I have seen enough movies about communist China to make me ask this question. Will I be safe?

Is China Risky? This depends on you and on your attitude to risk. But part of China’s attraction is its relatively low level of political risk. The country is stable (notwithstanding some very localized disputes, largely over land) and we judge the risk of significant unrest posing a risk to foreigners to be low. Equally, central Beijing and Shanghai are relatively safe from crime, apart from petty theft/pick-pocketing, which you will find in any major city.

I know Chinese is a good language to learn. How easy is it to learn the language?

You can teach for EF in China without knowing how to speak Chinese. You will find there to be a strong English speaking population in China and you will be able to navigate easier than you would think. Unlike other languages, Chinese does not have an alphabet so initially the sea of characters can be intimidating. However, the big cities in China have a strong English speaking community and you will soon grow accustomed.

Living in China is a good opportunity to learn Mandarin and we encourage all teachers to take the challenge. Our schools offer daily Mandarin classes with a certified teacher who will work around your class schedule. If you have the will and the inclination to learn, the opportunity is there.

Will I make enough to support myself?

EF offers a competitive salary that offers a good standard of living in China. Our teachers generally find that their salary with EF gives them a purchasing power in China that is much stronger than in their home country.

We have done a cost chart to compare your expendable income as an English teacher in Japan and and China. What we have found is that though you might have a slightly higher expendable income in Japan, your quality of life will be higher in China. You will be able to take taxis, have a maid, get massages, eat out more often, and travel throughout the country.



How easy is it finding all the necessities from home?

Shopping
Believe it or not, China has a much larger metropolitan expatriate population than Japan. It is estimated that in China, there are now over 60,000 foreigners living and working in China, most of them concentrated in the big cities where EF has centres. With larger foreign communities comes more variety in terms of dining out, and shopping. International department stores like Carrefour and Wal-Mart as well as pharmacies like Watson’s are easily accessible. Hankering for some comfort food from home or need western products? Not a problem.

As for dining out, in China you can have dumplings for lunch and authentic Spanish tapas for dinner. In short, China has a abundant international and regional selection of restaurants to choose from.

Internet
DSL connections are cheap and simple to set-up. Generally you will pay about 100-200 RMD for installation and between 100-300 RMB for unlimited access (1400-4400 yen).There are also many internet cafes that offer fast access at around 4 RMB/hour (58 yen/hour)

Bear in mind that access to some website (like BBC and Wikipedia) can sometimes be locked by the authorities—but generally you will have access to most if not all of the sites you may want to surf!