Nanjing China - any general advise or help with package?

[ChinaAdventure]

I am hoping there might be an expert or two on here.

DH, me and one of our children are hoping to move to Nanjing ASAP. The package seems good and we are not expat newbies, but I have only ever visited China and not lived there.

Anyone here who I can ping a few things off?

🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻

• housing
• international school
• flight back home once a year
• medical insurance ( a MUST)
• a driving service, either a car+ own driver or a subscription to a similar service.
• language lessons
• try to lock not only the moving expenses on the way there but also the moving expenses for returning

For the housing, I used to live in China for extended period, roughly in a block of 6 weeks there, 6 weeks in Europe. The Westerners who were childless would live in the suites at the Sheraton, Shangri-La and the like, whereas families would live in a compound, where children would mix together and the social aspect was quite high.

Thank you!

This has made me think.

• housing. We've been offered housing for 8 months in the city and then brand new accommodation being built just outside where the job is. It's supposedly semi furnished and will include all bills and utilities for the whole contract.

• international school. Yes, fully covered. There's an interim bit though where I'll have to home school.

• flight back home once a year

100,000 Yuan a year flight allowance with receipts. I am hoping that's going to stretch to a few flights. Checked yesterday and flight over is not included in this allowance (good, because they are bloody experience at the moment).

• medical insurance ( a MUST). Definitely included. Will ask about dental.

• a driving service, either a car+ own driver or a subscription to a similar service. Damn it, never thought to enquire about this. Presuming the other expats have something set up. Will find out. Thank you!!

• language lessons. Definitely not included annoyingly, but that's a company wide thing. Will try and sort something out privately as others have done.

• try to lock not only the moving expenses on the way there but also the moving expenses for returning. They will cover SOME expenses to come over. That's the sticking point at the moment. Haven't thought long term to be fair. Thinking about leaving almost all things behind in storage in the U.K. unlike previous jobs we have had abroad.

1. The language course is more for your benefit. China can be very alienating, and might be very hard on you, because the kids will be at school, your DH at work, and you alone in a very different world.

2. Housing: contact the school, ask if you can have details of PTA president and ask them where the kids live and if you could possibly have some guidance In a compound, mothers tend to mingle and spend time in their Westerner bubble (and drink !!).Housing near the job could be isolating depending where job is. This could be your argument, that to make the move a success and stability for the company, it is important that the trailing spouse is connected. How many expats live and work for the company and will move to the specially built apartments? Any chance of negotiating to stay in your first landing house if kids (and you ) happy? Talk to school parents. IF other families will be in the tower, it could indeed be very nice.

3. driving' You do not want to drive in China. Traffic is crazy and in the even of a crash or even a near miss, you won;'t be able to communicate with the other driver or even police. Using public transport (tube) is fine.

4. go there with a plan for YOU. A calligraphy course, book club (even if you hate reading), .... you need to be with people. Look for the British culture institute (or similar, sorry I am French), even the American women association (I know, I know, ...), embrace the culture. Several Chinese courses here for free www.coursera.org/courses?query=chinese

@ChinaAdventure look up the old discussions and send a PM to a call with the @ to MNetters who used to live there
www.mumsnet.com/SearchArch?mustmatch=nanjing&dontmatch=&nickname=&src_displ_option=s_m_d_m&fromDate=&toDate=&topicmode=chs&chosentops=2423

Thank you so much @LeGrandBleu

Can I PM you?

You sure can, but I used to work in China, fly in-fly out, many years ago, priors to kids (we are now based in Australia, and we also lived Switzerland, Italy and Spain). My experience was very different from the one my colleague who lived there (and their comments on housing I shared here)

If I were you, I would contact @ShanghaiDiva as she used to live in Nanjing until recently and can help you more . She is super nice.

@LeGrandBleu
Thanks for the compliment.
I lived in Nanjing for 12 years and returned this summer.
@ChinaAdventure am happy to answer any questions you have. I have experience of NIS and BSN and know a little about BASIS school as head teacher lived on our compound. I had a driver, but metro is decent and you can use a didi to get around - book via the app, all pretty similar and same as Uber. Raffles is probably the best for medical, but for a specialist you will need to travel to shanghai. Doctors from HK would come to shanghai on a monthly basis, but not sure that is happening now due to covid and quarantine measures. I can recommend a good gynaecologist in shanghai as really only gp treatment in Nanjing. Shanghai United is a decent hospital, but very expensive so you need decent medical insurance. Prior to covid normal procedure would be to have surgery in HK or Bangkok. Hk is horrifically expensive: my son’s shoulder injury cost £18K! Treatment is, of course, first rate.
Get a full set of jabs before you go as some are not available in China or only a Chinese produced vaccine available which you may prefer not to have.
Just pm me and am happy to help. Nanjing is a fabulous city!

See @ChinaAdventure , I told you @ShanghaiDiva was super nice

With regard to package we had the following:
Medical and dental
Annual travel allowance
Language lessons
Driver and car and petrol
Flights out and back business class
Air freight and sea freight
Storage costs covered
Tax advice and completion of tax returns by PW
Medical evacuation
Housing
School fees
All utilities
Phone and internet covered
Visa and medical costs for visa check up when you arrive
and you will also need to factor in quarantine costs if you move now
Allowance for non resident child to visit
Relocation allowance out to China and also on repatriation
Tax advice on repatriation
Pension contributions (depends if you can still be a member of your existing scheme)
Income tax paid by company
Opportunity to spilt salary UK /China- look at the exchange rate and whether this is fixed for duration of contract. When we moved we received rmb 15 for every £1, now it’s around 8.5.

When would you be starting? I'm sure you've seen that China has again toughened up on travellers from the UK (albeit a temporary measure).