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Newbies to be in Shanghai - help need info!

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Fen09

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Joined: Oct 05, 2009
Posts: 27

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Posted: Oct 05, 2009 - 11:13 AM
Post subject: Newbies to be in Shanghai - help need info!

I may be new to Shanghai in January 2010.. and I have a few questions. Some may seem trivial, but I feel that a couple of creature comforts will help me adjust so any info and help would be greatly appreciated.

I am a 32 yr old that will be traveling with my Husband, he has a job waiting for him.
Our salary is for around 400,000 CNY. Can we live with just his income alone? Is that equal to what an uneffected (if you know what I mean? I'm not shopping at high end stores and running out for the lastest Coach bags), reasonable person from the west would consider a "comfortable" living?

I have some college under me, but no degree. I am licensed in the States as a Cosmetologist. I need to know what kind of work there will be for me to pick up realistically. Bartending, waitressing job? Other possible jobs? Others have suggested teaching english (how realistic is that for someone with no degree)?

Vaccinations? Do we need them? Has anyone not bothered to get them?

Is the water really an issue?

Here comes the trivial stuff (these are the only "high end" products I'll be looking for that I'm prepared to give up, but I'd thought I'd at least ask about..) Can I Dr.Hauschka skincare, AVEDA, and organic products (soap, cleaners, good vitamins, soy milk products)?

I need to know what I should be stocking up on now and be prepared to bring with me. Shoes in my size (9)? Tampons? My skincare, shampoo/ conditioner. Everything else I can adapt to...

We've been told to stay in a hotel the first few months as to get to know the area, so we may find a place in an area we like. What hotels are best for that time of situation? We know we have to be on the east side of the river. Where to buy furniture when the time comes?

Any answers, suggestions, opinions, advice would be welcome and appreciated!

Kirishima

Barker

Joined: Oct 22, 2008
Posts: 175

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Posted: Oct 05, 2009 - 11:30 AM

you can probably work at one of the high end spas in the high end hotels. On a freelance basis.

dragond69

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Posts: 426
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Posted: Oct 05, 2009 - 11:39 AM

On that salary you can both live very comfortably without you needing to find a job. You can find jobs fairly easily here as a cosmetologist but don't expect to get paid anything close to what your used to. As for shots been here pushing 7 years and never needed one. Been sick 5 times in almost 7 years and all it took was some rest to cure me. Water is no problem, bottled water i all over and every home i've been to has water delivered. Bring all the things you normally use from home. Many things here are available but not always in stock. Organic stuff bring your own. Vitamins are no problem to find here. Soy milk is available easily enough. Not exactly the same flavor as back home but drinkable.
Bring shoes that you like and you can buy more or have them made here cheap. Tampons are here. Not very popular though. Watsons carries them that i've noticed. Skincare there is a wide range of products available. Shampoo and conditioner depends on the brand. Head and Shoulders, Adidas, Panteen and other brands are available.

Don't waste money on a hotel. Figure out where your husband is working and find a place close by. In Pudong many people like Jinqiao. Furniture is not a problem as most places come furnished. Any additions you can pick up at Ikea.

Cheers and welcome to Shanghai

Klick

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Posted: Oct 05, 2009 - 12:35 PM
Post subject: Re: Newbies to be in Shanghai - help need info!

Fen09 wrote:

I am a 32 yr old that will be traveling with my Husband, he has a job waiting for him.
Our salary is for around 400,000 CNY. Can we live with just his income alone? Is that equal to what an uneffected (if you know what I mean? I'm not shopping at high end stores and running out for the lastest Coach bags), reasonable person from the west would consider a "comfortable" living?

It depends. Does that salary include your housing costs? Insurance? Also 'comfortable' is very relative. How often do you want to eat out? Go on holidays? etc etc.

Fen09 wrote:

I have some college under me, but no degree. I am licensed in the States as a Cosmetologist. I need to know what kind of work there will be for me to pick up realistically. Bartending, waitressing job? Other possible jobs? Others have suggested teaching english (how realistic is that for someone with no degree)?

You can probably find a job teaching English but with no degree and no TEFL certificate you won't be the most preferred candidate, and you won't make as much money as someone who does, not that they make a huge amount either. So it's the sort of job you can have if you just want something to keep you busy and have something to put on your CV to show how you spent your time in Shanghai, but it won't be a huge supplement to your income. Personally, I would say, if you can make it on his salary alone, and you are both emotionally OK with him being the sole breadwinner, your time here might be better spent doing things that will allow you to explore your interests and develop as a person. There are numerous charities here in which one might become involved. Learn Mandarin. Take Chinese cooking classes. Get out and wander around different neighbourhoods with a camera and a notebook and start writing about your experiences. You presently have the luxury of not having a child whose needs you must put before your own; make the most of that and use this time to be open to the full experience of being here rather than in some dull job, if you are able. Just my opinion.

