Gonna be spending a lot of time in Beijing

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Hi guys. I have a few questions about Beijing in China as I am going to be working there for the next year.

My sisutation is complex however. Currently I am living in Germany and I work with for a very large bavarian car manufacturer. They have requested someone to go out to Beijing to roll out software for them.

Heres the thing I will be living in a hotel in Beijing probably for the guts of a year at least. I will have to travel to Munich every thirty days and stay for a week or two then go back to China. It may be the case that I only leave China for a weekend and reenter. This is because of the visa requirements.

For everyday that I am in Beijing I will receive an allowance of 40€ as cash. My first question is how far will this go in Beijing and how can I avoid being ripped off. My accomodation in Beijing is paid for so the 40€ is just for meals really.

I would also really like to learn Chinese. I speak English as I am Irish and I am highly proficient in German. However I would love the opportunity to try and learn Mandarin in China and I am wondering what ways people would recommend. Is it difficult to meet Chinese people and make chinese friends there?

Lastly is there any Irish there that would be willing to meet up and go for a few drinks. Gonna be arriving over and know absolutely nobody so the start might be a bit difficult.

And in General does anybody have any advice for a 23 year old Irish guy in Beijing.

caoty

Work for BMW?

€40 goes a long way in Beijing in terms of food if you don't live like an ignorant expat (dine/drink at "exotic place"). On average, €20 per day is generously sufficient.

Depending on how much free time you will have, you can find some language courses in universities and/or get private tutors. There shouldn't be a problem with making some local friends but language barrier may limit your options.

There is a very strong international community in Beijing including the Irish one.

General advice: Turn on your "Chinese immersion" whenever possible, don't spend your time there as an ignorant/arrogant expat. Be open minded and show respect.

Keenan Fierce Shoe wrote: »

Hi guys. I have a few questions about Beijing in China as I am going to be working there for the next year.

My sisutation is complex however. Currently I am living in Germany and I work with for a very large bavarian car manufacturer. They have requested someone to go out to Beijing to roll out software for them.

Heres the thing I will be living in a hotel in Beijing probably for the guts of a year at least. I will have to travel to Munich every thirty days and stay for a week or two then go back to China. It may be the case that I only leave China for a weekend and reenter. This is because of the visa requirements.

For everyday that I am in Beijing I will receive an allowance of 40€ as cash. My first question is how far will this go in Beijing and how can I avoid being ripped off. My accomodation in Beijing is paid for so the 40€ is just for meals really.

I would also really like to learn Chinese. I speak English as I am Irish and I am highly proficient in German. However I would love the opportunity to try and learn Mandarin in China and I am wondering what ways people would recommend. Is it difficult to meet Chinese people and make chinese friends there?

Lastly is there any Irish there that would be willing to meet up and go for a few drinks. Gonna be arriving over and know absolutely nobody so the start might be a bit difficult.

And in General does anybody have any advice for a 23 year old Irish guy in Beijing.

Jane.J

Hi,EUR 40 per day for food, it is enough in Beijing.
If you want to learn Chinese, i can teach you. as repayment, can you teach me english?
I am a chinese, although learn some english,i know it is not very good.

Lanaier

I'm hoping that allowance is separate from salary

I worked as a contractor with BMW China several years ago, it's not exactly a small operation... they definitely spend some serious money on specialists doing technical rollouts (a common occurrence).

40EU a day will definitely cover the daily food expenses though, no problem.
However if you're planning to go to bars several times a week (common for many of the guys I worked with there) it may not cut it.

I'm actually in the process of emigrating after almost a decade here so I probably wont be around when you arrive.

If you want to meet Irish check out the INC, they organize some things such as the Irish ball.
There is also a small but enthusiastic GAA league.

Bars that are run/frequented by Irish include: Black Sun, Paddy O'Shea's, James Joyce (Run by a Chinese girl who lived in Ireland for many years) and maybe The Stumble Inn.


I don't hang out with those groups or go to those bars though so my information may be dated slightly.

Edit, now that I think of it you're essentially getting around 10K a month just for spending money....it's more than enough.

Mr. Loverman

I live in Beijing.

Why live in a hotel? I worked in Poland for a while and got my company to rent me an apartment instead. You will be able to get a savage place for a fraction of what your hotel will cost.

EUR 40 a day is good. You could spend that of course, but it would mean eating in the best restaurants every day.

It is simple to meet Chinese people (they really want Western friends) but personally I find it hard to meet people I would want to be friends with. The Chinese education system isn't the best...

But you could easily do a language exchange. Check out thebeijinger.com for idea.

My college does private Chinese lessons for (I think) 70 yuan an hour which is about EUR 8. The teachers are good. I could arrange it all for you if you want.

I'm currently trying to stay off the booze so I can focus on my study but I'd be happy to show you around the city some evening.