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Q: How much would you expect to spend in 'start up' costs in your first month?
I'll be coming to China from Korea in a couple of weeks. I'm not sure how much to bring with me or leave in my bank account. Any tips on start up expenditure would be great.
What would you expect your first months expenditure to be?
How much did you spend to get yourself settled? (I know this will vary in terms of expectancy but just generally speaking) What were the hidden expenses that you encountered?
I will going to a small(ish) city in Shandong so not a Tier 1 city. I have an apartment ready for me and i wont be buying any transport for a few months - maybe a bike.
Thanks a lot folks.
It will be a balance between your local situation, your expectations and your ability to manage the unexpected. China is too huge with too many differences per region for anyone to pretend answer your question acurately.
I'd say for optimal security, bring at least 10.000 to 20.000.
alright guys cheers.
What were your costs etc? What did you need to buy that you thought would have been taken care of etc etc??
I think where my biggest expenses came in was not knowing the city well enough. So the first few weeks I was eating expensively etc because I didn't know what stuff should cost and where to find cheap (and good) food.
Also, starting up in any situation has its costs. When you move into a new place you have all the start up life costs such as bedding, cutlery, crockery, bin bags, brooms etc etc etc.
When I first moved to Shanghai (my first stop in China) I spent a sh*t load because I didn't know better, then when I moved to Beijing it was much better because I was more aware. So I think it depends on how quickly you settle in. I think finding a person who has been there for a while will help.
i arrived in jinan apr 6, 2010 and spent 400 dollars in 5 weeks but the school had many teachers to show me where to eat and how to get cheap buses to work, my first check was the 15th of may, and then my expenses actually started going down except for travel and women, good luck to you. now live in tier 4 in shandong and even cheaper than jinan.
royceH:
Tier 1 city in Shandong? Nah.. You must mean Qingdao and that's tier 2. Or is it 3? Bit it's not 1.
ambivalentmace:
mistype gaomi city is tier 4 , to much typing today, gaomi is actually scheduled to be annexed into qingdao in the next 4 years, the train station will be renamed qingdao west station, hell the qingdao airport is actually closer to gaomi than to qingdao. i know a few of the urban planners here and thats the dirt im hearing from them.
Well, if you are expecting your pay after 1 month from arrival... and you live frugally for that first month... I would say...
About 4 000 - 6 000 RMB should do you quite fine.
When I first came to China, I came with only 2000 RMB in my pocket and I made it through without any issues. But that was 7 years ago and to a lower-tier city. So, 4-6k should do you just fine.
You won't need much, mate. A pillow, sheets, a bed cover. A mattress cover is a good idea too.
Stuff for washing clothes, dishes.
A couple of thousand for food and drink (eat local until you sort yourself out over the ensuing months).
As you walk about the city you'll soon discover what buses you need.
And that's it.
5,000 will be plenty.
What city are you going to?
In any case, good luck to you!
aw0101:
In the middle of butt feck nowhere. A place called Dongying. My mate works in the city and he sorted it out. I was getting the run around from agents so i told them to bolt. My mate will give me a hand about town etc but i dont want to keep bugging him with 100 q's etc and thats just bad form anyways.. My initial plan was 15k to make sure all is good and i didnt run into any unforeseen issues. Korea threw a ton at me when i first arrived here!
cheers
ambivalentmace:
dongying is an oil and steel town that smells like money(oil) 24 hours a day, many well paid oil workers and the cost is higher than jinan, as well as the pay, the pay is better cause nobody wants to work there. my recommendation is to stick it out, network, and move on to another city when you can, if you can put up with the smell, the side work of private lessons for kids going abroad can be quite profitable, have a friend making more on privates than the schools there, depending on how hard you want to work. my company has a school there also, let you know if they need another teacher.
Is your school paying for your medical exam? That was a hidden cost when I first arrived. Even if not, you should be plenty safe with 6000RMB (~$1000)
