Living in China - Families
 

Hello. Been reading a lot of posts, and most of them state that one is expected to live in shabby apartments, on polluted cities. From what I read, China is a place to make money, and forget that you are there in the mean time. Just wondering which cities/airlines would be more family friendly, given that, by the conditions many describe, it would fit a single person's life. I do not want to earn money and make my family live in a dump.

Commuting is not an option for me. If I move every one goes (wife, 6yo and 1yo children).

if you care about ur family do not move them to China.

Xiamen maybe?by the coast,many expats.

If you care about your kids, don't go to China.

Shenzhen might be worth a look, next door to Hong Kong with nice beaches and golf courses. Shekou area is popular with westerners.

Shenzhen Airlines operate from ZGSZ as do Jade Cargo (check if they're still operating).

Haikou/Sanya on Hainan island are less polluted but more isolated

Coastal is better than inland. An industrial city in the middle of the country with pollution and few English speakers is best left for the more adventurous.

Exactly this.

Thanks for all the replies. Anyone with the same situation as me (wife and 2 small kids) currently living in China ?

Try Shanghai. I have expat friends working there and they and their kids love the place. Very modern and cosmopolitan, and where the English language is reasonably well received. The range of haute cuisine is simply staggering, if that appeals to you.

Shanghai is great.. Beijing is becoming better for families and Honky is fine

Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Sanya, Xiamen, and PEK. That would be about it, IMHO. I live in Sanya and it is a very nice place with NO expat facilities, but it is a nice place other than that. The rest have large expat communities and facilities, and are modern, comfortable places to live, even with families. International schools can be very expensive. I believe Shenzhen Airlines is now offering school subsidies. My opinion.

China is a better place that a lot of other contract options for families, at least for a couple of years.

Not a good place to bring family. I don't know how I would stay married if I brought my family over - they would not like it.

Good schools are expensive, easily USD $18,000 per year; lesser schools are of questionable quality. Dirty hospitals and clinics too.

Traffic is dangerous - there are no rules on Chinese streets. Today, in Xiamen, I saw an elderly man and a youngster nearly struck twice by inattentive an non-yielding drivers.

How do you teach the kids to not step in the spit, vomit, and other fluids on the sidewalks??

Work in China for the money, if you need it - but know it will cost you in health and longevity. It is only for the tough spirited!

go to china to work and earn money. don't expect it to be a nice place to raise the kids. unless you want them to talk with a very loud voice all the time, become rude, lose their manners, spit anywhere and everywhere they want. these traits are common to people in the mainland. you will have to be on your kids 100% of the time to prevent them from catching this "culture".

i agree, traffic will get you killed or maimed if you're lucky. heck, even the police who are supposed to impose the traffic laws will run you over.

read the news about food safety. there is NONE.

better bring you own portable pharmacy. there are fake medicines too. even from the local pharmacy.

Brasileiro
 

Bom dia Companheiro,

If you intend to bring your Family to China you will miss South America for sure. The pollution is high, the companies give a damn about your family. They are interested in your labour, nothing else. Relation does not count then amongst Latinos, trust me. You might be a decent person and that is where you lost already out against Asia. You care and consider about your loved ones? (Commute no option !) that tell´s me enough. If you cannot stay where you are then look somewhere else, money pays bills and fills the plate but cannot buy you happyness and the satiesfaction the happy family and your real friends around can give you.

I commutet for almost 15 Years and landed a job recently around the corner. Now I sleep around 29 days in my own bed again, what a pleasure and people understand what I am saying too. If I ask for a "Copy" I get one and not a "Coffee", more to share if you like.

Fly safe and land happy

NG

Bom dia, meu amigo, obrigado pela informacao.

I thought pollution was not that widespread. Ok, it is not an environmentally oriented country, but I did not think it was that bad.. or is it ? My comparison is Sao Paulo. Any way to compare SP and China ?

About a company that does not give a damn about their employees.... I worked for TAM. Can any company surpass TAM regarding the way they treat their employees ? No respect, sudden and continuous changes in the schedule, etc...

Thanks for all of you who posted info here.

Any Chinese airline will make TAM look like a employee caring company.

I think that the perspectiva of some of us that have actually worked in Latin América is a little different because we know what a bad job is like:(

Then Dominican maybe you won't have a problem with 'extremely bad'- most of the Prc carriers.

There is a petition drawn up by a group of Brazilian pilots to fight a law that will allow foreign commercial pilots to work in Brazil. Presently, and most likely in the future, the exercise of the commercial pilot profession in Brazil is limited to people with Brazilian citizenship. This law is trying to change this situation and allow Brazilian companies to hire foreign pilots.

The petition against this bill already has 3715 signatures ... yes 3715!!!

Most of them certainly issued by Brazilian pilots, the same people who then come to occupy the places of local pilots, in other countries.

We should all think about it.

I also heard about this dishonourable petition.
A big shame to all brazilian pilots...

I think the problem is bigger than that.

For a long time, we had experienced pilots unemployed. Right now, I am experienced and I am looking for one. So, it is not exactly like there are jobs laying around for anyone who wants to live in the shiny tropics. If things were easy, I would not be looking forward to go to China.

The problem, imo, is that the companies are using this to pressure pilots to maintain the 'status quo', or, in plain language, to keep treating us like sh@t.

If there was a lack of pilots, I would not mind having foreign people flying here. But that is not exactly the case.

One should think about the big Brazilian expats. Why would they leave if the country is warm, women are beautiful and the beer is cold ? Because the working situation airline wise sucks. It should give something to think that TAM is the biggest airline in Brazil. I still think it is unbelievable that they joined Star Alliance. For me, TAM joining SA is like one getting the representation of Breitling and start selling fake watches.

Another thing to think about is WHO would come here, given so many Brazilians are not up to take the crap they are given.

So, I am not against foreign people. I just want that the market demands a number of pilots the country does not have, a situation that, today does not exist.

If conditions would get better here, you would see a flock of people returning.