alipally67
From: United Kingdom
8/30/2007 12:23 EST
Hi my husband has been offered a job in Beijing, we have two children (girls) and obviously this would be a huge step for us and rather scary at the moment, still in the deciding stage - we live in England. What sort of money would you need to earn to have a good standard of living in Beijing and does anyone have any comments about the place - there is a possibility he could get work in Hong Kong instead. I would appreciate any advice. Thank you.
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tazmeyer
From: Singapore
8/30/2007 14:32 EST
Hi there,
I am currently living in Beijing and have been here for about 16 months. I'm not sure how to answer your question about standard of living - it ultimately is what you are used to.
There is a large expat community in Beijing - many have housing allowances and incomes that exceed what is possible to make in their home countries but their "standards" have now been raised....they live in compounds (Shunyi area), have maids and drivers and their children go to international schools. Is this what you are looking for?
If you decide to move here, there are many areas of town to consider - most expats live in the Chaoyang District.
Many expats also come here on much lower salaries and still consider their standard of living to be rich. Taxi's are cheap and easy to use once you know a bit of mandarin but there are taxi books for sale that have major destinations written in English and Chinese so you can get by with knowing little or no chinese - my recommendation though is that you learn at least some as it will make your life much, much easier. A good website for language is www.chinesepod.com.
Food is relatively inexpensive if you shop the local markets but there are supermarkets that cater specifically to westerners. There is Walmart and Carrefor so you can get most of the things that you are used to from home.
Overall, Hong Kong is much cleaner and an easier place to live but my understanding is that it is much more expensive to live there.
There is another website you should browse through - www.thatsbj.com There are forums there where you can ask specific questions about topics of concern and you can research the archives for questions that may have already been addressed. The website is developed by the company that publishes the That's Beijing book - a bible of information for anyone new to the city.
Feel free to ask other questions as they arise.
Good luck with your decision.
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tazmeyer
From: Singapore
8/30/2007 14:33 EST
Whoops...the bible of information is actually called "Insiders Guide to Beijing" - there was a Google Ad for it on this site.
Cheers!
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minimconsulting
From: United Kingdom
9/7/2007 04:37 EST
Please see my book "Living and Working in China", How to Books, Oxford, UK, available on Amazon
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alipally67
From: United Kingdom
9/16/2007 07:46 EST
Hi thank you for responding.
I think the move will be taking place although unsure of a date. How do you find the weather, smog etc and do you enjoy your life in BJ?
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minimconsulting
From: United Kingdom
9/30/2007 04:47 EST
I very much enjoyed life in BJ, preferring it to Shanghai, and have just come back from a return trip (as a tourist). The pollution is worsening and shows no sign of abating, despite the government's efforts: the average Chinese motorist seems disinclined to reduce carbon emissions, judging from the unsuccessful attempt at a "no car day" last week. Best wishes - Minim Consulting
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