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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

to move from the UAE to Shanghai

4 replies

MrSnrubYesThatsIt · 20/10/2017 06:31

Posting here for traffic.

I'm a high school teacher living here in the UAE.
My contract will be up July.
I do like living in the UAE and there are many things I will miss when I go, including the students, but I've seen and done everything i want to here and I feel its time to move on.
I'm single with no DCs.

i'm thinking of trying for jobs in Shanghai. I have lived in another part of the Far East before and I enjoyed it.
I would love to hear from anyone in Shanghai. Good or bad aspects.
Thanks.

OP posts:
CaoNiMwahaha · 20/10/2017 06:58

I lived in Shanghai for nearly 10 years, and I can recommend it!

Incidentally, I had some good friends there who made the move from Dubai to Shanghai, and they liked Shanghai a lot more.

I also have friends who teach in Shanghai, and they enjoy it.

Good points, in my experience:

  • great variety of food and drink (very international, as well as cheaper local options)
  • it's a very interesting city, historically
  • there's a feeling of vibrancy in the air
  • access to other interesting places, like Hangzhou, Suzhou, Nanjing. Only 5 hours on the train up to Beijing
  • large and varied expat community

Bad points:

  • pollution!

I was going to say the language barrier, but actually it's not a huge problem if you don't speak Chinese. I knew plenty of people who got around fine with just English.

MrSnrubYesThatsIt · 20/10/2017 16:18

Thanks.
What are the students there like - behaviour wise? Do you know?

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Crabbo · 20/10/2017 16:23

Shanghai is great, like pp said food is amazing. Suzhou is nicer though (only 40 mins on the fast train from Shanghai). Students (assuming you mean local not expat?) are generally very well behaved but lazy. They seem a lot younger than their western peers.

MrSnrubYesThatsIt · 20/10/2017 16:39

Thanks.
I mean expat students.

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