Posted: Soumis par wtanaka (648) le dim, 2006-12-10 16:16. | Sujet: Expats Living in Urumqi

Information for expats living in Urumqi from Jonathan of Fubar (thanks!)

Housing

At the lower end of the market a 60 sq/m furnished apartment in a relatively new complex, located close to the city centre costs about 700-800 per month, on a 1-year contract. Check if the heating and management fee are included in the rent. At the higher end, a new 140 sq/m unfurnished centrally located apartment would cost in the region of 3000 per month ex utilities.

Of course, you will need to register at the local police station when moving, and I have heard stories of local police refusing to register foreigners in certain parts of the city, effectively preventing them moving into the district.

There are international moving companies who will deliver to/from Urumqi.

Services & infrastructure

Broadband Internet access (sometimes painfully slow) is available across the city, and normally costs about 800 RMB per year. Pay as you go mobile SIM cards are also readily available. Foreigners are allowed a special cable TV package, which includes ESPN, Star Movies, and National Geographic. There are 3 Carrefour supermarkets in Urumqi, and many of the other larger supermarkets have western food departments, albeit small. Hard to get items include salami, deodorant, thick socks, tampons, and full cream milk. If you have big feet, bring plenty of your own shoes and socks. The Xinhua “Foreign language bookstore” only has a very limited selection of English language books, and although Amazon will deliver to Urumqi, they often don’t arrive, and are sometimes censored by having some of the books removed from the package.

Medical

There are no international hospitals in Urumqi. Hygiene is sometimes poor, as is the quality of the equipment, and staff competence generally low. There are however excellent dental care facilities available.

Banking

Transferring money from overseas is relatively smooth if you provide all the correct details, and should take no more than a week to transact. Opening a local bank account with debit card requires I.D and a small initial deposit.

Schooling

Urumqi has no school for children wanting to speak English as their first language.

Car

Buying a private car is possible, though the level of driving here is very poor, even by Chinese standards. When taking the written driving test it is possible to be accompanied by a certified translator if you cannot read Chinese.

Working

The vast majority of expats here are teachers, either in the employ of private education businesses, or government schools. For a State school or university you should normally expect the following:

Provision of Z visa

Furnished apartment. Normally nothing flashy, but should be comfortable.

Full return airfare for 1-year contract, one-way for 6 month

A salary of at least 3500 RMB per month including tax. If the contract is for 1 year, you should be paid for the full 12 months- no less!

Holiday pay

Maximum of 16 teaching hours per week

Medical insurance

What not to expect:

Teaching Curriculum

Prompt assistance with personal, and sometimes professional problems.

Regular feedback of your performance

To only work a maximum of 16 hours per week

The law recently changed so that a tourist visa could not be changed to a work visa within China. What this means is the school should organize your visa for you before you arrive in China, otherwise it may necessitate a trip to Hong Kong or Kazakhstan. It is still possible that the school may be able to navigate around this, depending on their relationship with the Public Security Bureau, but be very careful if committing yourself to coming here with the promise that they can change your visa- I am aware of several prospective teachers having to make a last minute and costly trip to Hong Kong at their own expense. The visa office of the local PSB is notoriously unhelpful and inflexible. Stay away from them unless absolutely necessary

Non-teaching expats in Urumqi

There are perhaps 2 dozen non-teaching expats based in Urumqi. They are involved in retail Food & Beverage, hotel management, Infrastructure projects, and mineral exploration.

Activities

Summer is a good time to be in Urumqi if you like the outdoors, and have a sense of adventure. Although the city itself has no nice parks, only an hour or so out of the city you will find fantastic natural scenery, ideal for hiking, camping, and mountain-biking.

Single-day and overnight trip to Nanshan are popular with locals and expats alike, and a regular bus departs hourly for 10 RMB. The walk or horse ride into the spruce–studded valleys is an ideal way to escape the summer heat of Urumqi, and yurt accommodation with food is available.

With some forward planning multiple-day trekking and climbing is within easy reach, and there are routes suitable for all levels. 4WD hire including driver is normally around 500 per day ex fuel and road tolls. Good topographical maps are hard to come by, as they are considered state secrets. It is worth noting that Xinjiang still has many counties closed to foreigners, so please check before venturing out. Foreigners continue to be arrested and fined.

Within Urumqi itself there are indoor and outdoor tennis courts available at reasonable hourly rates. In the last year there has been an explosion in the number of gym’s, and this has led to an increase in quality, and a decrease in price. A good gym with imported American or European equipment starts at less than 1500 RMB per year.

There are several indoor public swimming pools, though hygiene standards leave a lot to be desired, so a better option are the 5 star hotels. The newly opened Sheraton has a 25-metre indoor pool. There is an outdoor pool near Fubar.

Winter sees the opening of the ski and Ice skating season. The best 2 skiing options are “Xuelianshan” which is only 20 minutes drive from the city centre, and “Silk Road International Skifield” out near Nan Shan. Neither the facilities nor the difficulty of the slopes themselves offer anything more than “Advanced beginner” skiing, but it is fun day out, and a package including transport, skiing equipment, and lift pass starts at about 130 RMB per day. Outdoor ice-skating is popular and there are numerous rinks throughout the city.

Whoever you are, and whatever reason you have to come, living in Urumqi requires a flexible, positive attitude, and a willingness to sacrifice some of the comforts of home. However the rewards can make it all the more worthwhile.