Fen09 wrote:

Vaccinations? Do we need them? Has anyone not bothered to get them?

I never got any. I was under the impression none in particular were required.

Fen09 wrote:

Is the water really an issue?

Yes. It's an issue, but not a problem.

Fen09 wrote:

Here comes the trivial stuff (these are the only "high end" products I'll be looking for that I'm prepared to give up, but I'd thought I'd at least ask about..) Can I Dr.Hauschka skincare, AVEDA, and organic products (soap, cleaners, good vitamins, soy milk products)?

You can get anything here if you are willing to pay for it. (That's where that 'comfortable is relative' bit comes in.) I did a big drugstore-shop before the movers came and shipped a bunch of my favourite products with our stuff, enough for a few months, so I had some to last me until I could find where to get what I wanted here.

Fen09 wrote:

I need to know what I should be stocking up on now and be prepared to bring with me. Shoes in my size (9)? Tampons? My skincare, shampoo/ conditioner. Everything else I can adapt to...

Shoes are hit or miss. I'm roughly the same shoe size; sometimes I can find my size, sometimes I can't. The one thing I didn't bring with me that I wish I had stocked up on is ready-to-use waxing strips - they are available here but expensive and come like 4 strips in a box. (4! what the hell can I wax with 4 strips?!?!?)

Fen09 wrote:

We've been told to stay in a hotel the first few months as to get to know the area, so we may find a place in an area we like. What hotels are best for that time of situation? We know we have to be on the east side of the river. Where to buy furniture when the time comes?

Don't even worry about where to buy furniture yet. You will likely end up renting a furnished place. And even if you don't it's fine, there are plenty of places to buy furniture here. There are plenty of places to buy EVERYTHING here. Seriously, you will be shocked at how much stuff there is to buy here, and how many places there are to buy it. I am not sure about residence hotels in the area as we didn't need one, hopefully someone else will come along who can give you advice about that.

Do you know which area your husband will be working in? This will have a lot to do with where you settle. Also keep in mind what sort of lifestyle you want to have. Will you have a car and driver? If so, you can probably live just about anywhere, so it really depends on how you want to live. Do you want peace and quiet, or do you want nightlife and restaurants? To use myself as an example, we're not car people; I like urban living and was keen that we didn't live someplace where it was necessary to have a car to get anywhere. Also we like to go out and wanted to be somewhere where we'd have some choice of places to go. As my husband's job is in Lujiazui, we decided to live in this area, because he could walk to work and we have great public transport links, and there are plenty of things to see and do on our doorstep. I can walk my daughter to school and then basically get anywhere I want to be really easily. However if you want a more suburban lifestyle, going someplace further out like Jinqiao might be more suitable. It's not to my taste but there are a lot of expats there - not sure though what the social life is like for people without kids.

There's a nice woman named Adrienne who posts here who is an estate agent who helped us find our place, as well as many others here. She worked patiently with my husband (who came over first) to help him identify the type of places that would best suit our family and our lifestyle. If your husband's company does not have an agent that they insist you work with (and I really hope for your sake they don't), my advice is don't hesitate to get in touch with Adrienne, she is a gem.

Humac
StreetBeater

Joined: July 07, 2007
Posts: 2269

Posted: Oct 05, 2009 - 01:02 PM
Post subject: Re: Newbies to be in Shanghai - help need info!

Fen09 wrote:

Vaccinations? Do we need them? Has anyone not bothered to get them?

See your doctor. I did, and he recommended protection against a few things, can't remember what now, it was two years ago. But I'm still healthy and it wasn't expensive.

I'd also recommend some time in a hotel early on...you'll only need a couple of weeks at most to get an idea of where's best to live.

adonkey

Newbie

Joined: Oct 05, 2009
Posts: 1

Status: Offline

Posted: Oct 05, 2009 - 09:43 PM

hi fen09. I am a chinese and also work in pudong with high paying. Being an engineer, i am a little bit unsocialable but warm hearted. I think I can help you with all these things and problems.
As an exchange, I want to learn native english from you and enlarge my circles. I've got a family. We look for long-term friendship.
feel free to contact me.
msn: litdonkey@hotmail.com
phone: 13585943742

BenJ

Reacher

Joined: July 08, 2009
Posts: 237
Location: France, Lyon - PRC, Shanghai
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Posted: Oct 05, 2009 - 10:17 PM

adonkey wrote:

Being an engineer, i am a little bit unsocialable

Fen09

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Posted: Oct 06, 2009 - 02:51 AM

I'm sorry, I miss typed.. We'll be on the west side of the river. That is the side my Husband's company is located.

