getting a decent job and settle there for good. i am now 51 years old. thank you in advance for your help.

[Josh2007]

Well, if you are a citizen, they will certainly let you in, but as for finding a job if you can't speak Chinese: you may be restricted to teaching English. I know there are Filipinos teaching English in China. Also: be prepared for some surprise that you are Chinese but can't speak Chinese...

Maybe you can enrol on a language course somewhere and then think about opening a restaurant or something like that.

[shanghaikai]

jimmyk, have you consulted with your children on the possibility of the move? What are their thoughts concerning relocation, especially at an older age and presumably without any Chinese language training?

[jimmyk]

to josh2007..............I know a lot of filipinos teaching english in china with zero knowledge of the chinese language. what i am planning is to set up some business there concerning food supply. They got over i billion mouths to feed. poultry raising specifically. I don't want to be involve in any high tech lines for the time being. I got burned twice in that field you know. can you give me some tips about being an english teacher in china?

thanks so much for taking the time to respond.

To shanghakai...........Yes I have consulted with them and they are very excited about it. They know that my main purpose in going to china is to get them some advantage over other filipinos planning to go to china and get a good job. I can request the PROC government to change their citizenship to chinese if it would be wise. what do you think?

thank you for your concern.

[Josh2007]

Filipinos teaching English: realistically speaking, smaller places in the West of China would be your best bet. The larger cities and the more prosperous cities will be aiming for Americans/Canadians and, at a pinch, Britons. I heard of Filipinos teaching English in the mountain town of Zhaojue in the south of Sichuan. You might also try places like Gansu province. I am sorry this doesn't sound too positive: your English may be perfect, but Chinese schools still want someone who looks and sounds like a North American. But it can still be done. Some people on this board can give some advice I expect. I think the easiest way is just to turn up and try to find jobs in schools. I know the Star School in Kunming takes Israeli teachers of English, so you could try there as well.

[cdn_in_bj]

It wasn't clear from your post if you are planning to come over here by yourself first to get settled in and have your children join you later, or if you intend to bring your children here all at once.

If it's the latter, what effect will this move have on your children's schooling? I'm guessing they speak very little Chinese, if any. I think it would be wiser for them to finish their education in the Philippines, and perhaps even get a few years of work experience in their respective fields before moving to China. Or is the job situation there that bleak?

But on the otherhand, I can imagine how difficult it will be to split up the family. Your elder college children should be able to deal with it much better, but your youngest has just entered highschool. Maybe he could move in with one of his sisters (it sounds like they are in different cities). Anyways, you know your children better than we do.

One thing you didn't mention is if you still have relatives on the mainland? Or perhaps have filipino friends who have already made the move. That will help to make the transition easier for you. I also think it helps that your children are mostly grown up - the financial risks for you should be lower. Whatever you decide I wish you best of luck!

[jimmyk]

to josh2007...............I do look like somebody from europe. Many filipinos who see me the first time mistakenly thought i am caucasian. Maybe it is because my mother is half spanish. My english is perfect and i can copy some western accent with ease, even that of texas. I attended a primary school run by canadian sisters here in davao then in high school it was a school run by the american jesuits. I have an engineering diploma. I graduated way back 1979. I took electronics as a second course but quit on the last semester due to campus violence. So you think teaching english would be the easiest way for me to enter the job market?

to cdn in bj...............My college children are working part time tutoring korean nationals here. Both of them can speak and read chinese. They even know how to use the chinese dictionary. I have sent them to chinese schools before i went bancrupt,but my son knows nothing about chinese language. Work is hard to get here and the pay is 245 pesos a day that is roughly less than 50 RMB and the prices of foods are always going up.The children would have to graduate here first then go to china later.

thanks for your comment.

[Josh2007]

Jimmyk, it sounds like you could make it teaching English, and you can get 100 yuan an hour for teaching English, much more than the pay in the Philippines by the sound of it.

[gato]

Yeah, it probably won't be that hard for you to find a English-teaching position in a place like Shanghai, for instance. Go for a Californian accent rather than Texan, though.

[jimmyk]

to josh2007 and gato.................

thanks for the assessment of my chances of making it in the big cities. And a bigger thanks still for the encouraging words and tips.

[LeafAndSunshine]

Just out of curiosity, do you actually hold a current PRC passport?

I'd suggest that you come to live in PRC for a few months to just see how things are, chances are that at the end of your initial stay you will realize that PRC really is not for you and you could probably avoid lots of trouble in the future.

In terms of opportunities, wouldn't it be better to try Taiwan first? I'm sure the pay and living standards would be much higher over there than anywhere in PRC.

Oh, I also think that it might be a good idea to let your children finish their education in the Philippines, you don't want them to delay their education because of language issues.

[jimmyk]

to leafandSunshine.............No, I don't have any passport yet because i am weighing my options whether to get a taiwan or mainland passport. I don't have any problems about my documents here. It's complete since my birth and all are in proper order. The only thing I have to do is apply for a passport. My father (still alive at 80 yrs. old) is a PRC passport holder. He is from Guangdong province and he is requesting me to find his youngest sister.

The only one left in China during the communist takeover. They last saw each other in 1976 when the philippines normalized its relationship with china. He tried to take her out of the country that time but the communist gov't won't allow it. He went to china again in2002 september but he couldnt locate his sister anymore. My mom died march 2002 and my aunt is the only one left as a link to the bitter past of my father. The rest of his family died during the japanese invasion of the philippines in world war II. He got five bayonet wounds, one of which went right through his back, that keeps haunting him from a distant but crystal clear pass. He keeps on telling us, his children, that China under the communist or the kuomintang doesn't matter to him, must be strong. An industrial complex is now in the site where their house once stood. It's the main reason why PRC is top most on my mind. Maybe its high time for me to trace my roots.

thanks to you leafandSunshine.

[LeafAndSunshine]

Hi jimmyk,

Wow, what a story that you have! I feel very sorry for the ordeal that your family endured for in the last century, I think it's worthy of a movie.

I think having a ROC (Taiwan) passport may be a better option for you and your family economically, and I doubt having a ROC password would become a significant hurdle for you if you ever decide to conduct business or live in PRC.

Good luck.

-LnF

[cdn_in_bj]

In terms of opportunities, wouldn't it be better to try Taiwan first? I'm sure the pay and living standards would be much higher over there than anywhere in PRC.

That's a very general statement to make, and one that I don't necessarily agree with...

[LeafAndSunshine]

^^ yes it is a very general statement, however, why would you disagree? Would you have any personal experience to share?

[adrianlondon]

Taiwan's job market and financial situation is very stable but I've been told that, probably due to this, the job market is very quiet at the moment.

For someone coming in from abroad and hoping to find a niche, maybe make some quick money off the rapid expansion, then the mainland is a better bet.

If you already have marketable skills and some experience and/or a solid education then Taiwan will offer you more stability and more chance to enter the job market at the level you expect.

All the above are assumptions and generalisations. You can make it, or fall flat on your arse, anywhere ;)

[roddy]

We've got discussion on living in Taiwan or the PRC elsewhere, jimmyk's reasons for choosing China seem pretty clear. Not sure we need to rehash an old discussion.

[jimmyk]

to: leafAndSunshine/cdn in bj/adrianlondon..........and roddy too...........

Could I get better pay if I teach other subjects? I am an aeronautics graduate and would like to teach science or mathemathics. I turned down an offer by the University of the Philippines to teach Physics in their Mindanao campus because I would be relocating to China (soon I hope). That decision really pissed off my daughters. They just missed out on the "bragging rights" opportunity..........hahahahaha. Anyway--thanks guys. It's nice to know that theres a lot of people out there in cyber space who would take the time to be of whatever help to a faceless stranger like me.

[cdn_in_bj]

Sorry, it was not my intent to drag this off-topic. My point is that if you're going to make broad statements like that regarding pay and living standards, then you should provide some datapoints to help out the OP.

For example, what is the pay range for English teachers in Taipei? How about private tutoring? What kind of other jobs are available to foreigners with a strong background in the sciences? How much does it cost to rent a 1-bedroom apartment? How about a 3-bedroom apartment (his kids will be joining him later)? What is the cost to buy an apartment (he has stated his intent to settle long-term)? What are the restrictions on foreigners or PRC passport holders to buying property?

And I'll do my part to supply some figures for Beijing:

Pay range for English teachers (I have no experience so this is 2nd-hand info): 6000-12000 RMB/month depending on qualifications, type of school and hours

Private tutoring (again, 2nd-hand info): 100-150 RMB/hour

Jobs available to foreigners with a strong background in the sciences: I'm not sure, unless it is in a specialized field, then maybe teaching. I tend to agree with Adrian that there are probably more opportunities here for foreigners looking to start a business.

Cost to rent a 1-bedroom apartment: 1500-3500 RMB/month depending on area and level of "luxury". Size is around 45-60 sq m

Cost to rent a 3-bedroom apartment: 3500-22000 RMB/month depending on area and level of "luxury". Size is around 140-170 sq m

Cost to buy an apartment: 5000-25000 RMB/sq m depending on area/proximity to city center and level of "luxury"

Restrictions on foreigners or RoC (Taiwan) passport holders to buying property: Foreigners are restricted to buying one property "for their own use" (meaning that you are not allowed to rent it out) and must have resided on the mainland for at least a year. RoC and HK passport holders apparently have much less restrictions to buying property on the mainland, but I don't know the details of this.

I hope that jimmyk finds this useful. If not, then I'll stop and shut up now.

[jimmyk]

To leafAnd Sunshine...........

It is the first time that somebody from the mainland did furnish me information regarding salary and expected expenses. What I know about those things are from the internet. These information are valuable to me so please do not stop helping. I am way way low on cash due to my bancruptcy, but I own some real estate properties here and at the present market value it would amount to roughly around 7 million pesos. 1 RMB = 5.70 pesos so if I sell them I can purchase a small house in China. Do you think it would be enough ?

thanks