Students allowed to work? Part time that is?

[Awais Kazi]

well, someone told me 1400 yuans are not really enough to make a living outta it .. so just wondering if a CSC scholarship student allowed to work? part time job is what Im asking about? what about teaching English to people or something similar eh?

[cheung3k]

1400 yuan *can* be enough depending on where in china you are going, and type of lifestyle you are going to live.

I have a friend in Tianjin on the CSC scholarship. He gets by fine with the 1400 a month. I myself am a bit more of a lavish spender and plan to do alot of exploring during the year I'm there... so I have saved money to subsidize the stipend. (I am going to Beijing btw)

As far as working on the side... I'm not sure if you can find an actual "job" because you would be going to china on a student X visa, not a work visa. If you're competent in english you could probably tutor some schoolmates and charge them by the hour.

[fanglu]

1400 yuan *can* be enough depending on where in china you are going, and type of lifestyle you are going to live.

I second this. I didn't spend my entire stipend each month when living in Xi'an (excluding travel). Remember 1400rmb is higher than the average income in many areas in China.

You are not allowed to work on a student visa, but there are always employers who will look the other way.

[prateeksha]

I have been wondering the same. While 1400 seems too less for some, I'm coming there entirely on my own, so gotta earn my own pocket money there.

Thing is, I'm an Indian. Can I get a job as an English tutor? My knowledge of English in spoken, reading and written is excellent. Or something like a job at a fast food chain?

[Awais Kazi]

@prateeksha

we both are on the same boat buddy .. I've heard positive responses from the people who got the scholarship last year .. they always say 1400 yuans are enough .. khair, we'll see what we can do and what are our option once we get there in China ..

[joshuawbb]

I don't know exactly what the CSC scholarship provides, but I presume it at least includes accommodation.

Under the idea that it doesn't provide free food, 1400 should be fine to cover you depending on what you plan to do. If you plan to do weekly shopping at a supermarket and cook everythig at home - that is, if you have cooking facilities, then set yourself between 600 and 800 per month for food shopping, or 150 to 200 per week. That provides me more than enough at Tesco, often I spend less. That leaves you 600 to 800 left over for whatever else you need.

If you plan to follow a large portion of single Chinese young workers and eat 3 meals per day at small restaurants (5 to 20 yuan meals, depending on city), set yourself 900 to 1200, or 30 to 40 yuan per day for these meals. This is obviously more expensive and won't leave you much over for other things. On the other hand, if you're eating your meals at campus canteens (which are great) you can usually save a fortune given how cheap they tend to be. Lunches for 5 yuan and under. I say the majority of Chinese young workers follow this lifestyle because those working on lower or average wages in jobs not providing a dormitory or meals tend to save money by living in small apartments without cooking facilities. Spend more on apartment, less on food, or less on apartment and more on food.

I digress. Basically, if you're not planning on splashing out on anything, i.e. not going down to the bar twice a week, etc, then I can see 1400 doing you fine for most things.

Oh, and have a great time!

[prateeksha]

joshuawbb, thank you so much for the insight. Will help a great deal in planning finances.

Awais, "khair"? Kahan se ho aap!?

[Awais Kazi]

@ prateeksha

lol .. I'm from Pakistan buddy .. aap ka neighbor hoon ji you're from india if I'm not wrong?

[prateeksha]

Awais, check your private message

[anonymoose]

There's no chance of getting a job in a fast-food kind of joint, or any other job with a high profile for that matter. You may be able to get a job teaching English, but frankly, with the number of native English speakers available, I wouldn't put an awful lot of hope in that either.

[rezaf]

Or you can teach urdu if you find the right people. I also thought that no one wanted to learn anything but English or some other European languages but now I have language exchange partners and students who want to learn Farsi.

[Awais Kazi]

wow, really? thats great then .. Yeah I can teach Urdu ..

[Dr.Haseeb Sattar]

Hello Folks..

I am Clinical Pharmacist by Profession but i am teaching Bio+Chem of 11th and 12th classes from 7 years..

so is this is possible that can i teach these subjects as a part time job?

[crisgee]

Hey guys,

I just finished my 2 year Chinese language scholarship here in Beijing and the CSC always gave us RMB 1700 every month, plus an extra one-time RMB 1500 at the start of the year. So for your first month you will get around RMB 3200. If you're a masters or phd student, your monthly stipend should be higher.

Repeating what was said above, it depends on what kind of lifestyle you want to live. If you eat at the cafeteria everyday where the food is very cheap and the portions are big then you'll probably just spend 400 a month. But if you like to eat in restaurants with your friends or cook food with them you'll probably gonna have to spend some more. Then you can use the rest of your money for clothes, stuff for the house, drinking water, etc etc. For me it was just enough. When i wanted to travel or go out at night I usually dug into my personal savings.

As for getting a job, it IS illegal, but the law is largely ignored. You can even tell your teachers that you have a part time job and they won't care. They would even be impressed sometimes. And like a lot of things in China, it's not wrong until you get caught. So i think it's best to keep it on the down low and be ready to cover your a** if it ever gets dangerous.