Summer in Bei jing

Captain Corelli

Hi all, I'm 19 yo and going to Beijing for June to August (3 full months). I will be working over there. I was wondering for any info you might have on the north capital or china generally. Any tips from people who have been there would be greatly appreciated.

Afuera

If you're going to be spending so long in China I would recommend trying to learn some Chinese before you go. Even in Bejing, you won't find much people who speak English besides the large hotels/tourist spots. The pronunciation is extremely hard for the westernized-tongue so an audio based one would be the best way to go. Even just having a few words to handle directions and eating in a restaurant would be very useful.

Be aware that Bejing in particular is well used to tourists so there are many scams that are often tried to get more money out of you around the major sights. The amount of time people tried to shortchange me, taxis tried to turn meters off or shops attempted to throw in extra charges was ridiculous for the short time I was there (5 days).

Having said that the fact that you're going to be working there will give you more opportunities to learn about the life and culture there. It's certainly an eye-opener to see the way things are done over there.

LostinBlanch

Yep I agree with Afuera about trying to learn some Chinese. There's a good book and cd called Colloquial Chinese which should help. Or you could do an intro language course for about €200 Aisling language school in Rathmines do one, there may be others. I am not involved in this area so you'd be better getting out the Golden Pages and letting your fingers do the walking.

But watch out for scams over there, forged money i.e. make sure that all notes you get are legit i.e. only change them in banks or large hotels (even then watch the money changers like hawks). Get used to the fact that you will be paying foreigner prices for everything.

But don't let that put you off. Enjoy the experience.

davros

Don't get too caught up in the expat scene. You can meet interesting folk, sure, but it would be a shame to go so far just to drink with other Irish people.

To meet genuine Chinese students, you can try to find an "English corner". That's where Chinese meet up to practise their English with one another. If you go, you'll be a star I think there was one every week in Beijing/Peking University. I guess the other big colleges have them too. Other typical places are in public parks or outside libraries. Ask around or do a search on the net for current locations.

You could listen to some Chinese music before you go too. It will really impress your Chinese colleagues if you can tell them which singers you like. I listen to this online station: Mandarin Radio. And if you can sing a Chinese song at karaoke, you will really be in

Duffman

Out of curiosity, how did you find a summer job in China OP?

Captain Corelli

cheers Davros; those tips are pretty sweet. The 'english corner' scene sounds like a great way to meet chinese people. If anyone can give me more of the same kind of advice I would be very grateful.

LostinBlanch; I did beginners' mandarin in Rathmines; found it easy but finding the time to practice was hard! The hardest part is the pronunciation; seeing the blank looks of unrecogition on the faces of chinese people here, upon hearing me speak mandarin, is a real downer!!

RE how did I get a job in China? I have a golden contact; a journalist that moved there from Ireland 10 years ago. Knows a lot of important people, apparantly.

Should be a great summer...

Rcuomo

I'll be heading to beijing june 28th aswell...cant wait. Im staying there for about a week and then heading up to dalian for the next month or so, which is just north around the coast from beijing. Then ill probably come back to beijing and get a english teaching job....
what type of work are you getting over there?

if you're still looking for info about beijing and china in general check out eslcafe.com and go to china in the international jobs forum. Also you should check out the thorn tree on lonelyplanet.com for loads of posts about china.