Thanks to for the info so far.. Any more info you come up with will be greatly appreciated.

Fen09

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Posts: 27

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Posted: Oct 06, 2009 - 02:54 AM

Oh.. Fyi.. Someone asked in an earlier reply.. The company is providing a housing expense outside of our salary that I stated.

condesa

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Joined: Aug 02, 2009
Posts: 420
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Posted: Oct 06, 2009 - 03:35 AM
Post subject: Re: Newbies to be in Shanghai - help need info!

Fen09 wrote:

Yes, both of you can live well on this salary, however you won't be able to buy Coach purses on a daily basis, at least the 'real' ones Wink

You can probably find a job, but without a college degree salary will be low compared to your husbands, so mainly to keep you entertained but not something very serious in terms of supplemental income.

Trivial stuff: You got Sephora (several of them) plus some nice malls here so you should be able to find your favorite make-up/ cosmetic brands. In addition in standard supermarkets you can find L'oreal, Neutrogena and other regular brands. Believe it or not, this place is quite 'civilized'.

About stocking up, I suggest you to bring stuff that you are going to need for at least 3 months until you get around so you don't have the extra stress of chasing stuff (like Tampons, Deodorant, Shampoo, Hair product, favorite cosmetics, etc). If there is something you need to seriously stock up to last you until next trip back home is over the counter medicine like (Tylenol, Midol, flu medicine, antiacid, etc, etc), keep in mind that those things may not be as easy to find as they are at home or may require a trip to the doctor. Any prescription medication that you typically take, you should also stock up as well including birth control.
Regarding shoes, keep in mind that locals are smaller than us so size 9 is not going to be as easy to find as back home, for sure bring the shoes you will need for an entire year(including rain boots cause it rains a lot), and then you can have fun shopping or getting custom made shoes. I'm new in town so I have not done much shopping yet but my girlfriends tell me that underwear here is 'oddly' shaped, anyway you may want to stock up on those as well.

Vaccinations: Yes, you should get vaccinated, better safe than sorry. See the CDC website (see link below) for recommendations and then you can either find a travel clinic from their website or the other website I'm posting to get the shoots.
http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/china.aspx
http://www.passporthealthusa.com/
Water: Yes it sucks, it is 'probably' potable but has tons of minerals and other 'stuff' that makes the flavor weird but you can get spring water in the supermarket so it is not a big deal.

Good Luck to you and welcome to Shanghai

janlynn
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Joined: July 19, 2005
Posts: 4118

Posted: Oct 06, 2009 - 03:39 AM

My two cents!
Adrienne is indeed someone who a lot of expats trust.
Allow her, through emails and phone calls to know you and your needs. She will make your transition easier and agents don't stop the day you move in. I was in touch with my agent for a long time after I moved in.

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thewalrus
Shanghai Royalty

Joined: Apr 28, 2004
Posts: 8574

Posted: Oct 06, 2009 - 08:26 AM

40,000 RMB a month...really depends on what lifestyle you were used to back home. Its all relative; 40k may seem like a crapload of cash for some but for others its a pittance. If you have a mortgage, car repayments and credit card debits at home then traveling to Shanghai in search of a yellow brick road doesn't make any sense.

I believe Shanghai is what you make of it; but if you're going to sit at home all day watching pirated satellite then you should think hard about your next move.

And why would you stay in a hotel for the first few months? Usually if you are being sent from home HQ they'll send you on at least 1 trip prior to coming over to suss things out. Maybe staying in a hotel for the first week or 2 works, but anything longer doesnt make any sense. How much are you looking at paying for rental? 1 income for 40k you'd probably be looking circa 10k or less, maybe...dont know you standards but you should be at least sussing the market out before you come.

Don't want to scare you or anything, but these things need to be addressed a long time before you step on that plane. Good luck...

Fen09

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Posted: Oct 06, 2009 - 08:57 AM

The number is a loose one one.. It's $71-75,000 USD - so I've used 400,000 Rmb for perspective.

$ 71,000 usd= 484,370 I think this is a proper conversion. Please tell me if I'm wrong.

Last edited by Fen09 on Oct 06, 2009 - 09:10 AM; edited 1 time in total

Chrisse

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Posted: Oct 06, 2009 - 09:04 AM

Wait a minute, 400k a month or a year?

