[quote="PsyGuy"]I did the new teacher welcome tour, and introduction when i was in China one year. It really depends on how well informed and connected/tied in the teacher is. I just cant and in my experience see a teacher being as familiar and up to date on the housing market as a professional agent would be.[/quote]

In China, real estate agents represent landlords (ie. the landlord pays the agent's fees). In some cases, the renters pay a fee but it is always a fraction of want the landlord pays. An HR rep. or teacher buddy helps the new teacher negotiate with the agent/landlord. It is in the agent's best interest to have you pay higher rent.

Psychris,

I work in Beijing, so I might be able to help you with info. Don't worry about the fapiao (official tax receipt) just yet, but you will need one to have your rent paid for directly by the school. Most places include it, but sometimes you have to negotiate to have it included in the rent.

As far as teachers at our school, some people (mostly families) live in Shunyi, which is near the school. Others prefer to live closer to the active parts, as you put it. Lido or Sanlitun/Dongzhimen are by far the most popular areas for those that want to live in the city, at least among the teachers at our school. In Lido, the Upper East Side and Richmond Park complexes are very, very popular.

As far as cost, it depends on what you are looking for style-wise. You can try looking at real estate websites and see what catches your eye. (www.fullhomechina.com, www.bel-property.com.cn) Most places come furnished and some are truly ghastly! I looked at one place last year that had every animal print imaginable in the same room! Yuck!

The school will give you two buddies, one to answer all of your work-related questions and another to answer social, day living questions. The HR department is also very,vey supportive. The school arranges housing for all of the new teachers for the first two months, so you won't have to worry about housing right away. :)

--Gus

You'll pay taxes if you work in Spain. Your teaching contract starts in August or September, so you wont start to pay taxes until January. We paid about 30% in taxes after that. The school told us we would get a big refund when we filed our taxes but that turned out not to be true. We ended up owing 90 euros last year.

Hope that helps….

-Gus

Hi NiuBi...
You have some options regarding certification too....For example, Massachusetts has different types of certification. The provisional license is for people that have passed the state licensing exams (2 basics skills tests + subject matter test ) but have yet to complete student teaching. This license is valid for 5 years of employment, which is a VERY important distinction! The clock doesn't start ticking until you are employed by a public school in Massachusetts. If you don't teach in the state, the license will stay current. My spouse and I teach at a top tier school in Asia that does require certification. When we first decided to teach overseas few years ago, my husband went this route to get his certification. The Department of Ed. was very helpful and answered all of our questions regarding the provisional license. We found that calling them was much more helpful than using the website (781.338.6600)

The state licensing exams (MTELs) have test dates throughout the year and there is usually an exam over the summer. http://www.mtel.nesinc.com/


Good Luck!

--Gus