Dracon44 on news How to Make Sure Your Dream China Job Isn’t a Scam(4 comments)
What is this nonsense about certified documents and having to have them translated into Chinese in your home country? I just got my new work visa today down at the PSB without having to do anything like that. Maybe it is stricter down in Beijing or where you live but it took all of 20 minutes to sign a few documents ... Full Comment>>
Dracon44 on news Problems You Might Come Across While Teaching English in China(6 comments)
And my comments are also based on experience. Annoying bums are annoying bums no matter where they come from. And thank you for proving my point for me. Full Comment>>
Dracon44 on news Expats in China Hit by New Individual Income Tax Rules(5 comments)
To reply to the last two posters. Come off it guys...China is just getting in line with most of the countries in the First World when it comes to taxation. Full Comment>>
Dracon44 on news How to Be a Part of Your Community When Living in China(5 comments)
There's an extra space in your title (not to mention an extra 'o'). Plus a few letters are missing. Here, I'll help you out. "How to be apart from your community in China" is how it should go. That is of course if you want to get the most out of your Chinese experience. After all you NEVER will be a part ... Full Comment>>
Dracon44 on news 6 Big Differences Between Chinese and Western Workplaces(8 comments)
The article states "When something needs doing, be prepared to pitch in, whether it's your area of expertise or not." Sounds like a great way to mess up things...especially when it's not. Also I am not going to mop up bathrooms...regardless of who else is doing it. I was hired to be a teacher. Then that is ... Full Comment>>
Dracon44 on news The Good Side of Chinese Dining Etiquette(1 comments)
I don't like drinking so the toasts are not really important. Getting drunk with Chinese (or for that matter anyone else) is not only far down the list of things to do...it is completely off it. As for the comment where the poster claims "it is considered rude not to try every dish at the table" that is ... Full Comment>>
Dracon44 on news Game Changers to Make Living in China Easier(4 comments)
Joining a gym and learning some Chinese are good pieces of advice, The rest? Not so much. Other posters have already commented on the flaws...so I'll leave it at that. Full Comment>>
Dracon44 on news Life Lesson's You'll Learn When Working in China(4 comments)
It is possible to take the "high road" as the author of the article writes above...but it should never be at the expense of your self-esteem or saving "face" (while not so important elsewhere it is particularly important here.) You are not gong to gain the respect of your work colleagues doing ... Full Comment>>
Dracon44 on news Problems You Might Come Across While Teaching English in China(6 comments)
"bums from Canada who cannot get a job coming over and lording over everyone else". Bums from anywhere else with the exact same inability to hold down a job and coming here to do exactly the same thing they accuse Canadians of are just as annoying if not more so, as they add to the previously mentioned ... Full Comment>>
Dracon44 on news Everything You Need to Know Before Accepting a Teaching Job in China(6 comments)
Only two cities worth living in? Well yes, if your goal is to live as close as possible as you did back home, with hundreds of expats Westerners around, dozens of Western style restaurants/nightclubs, and otherwise live in an 'expat bubble'. Apart from that...there are many places here worth living without making ... Full Comment>>
Dracon44 on news Don’t Be an Outsider in China: Six Tips to Help You Fit In(30 comments)
I live in a small town way up in the north of China where I am the only foreigner and there are no foreign products in the two supermarkets that exist there. Talk about living the 'Chinese experience'. I am willing to bet that the writer of this article may have done all the above suggestions but wouldn't be able to ... Full Comment>>
Dracon44 on news How Best to Dress for Work and Interviews in China(4 comments)
MY rules for dressing for work depends on the weather...If it is cool or mild, I wear long pants (cords or slacks) and a dress shirt with a tie. If however, it is hot and humid I will wear shorts and a T-shirt. Attempting to dress up in the latter type of weather simply leads to heat rash and sweating 24/7. Full Comment>>
Dracon44 on news How to Negotiate Salary When Teaching ESL in China(5 comments)