Fen09

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Posted: Oct 06, 2009 - 09:13 AM

Year

Zak101

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Posted: Oct 06, 2009 - 09:18 AM

I'd get a course of Hep A & B, tetanus & polio booster from home. A & B cost about $200, the others were free in Oz.

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freedelia

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Posted: Oct 06, 2009 - 10:23 AM

As a cosmetologist, you can work out of your home and make a lot of money. The Chinese beauty salons are expensive and not very good. I go for waxing and facials to an Israeli girl's home and find her amazing. I am sure you would have tons of business within a few months if you are good. You would have to hand carry your products from abroad (that's what she does) but this should not be too big a problem if your husband will travel a few times per year.

Just to get an idea, she charges about 500 RMB for a facial, about 200 RMB for half leg waxing. With similar prices, if you have 3 appointments per day, you can easily make 1000 RMB/day, 20-25 k a month. That will be enough for you to live on without asking your hubby for any money. You'll be able to eat out and go out with your friends, buy pretty stuff and enjoy. And he'll have to take care of everything else.

Fen09

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Posted: Nov 04, 2009 - 06:00 AM

Well we're coming for our Shanghai preview trip in a week. Thanx to all for the info. It looks like we'll be joining the Shanghai expat community officially soon:)

dr3x320

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Posted: Nov 04, 2009 - 06:50 AM

Since when is Coach high end? Sad

Both of you will do fine with just his salary alone. Locals get by on 10k RMB/year alone.

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Scouse

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Posted: Nov 04, 2009 - 07:51 AM

You can get by very well with that salary.

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SnappySammy

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Posted: Nov 04, 2009 - 08:09 AM

First of all they are not locals.....

Fen09... Shanghai is a very beautiful and VERY big city.....It would be helpful ti know where you are from, and what are some of your likes and dislikes....Also where is your husband working....Puxi or Pudong.....

As far as your income, there are some places in China where you would be very comfortable...However Shanghai is not one of them....SHANGHAI IS EXPENSIVE
OTHER CITIES ARE MUCH CHEAPER...It's like Living in New York or living in North Carolina.....

I think you got good advice to stay in a Hotel until you figure out where you want to live....instead of a hotel, perhaps you should consider a Servic Apt....

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SnappySammy

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Posted: Nov 04, 2009 - 08:10 AM

Scouse wrote:

You can get by very well with that salary.

How can you say that? Laughing

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Hydro

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Posted: Nov 04, 2009 - 08:17 AM

hahaha

jasonnoguchi

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Posted: Nov 04, 2009 - 08:36 AM

I'm not shopping at high end stores and running out for the lastest Coach bags), reasonable person from the west would consider a "comfortable" living?

>> Depending on where in the States you were from, you can live a reasonably comfortable life in Shanghai on that kind of income.

I need to know what kind of work there will be for me to pick up realistically.

>> I really don't think you need to work when your husband is making 400k annually. That's a lot of money in Shanghai.

Vaccinations? Do we need them? Has anyone not bothered to get them?

>> Neh... never did and never heard of.

Is the water really an issue?

>> BIG issue. NEVER drink from the tap, not even boiled. I order bottled mineral water with dispensers like the kind you find in offices.

Here comes the trivial stuff (these are the only "high end" products I'll be looking for that I'm prepared to give up, but I'd thought I'd at least ask about..) Can I Dr.Hauschka skincare, AVEDA, and organic products (soap, cleaners, good vitamins, soy milk products)?

>> be prepared to go local.

I need to know what I should be stocking up on now and be prepared to bring with me. Shoes in my size (9)? Tampons? My skincare, shampoo/ conditioner. Everything else I can adapt to...

>> shouldn't be a problem if you are willing to go local. imported products are way way way more expensive than in US.

We've been told to stay in a hotel the first few months as to get to know the area, so we may find a place in an area we like. What hotels are best for that time of situation? We know we have to be on the east side of the river. Where to buy furniture when the time comes?

>> Furniture? IKEA. Avoid local shops as the quality is extremely doubtful.

Just my two cents worth.

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rocco72

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Joined: June 14, 2005
Posts: 8212
Location: Shanghai
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Posted: Nov 04, 2009 - 09:03 AM

How long is a piece of string?
40K a month is a comfortable income, however it all depends on rent, lifestyle and where you shop.
Rentals can be crazily high, depending on where you live and what you want.
Eating out can be very expensive but also dirt cheap as well, just depends where you go and what you like. If you live the same lifestyle from where you come from, and from what you say it seems your lifestyle is pretty normal, then I don't see a problem, however, get a job or try and work freelance, sitting at home will drive you crazy.
Good Luck and welcome to this crazy place....