Lived in Korea as expats 8 yrs. ago - before kids... Been to Shanghai before when we considered moving there last time. Looks like it's a serious go this time around... Husband is a VP for a multinational Tech company. We need to negotiate our expat package. What is a VP level getting these days? Housing allowance? Driver? Schools? Our dog? I remember Le Chateau and The Emerald when I looked before. I would really rather have a good quality of life/experience than a "good looking one" if you know what I mean. But, I need for my kids to be safe and have the space they are accustomed to. Where to live is the big one for me as a stay at home expat mom...

I have a 4.5 yrs. and a 2.5 yr. old. Would need preschool programs for the older one - maybe mommy and me for the younger one? Preferably one that focuses more on having fun dressing up and doing art projects then on the academics. The international schools were best in Seoul, is this alsol true in Shanghai? My husband's Shanghai office is in Pudong. We would consider buying a home if it's a better deal than renting... Anyone have experience with this? Anyone have trouble getting their $$$ out of China after the selling their real estate? We already have a real estate agent lined up, so please no offers of assistance on this end. I just want advice from people who are in it, rather than selling it...

We are from Lake Oswego Oregon. Thanks in advance for any advice/info.

Please direct me to past strings if you may have already addressed questions similar to mine. This site is HUGE and i find myself getting completely lost when I try to look for relevant specifics to my situation!

Just a few comments.. yes.. lots of questions and lots have been answered here at one time or another. Take your time and keep browsing.. use the site and forum search for relevant themes.

Packages very so much from industry to industry, its hard to say really. I would expect that it he is in the same position in Korea, that starting place would be at least what he is making now. At that level, some housing allowance is common but that is not being offered to a lot of people because Shanghai is not considered to be so much a hardship post.

If he works in PuDong..you should probably live in PuDong. There are good international schools and preschools here.

A real estate agent might tell you different, but you should probably rent at first and take your time to figure out the market a little before buying. Personally I think renting is a little better deal right now unless you find a really good buy. In terms of where in particular to live - close to work and close to the schools you like. There are lots o f choices your agent should be able to show you. The price range is HUGE. I have seen exactly the same kind of apartment ( size and basic amenities) in places less than 2 km from each other - one was 5000 RMB a month and the other was 2000USD a month. There are restrictions on converting large amounts of RMB to foreign currency.. but whatever it is now.. it will probably be different in 2 or 3 years.

We lived at Yi Dong Hua Yuan on PuDong for a while and found that to be a decent middle range complex with just about anything you could want. Probably the largest expat community in PuDong is around Jingqiao.

good reply, Michael.

Fullman, it might be worth having some reassurances from another expat wife that your kids WILL be safe in every Shanghai development. The big advantage of some of the "nicer" villa compounds really comes down to the common areas, sporting facilities and community events.

Very, very few expats purchase villas in Shanghai. The few that I met were unhappy because they ended up living in communities without many foreigners. There are a few exceptions in the Hong Qiao area.

I think Pudong is a great choice for you. I'm helping make arrangements for my husband's company to send some expats to Shanghai, and they will all be in the Pudong area as well. There are soem great pre-schools in the area, some of our U.S. expats are going to experiment with bilingual kindergarten for their little ones.

Feel free to post, PM or email me at campbell.caroline @gmail.com if you need some more friendly expat advice.

CC