Why would "years of experience" matter? After all even some of the worst teachers out there can claim that. Without a handful of glowing references, it is hard to place any kind of worth on that. Full Comment>>
Dracon44 on news 5 Labour Laws You Should Know About if You Work in China(7 comments)
And the same applies to National week...the official holidays have been OCT 1-7 NOT three days. That is the biggest load of B.S. that I have heard. Do a search yourself...then you have authority to back up what you say to your employer the next time he tells you it's only 3 days. Full Comment>>
Dracon44 on news 5 Labour Laws You Should Know About if You Work in China(7 comments)
You don't have a clue what you are talking about. Now be quiet and stop talking If you do a search for Chinese holidays you will see that the official holidays contradict what you say. For example this year the Spring Festival is from Feb 15-21. That is from the State Council in Mainland China. Last year it was from ... Full Comment>>
Dracon44 on news Women Teaching English in Beijing Jailed Over Visa Issues(8 comments)
Gotta love the conspiracy theories being bruited in the responses above. Nope, China is just finally cracking down on idiots these days. A 1 minute call to the Chinese Embassy in their home country would have let them know they require permission from the authorities. Or a couple of minutes on the Internet would ... Full Comment>>
Dracon44 on news 7 Typical Jobs for Foreigners in China(3 comments)
According to the 2013 census there were 848,500 foreigners living in China with an average yearly increase of 3.9%. How many foreigners do you know? 100? 200? 1000? You may have noticed a huge drop in the diversity of jobs held by foreigners that you know. But that is a very small sample of the overall population of ... Full Comment>>
Dracon44 on news Freelancing Foreigners: Making Some Extra Mao(6 comments)
Agreed. Freelancing (for most foreigners) is illegal. Anyone who says different has an agenda. It is illegal to work in China beyond the scope of the work that is specified in your employment license. And yes that does include working at a different work unit than the one on said license. Full Comment>>
Dracon44 on news The Trials of Being Fat in China(4 comments)
..."sometimes people need to know that they have become too fat..." I'm sure this doesn't need to be pointed out to the majority of obese people. They know very well they are overweight. BTW what does "too fat' mean? Isn't that a completely arbitrary observation? What you might find "too ... Full Comment>>
Dracon44 on news Tips for Living Well on a Budget in China(13 comments)
Under Chinese law, working for anyone but your sponsor is illegal. So yes part-time work is illegal for most of us here. The reasons for this include taxes, and places that are not legally allowed to hire foreigners. Gary Chodorow is a specialist in Chinese visa law and he states "It is illegal to work in China ... Full Comment>>
Dracon44 on news New Country, New Me: Foreigners Discuss How They’ve Changed in China(8 comments)
Why would you WANT a Chinese passport in the first place? Yeah if you are from some poorer place...then maybe. But I would never trade in an American, Canadian, British or for that matter any 'Western' passport for a Chinese one. Full Comment>>
Dracon44 on news New Country, New Me: Foreigners Discuss How They’ve Changed in China(8 comments)
Actually that was 1575 PRs in ONE year. Seems pretty generous to me. And what's the matter? Were you denied PR? If not, why do you even care? Full Comment>>
Dracon44 on news Foreign Workers in China to See Pay Rise in 2018(3 comments)
Not for English teachers. You will get what you signed on for. Full Comment>>
Dracon44 on news Teaching in a Third-Tier City: My Year in Yingkou (14 comments)
Someone up above posted a comment to the effect that the majority of problems foreigners had in their lives were caused by other foreigners and not locals. I've also found this to be the case. Now I just steer clear of the vast majority of foreigners in China. Sure there may be some fine folk who come over here but ... Full Comment>>
Dracon44 on news Expats in China Hit by New Individual Income Tax Rules(5 comments)
Sure it is. The tax is not a huge imposition...it is a few hundred won per month. Under 500 on a salary of 13000. I should know...I've paid it. You say "I am gone" because of this new tax apparently...where are you going to go that has a lesser tax rate? Somalia? Any "advanced" country (Canada, ... Full Comment>>