Start Up Costs Needed for China (Shenzhen) before and after arrival.
One of the most important thing you need to consider when you move to China is your start up cost. It's considerably more than what you need to move to many other countries for teaching English. We've kept track of some of the costs needed. A lot we had prepared for, but a lot we didn't :(. Start Up Costs (These costs are until pay day, which is usually middle of the following month of teaching on average):
*Accommodation (Housing Allowance is on average 2500rmb):
Accommodation Rent (2 months') - 5000rmb
Deposit (2 months' value) - 5000rmb
Agent fees (1/2 of rent) - 1250rmb
*Visa Paperwork:
Visa (on arrival) - 1000rmb on average (Each country is different)
Resident Permit - 400rmb
Foreign Expert Certificate photos - 50rmb
Health check - 480rmb
*China (Shenzhen) Life:
Transit card + top up - 200rmb Phone - 200rmb (could vary - we went with the cheapest)
Electric, Gas, Water, Management Fee bills - 500rmb
Food & Household products - 2500rmb (est. 500rmb/week - could be more if you eat out, especially with western cuisine )
Approximate Total Cost Per Person = 17,000rmb (2500USD / 2000GBP) Remember! A majority of these costs you'll need to pay in cash, especially with the accommodation.In addition, Visa, American Express Mastercards and traveller's Cheques are almost never accepted. Check out the video version of this post with a more in depth explanation below: