Move to China??

Hi Clan,

You've already worked out that Shuangyashan is my little neck of the woods. And don't worry, Shuangyashan (or Double Duck Mountain) is completely unknown to most people. 

Small in size (by Chinese standards), roughtly 1/2 million. Coal mining town. It's about 6hrs by bus from Harbin.

I love it. But instead of boring everyone with all the specifics, if you send me any questions in a pm I'll flood you with info that way. 

Welcome to the saloon. 

LT

Do a lot of research Heals. Then ask here about places you might think are worthwhile. Look at the "Links" page, look at other forums...although this is the only one where the advice is real and trustworthy.....search the internet! Research is your best tool. When you have decided on one, two or three areas, ask about them here. Travel is valuable for kids!

Come join the missus and I in ChangZhou, not too far from the action in Suzhou and Shanghai.  We are enjoying it here at the uni.

Wow, so much to answer here...

Kids: Your kids are really young and that's probably the best age to bring. They're too young to be bored, and may well pick up the language. China can be AGONY for older kids and teens, who have to give up their social set, their cool toys, their TV, etc. and often just aren't as into this place as we are.
Medical care here frankly sucks. A dodgy, unclean, very uncomfortable spectator sport. For a family, (in fact, for anyone) I strongly advise buying expat medical insurance if you possibly can. Chinese doctors are OK for routine day-to-day stuff, but for anything more serious you should be on a plane or train to Hong Kong, Japan, Australia...anywhere but here. Or the USA, which is so expensive that expat insurance won't cover you there except for emergencies. There's a link to an expat insurance company in our Links page, and more can easily be found on Google. I DON'T have this coverage and am wishing I did...I have a 3-year-old who needs ear tubes in and adenoids out, and finding reliable care for her has been agonizing.
Bring kiddie DVDs, books, standard OTC medicines. As many as you can possibly carry.
You can hire half-day or live-in Ayis here very cheaply. Great help with house and kids.

Certificates: This is currently being covered really thoroughly in the Teacher's Tips area. The general concensus seems to be: don't bother. Not for China, anyway.

Finding Jobs: Great choices for this all over the Links page. AsiaXpat is my weapon of choice. Research is indeed very important; we'll be glad to help you get started here if you need us. Bear in mind, though...with a job in China, there will always be a point where you have to just hold your nose, dive in, and hope you made the right choice. There are definitely no guarantees here. English schools, especially private English mills, pop up and disappear again like toadstools. (Hmmm. Toadstools. Not a bad analogy...) There's no way to ever get reliable information on all of them.
There's lots of stuff here, in the Library and elsewhere, to help you make judgments about schools. And we're all just a post away if you need more.

Recruiters: Don't use them. 
              Don't use them. 
              Don't use them. 
Please. Do yourself (and most of the rest of us here) a favor. Stay away from recruiters, no matter who they may be or how wonderful and helpful and sincere they may seem to be. You'll have enough to worry about without adding this completely unnecessary layer. Always deal ONLY with principals from the final employers.
Please. 

Shuangyashan: I'll leave the Resident Expert to handle this one. You'll probably get quite a range of opinions on Inner Mongolia in general...personally, I'd love to travel there more but not sure I'd ever move there. I lived in an adjacent province for a year and that was close enough for me. 
LT, a question: It is as you say a coal mining town, and no doubt burns a lot of coal throughout those long winters. How's the air quality there? With little-bitties, this is an important consideration...

Healey, couples are even more highly sought after than bubbly young women.  Be fussy when job-hunting.  A TEFL cert is good for the actual stuff they teach you, especially if your classroom teaching experience is light (or no-existent); some schools will find you more employable with one, but given y'all are a couple, you won't need it.  If you've taught a lot, don't bother; if not, or "just some", go ahead- it'll make your working life easier, trust me.

Clan, what Raoul said.  But bear in mind you can hire live-in help for peanuts, there will be no shortage of other families for babysitting, play dates and other support, and kids that age soak up languages faster than- some other aborbing thing that soaks in quickly.  Your kids will retain some Chinese for the rest of their lives.

Oh, and children's DVDs are plentiful here, major movies I mean, and so cheap they might as well be free.

Sorry, I should check this area more often.

I've probably answered this in one of my million pm's to Clan....not sure.

Air quality. In the winter coal is burnt for heat. So yes, you do blow a fair amount of black stuff from your nose. However, on the whole the quality is quite good. Much better than Harbin, for example. We don't have days where you can't see your hand in front of your face, due to pollution.

Major movies for kids are indeed plentiful. However, educational shows (Sesame Street, Barney, Mr. Rogers, etc.) and animated TV shows that won't make you retch are quite hard to come by. Bring all you can of these.
And let me burn copies of them for Hope.

There are a lot of things here labelled "Sesame Street" that turn out to be Sesame English. These are actually quite good for young kids from non-English-speaking countries, but will bore all but the very youngest of our kids and will have little of the familiar characters we know and love.