Shanghai or Shenzhen: Which City is Best for You?

By Arnold Vis, Director of Teach English In China, part of Impact Teaching

 

It was an incredible experience to be back in China recently, and to spend time in both Shanghai and Shenzhen. In both cities, I was able to meet up with Teach English In China participants based there.

As a company, we offer teaching jobs all over China. Having said that, Shanghai and Shenzhen are extremely appealing places where English teachers are always in demand, so many our teachers end up teaching in one of these two cities.

Here are some observations about similarities and difference between the cities, based on own experiences as well as on chats I had with our teachers there.

 

Similarities

Both cities share a number of key traits, in that they are both huge cities where there’s something new and exciting to do all the time, and you can become part of a community of fellow English teachers on our program.

 

Both are extremely safe cities, that are accessible to English speakers. They offer English language announcements and directions on their excellent and inexpensive metro systems, as well as in shopping malls and at key landmarks.

In both cities, the air quality is good, and I never had any issues despite having asthma. The Chinese government has promoted green policies in recent years, notably when it comes to public transport; most buses and taxis are electric vehicles (especially in Shenzhen, where this applies to all taxis and buses).

 

Differences

Here are some of the differences to consider in choosing a city that best suits you.

More culture: Shanghai

Shenzhen size is truly amazing place given it was a fisherman’s town with just 30,000 inhabitants as recently as 1979(!). Now, that’s up to 13 million, and growing.

But it means that everything in Shenzhen is very new, and that when it comes to culture, Shanghai has more to offer. In Shanghai, you can enjoy green spaces at Yuyuan Garden, stroll around in Zhujiajiao Watertown, or visit some of Shanghai’s museums. During my stay in Shanghai, I visited the Shanghai History Museum. The museum’s collections focus on Shanghai’s history, especially the period from the opening of the port in 1843 to the present. It’s a really interesting place, and I highly recommend a visit. Almost all exhibits had both Chinese and English descriptions, making it very accessible.

 

More age groups to choose from: Shenzhen

Based on our current options on the program, the age group we can offer in Shanghai is kindergarten, whereas in Shenzhen we offer kindergarten as well as primary school, middle school and high school jobs.

The kindergarten work in both cities is with young children, and you work as part of 3-person team along with two Mandarin speaking colleagues, working with the same class of children most days.

In Shenzhen, you have the additional option of working at state schools. You’d go into the same class of 30-50 students twice per week for lessons that last 40-50 minutes. You prepare a PowerPoint or lesson plan, and your lessons are focused on oral English and helping your students become more confident and conversational. In this job, you’d meet about ten sets of students regularly, but spend less time with them each week. Given their age, these students speak more advanced English and you can more in-depth chats with them.

I know that some applicants like the idea of working with very young children, whereas others decide early on they’d like to work with older students. If older students suit you more, Shenzhen is the better option for you on our program.

 

Career opportunities besides teaching: Shanghai

There are lots of teaching opportunities in China, but we’ve heard form some of our teachers and alumni that over time, they look for jobs in other fields than teaching but choose to stay  in China.

Both Shanghai and Shenzhen are international cities with potential opportunities in this regard, but we’ve heard more about career opportunities in other fields from our teachers in Shanghai.

Many technology and internet companies in Shanghai are looking for foreign staff in fields like marketing and translation roles, and a number of alumni have moved to these roles after their time on the program. Often an at least intermediate level of Mandarin is required for these positions, so they’re ideal for those who have taught in China for a while and know the language. We’re passionate about helping all our teachers develop their careers in any way we can. If this is of interest to you, talk to us, and it would make sense to be based in Shanghai from the start, to make the most of the opportunities.

 

Better for saving money: Shenzhen

In both cities, teachers can live comfortably on the money they earn and save to travel, and also to take home to an extent. Salaries are the same in both Shenzhen and Shanghai on our program, 16-18K RMB per month at kindergartens, and 12-15K RMB at state schools in Shenzhen.

Relative to the cost of living, this salary goes a bit further in Shenzhen than it does in Shanghai.

Here are some numbers from the website numbeo.com

Shanghai:

• A single person estimated monthly costs are £540  (4,892.1 RMB) without rent.
• Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre £697   (6,311.43 RMB)
• Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre £407   (3,692.86 RMB)

Shenzhen:

• A single person estimated monthly costs are  £500  (4,535.4 RMB) without rent.
•  Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre £573   (5,206.12 RMB)
• Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre £312   (2,833.33 RMB)

 

Whichever destination you choose, we’re here to help.

We are passionate about making the start of your teaching abroad journey as easy and enjoyable as it can be. We have over 18 years’ experience – and currently have placements in China, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Taiwan, Poland, and Hungary. With more incoming. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch and find out how we can help you start you teaching adventure.

 

Let us know by emailing me, Arnold at: arnold@teach-english-in-china.co.uk

Check out our programs to pick where you want to go.

See you soon!