Your opinions about homestay

[Sinealba]

Hi,

I've been offered a job in Shanghai, starting most likely mid-March. I'm still in my home country (France) so the move will be rather sudden.

I spent a year in Beijing as a student in 2003-2004. I lived in a dorm and shared my room with another foreign student. I speak tolerable Mandarin.

I'm considering homestay for my first months in Shanghai for the following reasons, and I'd like those of you with homestay experience (or hear-say experience for that matter) to tell whether my assumptions are correct. Thank you!

1-It'll be less of a hassle to move into an already furnished home (than to look for an appartment)

2-It'll be better for my Chinese (than to live by myself or with non-Chinese room mates) and for my knowledge of Chinese life.

When I was in Beijing I tried to hang out with Mandarin speakers as much as possible but most of them were Japanese or Korean. I made great friends, and the idea is not to pick your friends according to you can get out of them, but I did find it a pity I didn't meet more Chinese people.

3-It'll be less lonely (than living by myself).

Any other suggestions / comments are welcome! Thanks

[mpallard]

Just out of curiosity; what kind of job is it?

[roddy]

My inclination would be to go for a short-term flatshare - someone who's looking for a new flatmate and is willing to take someone on short-term to fill a gap, someone who's going to be away for a while and wants to sublet, etc. If you do opt to go for a homestay, fine, but check out how it's presented to the Chinese partner. It's not unknown for the stayer to think they're getting an all Chinese environment, while the home thinks it's getting a cheap English tutor for little Doudou.

[Sinealba]

Thanks for the replies.

I would be working for a French university with a recently opened "branch" in Shanghai. I would be in charge of international relations and communication. The job description is rather nebulous for the time being and (in my opinion) includes a variety of tasks which couldn't be fit into a realistic schedule if they were all to be carried out appropriately.

The optimistic reason to find behind that is that the project is recent and constantly in progress; the pessimistic explanation would be that my potential boss is over enthusiastic but disorganised.

My greatest qualm is that I wouldn't be signing a contract until I arrive in China (I'm still in France right now). I'd come in with a tourist visa which would be turned into a work visa once I get there. Does this sound like outright crookery?

[Lu]

I don't know, but if it's a French university, how hard can it be to sign a contract with you before you leave? (And if they need you in Shanghai so badly, how come they haven't made living arrangements for you?) Not necessarily crookery, but the care they take of their employees could be better.

[Yang Rui]

I don't know how old you are, but i think homestay suits the younger (maybe pre-university) age-group better than mid-twenties types. I've stayed with three Chinese families throughout my Chinese-learning career, and all have been good experiences, though not without their drawbacks. The main thing that many people would find difficult is the level of responsibility the family may feel for you. This sometimes results in them treating you like a child, wrapping you up in cotton wool so nothing bad can happen to you. So you may have to accept that late nights, meals out with new Chinese friends (of whom your host family may not approve) and general freedom have to be sacrificed. You may also be introduced to the family's group of family and friends, some of whom will no doubt be keen English learners. All this can be great - i don't think a foreign exchange student visiting the UK (where i'm from ) would be treated with such warmth and enthusiasm. However, there's a sense of having no control of your own life for that period. One family seemed to think they owned me for the homestay period, and got upset if i went out with other people, especially other Chinese, who they told me were "huai". Some people will be able to accept that and get a lot out of the experience. Others will find it impossibly suffocating. Now that I'm 26 and speak fluent Chinese, and have a degree of familiarity with Chinese culture, I don't think I could take a homestay. I just need my own space these days. But maybe I would never have reached this point without the positive homestay experiences in the past.

As far as your assumptions are concerned:

1 - i suppose it would be more convenient, but most rented apartments are provided furnished anyway, so moving into a furnished apartment shouldn't be a problem

2 - it would be good for your Chinese, but there are of course other ways to learn

3 - you would certainly be less lonely in the sense of not being alone. Ever. But depending on the family, if you have nothing in common you may feel lonely and out-of-place despite having them around all the time.

The thing about your job contract does seem slightly worrying. It's always better to sign a contract in your home country and get sent to China, I think, just so you know what you're getting into. And if it's a French uni, I don't see why they couldn't arrange this. Plus, I agree with Lu that they should really be making arrangements for you when you arrive - at least an apartment for a couple of months until you can find your own place. How seriously do they take you and this role? The way they arrange your move to China (which is a major thing by any standards) is a key indicator of this.

Good luck.

[roddy]

I'd be wary of the job, but not completely negative. Have you been dealing with anyone actually from the university? It could be anything from an official office with university employed staff, to some study-in-France agency doing a deal with them to use the name and send them students. In your situation I'd want at least to speak with someone employed and working full-time at the university to make sure it's got their full backing, have the contract specify who is responsible for visa expenses, including travel and accommodation should a trip out of the country be necessary, and have my own plan B in case things go wrong. Employment by any 'new' venture is more likely to be problematic, wherever you are.