What the ESL teacher apartment in China looks like?
One of the fears that holds many people back from making the choice to teach over in China is where they will live.
They do not understand that finding a place to live is much easier than they think and that they will never go without all the comforts of home when they are there!
“Finding a nice place to live in China is much easier than you think!”
If you are in the process of thinking about teaching over in China or think that you may be interested in doing that in the future, then you will want to keep reading to see exactly what you can expect for your new home.
1. How your apartment will be arranged?
There are two different arrangements for your apartment when you are teaching in China:
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Provided for free
Some schools will make the arrangements for you, which means that they will provide you with a place to stay for free.
This will be part of your salary package, which means that the money that you do get, you can use for other expenses since your rent is covered in full.
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Housing allowances
Other schools will simply provide you with a housing allowance as part of your salary.
This allowance is normally between RMB 2,000 and RMB 3,000, which is always more than enough to cover the rent of a place that the school can help you find.
2. Where do you live when you first arrive in China?
In both options, you can expect to stay at a hotel or Airbnb rental for your first week or two, as that will give you time to find a real place to live.
Of course, the school will arrange for your hotel room or Airbnb rental for you, so no worries there either!
3. What the apartment looks like: a complete tour
Once you find a place to live or arrive at the apartment that the school has set up for you, you will find that you will have a cozy and beautiful home.
All the apartments that the teachers use are furnished and well decorated, so you don’t need to worry about walking into an empty space.
Although, that doesn’t mean that you cannot add your own personal touches while you are staying there!
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Living room
When you enter your rental apartment, you will normally walk into a beautifully furnished living room complete with a comfortable couch and even a television.
There will be plenty of space for entertaining all your new friends! The walls will be full of artwork, plants will be set in the corners, and curtains will be hung on the windows.
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Kitchen
You may not expect much any kitchen in China, so we can guarantee that you will be pleasantly shocked at how much room you have in the one in your rental. Yes, the kitchens are set up like galley kitchens, so no open layout like you may be used to, but the storage space and room for food prep is more than enough.
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Dining room
The dining area is off the kitchen and the living room and the table will be set up and decorated for you.
All you will need to do is add the plates, glasses, and silverware, plus the food and you will be ready to enjoy your first meal in your new home.
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Study room
As a teacher, you will need a space to prepare your lessons. Some apartments that the schools use and recommend have a dedicated section of a room that is perfect for that.
There is a desk and chair in that space, as well as a computer that you can power up as soon as you are finished unpacking. Okay, you may even turn it on before that!
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Bathroom
The last room in all the apartments is the bathroom, and while you won’t be spending hours each day in there, it is still a wonderful room.
You’ll have a fairly large sink, a real toilet, and a shower that you can linger in as long as you want.
Potential teachers are always concerned about the plumbing, as well as the hot water, so we like to assure them that they will definitely have all that when they are in China.
4. Difference between metropolitan cities and normal cities
Potential teachers also need to be aware that the cost of renting an apartment varies depending on which city you live.
For metropolitan cities, you are mostly likely to share with others as rental is quite high, unless you’re willing to pay extra. On the other hand, other cities usually provide free single apartment for teachers, a whole cozy space of their own.
5. The location of the apartment
All the apartments that the schools use are quite close to the school itself, so you will never need to worry about spending too much time traveling between them both.
That will leave you more time to explore the new area that you are living in, as well as give you a chance to meet the people that you pass by every day on your journey to and from school.
6. Move in process
Once you have been shown your apartment, or chose the apartment that you want to rent, the move-in process is quite simple. All you need to do is unpack your belongings and go purchase some food for your first few meals.
The schools will even tell you where the closest stores are, so you know where to purchase food and other necessities.
7. Sit back and relax
After all that is finished, you can sit back, relax, and prepare for your classes the next day. As you can see, there is nothing scary about finding a place to live when you are teaching in China and you won’t need to go without all the little touches when you are there either!
