Per Diem, How much is enough?

[ama537621]

I am not a teacher.

 

The per Diem is what my company provides to cover food and internet/telephone service while I work overseas. I will be working as a temporary production manager of a new factory. I will be helping to install 2 assembly lines and training the locals to run the machinery in an efficient manner.

[Fu Lai]

I am not a teacher.

 

The per Diem is what my company provides to cover food and internet/telephone service while I work overseas. I will be working as a temporary production manager of a new factory. I will be helping to install 2 assembly lines and training the locals to run the machinery in an efficient manner.

Your per diem will be fine for you my friend. In fact you should be quite comfortable with it. Lunch fine for Y20 and dine for Y50... you can do cheaper too... welcome to the Middle Kingdom

Edited January 15, 2013 by Fu Lai (see edit history)

[Mick]

In the five years I lived in China, I experienced both sides of living on campus issue. I think that a teacher's experience is at least somewhat impacted by their location. Are you in a more conservative area, or a more open locale? In my first year, I was in Hefei, capital of Anhui Province. In fact, that is where I met Li. She was a teacher in the high school across the street from the university. She was not allowed in my apartment past 9 pm and I had to be in by 11. The powers that be took a dim view of our relationship but that only made Li more inclined to tell them to shove it. Things got pretty testy and, although they wanted to renew my contract for a second year, I declined. We moved down to Shantou, on the northeast coast of Guangdong and the experience was the polar opposite. We were given a nice apartment to live in, they gave Li a job teaching English to incoming freshmen students. We ended up staying there a little over four years. Anhui is a very conservative area, whereas Guangdong, for the most part, is far more open.

[Fu Lai]

...experience is at least somewhat impacted by their location...

Agreed. I am on the faculty of a top 10 Chinese University in a top 5 Chinese city and they laughed when I asked if there were restrictions like curfew etc. So location may be everything. hahaha

[Doug]

You know one time on a business trip, 2002, where I stayed at the factory hotel/apt and ate breakfast at their little company resturaunt a very nice huimble food girl came to me and asked if I would teach her English. I only had one day left and had to decline, though I would have loved to help this good girl. Later that afternoon the other young lady running the hotel, though more of a HOT one who spoke English, knew all about it. I was like Wow, and felt she was jealous.

 

Of course everyone knew when I sprung out of the more modern part of the hotel in 2000 and walked a great deal of the little town by myself late one night. When I got back I had to get someone to unlock the door to the building to get to my room. It had a bicycle cable thing wrapped around the entrance door. Now that was noticed. I heard about it, but discovered they were locking me in to make me feel safe. Seems I had the whole town talking. But to their relife I felt perfectly safe, so less worry for my hosts after that.

 

Oh well I know you know we are noticed.

 

Now ama537625, how does one get a job in China? Your per diem is fine.

[ama537621]

Doug,

 

It was blind luck for me. I was talking to an engineer at work who designs new assembly lines that I was completely bored at my current job and if he heard anything to keep me in mind.

 

It turns out that my company is expanding in a joint venture in China and they need someone with my expertise to help install a line we are selling them. they are also building a enamel line that is modeled after the one I worked on and helped get the "bugs worked out of".

 

The china aspect is going to be a blast, there is however a negative side to the job.

 

I have to go help out our factory in Shahabad India near Hyderbad to get a line we sold them last year running more smoothly. thank-god the India trip went from 4-6 months to 3-4 weeks. When the most important thing that you put in your carry on is toilet paper, stomach med's anti malaria medicine, and insect repellant you know the trip is not going to be any fun,

 

On the plus side I get to watch the wildlife run thru the factory as there are only 2 walls.

 

When I figure how to upload pictures without them coming up the size of a postage stamp I will install some in a gallery.

[tsap seui]

Doug,

 

It was blind luck for me. I was talking to an engineer at work who designs new assembly lines that I was completely bored at my current job and if he heard anything to keep me in mind.

 

It turns out that my company is expanding in a joint venture in China and they need someone with my expertise to help install a line we are selling them. they are also building a enamel line that is modeled after the one I worked on and helped get the "bugs worked out of".

 

The china aspect is going to be a blast, there is however a negative side to the job.

 

I have to go help out our factory in Shahabad India near Hyderbad to get a line we sold them last year running more smoothly. thank-god the India trip went from 4-6 months to 3-4 weeks. When the most important thing that you put in your carry on is toilet paper, stomach med's anti malaria medicine, and insect repellant you know the trip is not going to be any fun,

 

On the plus side I get to watch the wildlife run thru the factory as there are only 2 walls.

 

When I figure how to upload pictures without them coming up the size of a postage stamp I will install some in a gallery.

Glad to see you clarify your job, I didn't think I read anywhere that you were going over to teach english but thought maybe I missed tht part. Anyhow, it osunds like you are going ot have quite an adventurous time of your job there and in India. I hope you'll write about your time and, as you said, post us some pictures like Fu Lai and Randy and others who lived and worked in China have done and do.

 

I like seeing people do good for themselves, and have fun doing it.

 

I have an old friend who did something with telephone systems in developing countries. This was even before cell phones were much of anything....still the sizes of bricks or larger. He traveled all over the world, including China back in the late 70's and through-out the 80's setting up phone systems and teaching the locals how to use them. Boy did he have some stories. One story was about all this expensive electronic equipment the Chinese had bought...and stored it in humid warehouses. By the time he was sent to help in building the systems, etc of course the circuits had turned into junk...lol Plus his stories with the people in the different countries. He wound up marrying a gal from Russia or one of the "stans" or Romania, and she eventualy made him lose contact with his friends. lol

 

Good luck, I hope you make plenty of good stories and memories.

 

tsap seui.

[Doug]

Doug,

 

It was blind luck for me. I was talking to an engineer at work who designs new assembly lines that I was completely bored at my current job and if he heard anything to keep me in mind.

 

It turns out that my company is expanding in a joint venture in China and they need someone with my expertise to help install a line we are selling them. they are also building a enamel line that is modeled after the one I worked on and helped get the "bugs worked out of".

 

The china aspect is going to be a blast, there is however a negative side to the job.

 

I have to go help out our factory in Shahabad India near Hyderbad to get a line we sold them last year running more smoothly. thank-god the India trip went from 4-6 months to 3-4 weeks. When the most important thing that you put in your carry on is toilet paper, stomach med's anti malaria medicine, and insect repellant you know the trip is not going to be any fun,

 

On the plus side I get to watch the wildlife run thru the factory as there are only 2 walls.

 

When I figure how to upload pictures without them coming up the size of a postage stamp I will install some in a gallery.

Ahhh good. I used to be a manufacturing and process engineer at Fansteel. you have me thinking a little. I never thought about a process I know so well and if in China could compete against Japan, who used to beat us Americans on price. That and write a friend over there to keep me in mind and ask our customers.

 

you know once in Sales no one wants to let you out of it, or let you out of your territory.

 

I would love to see the pics. I think it is cool if the wildlife comes through the building, but I guess shooting isn't allowed.

 

DO YOU SPEAK CHINESE? If not how does that work?

Edited January 18, 2013 by Doug (see edit history)

[ama537621]

I speak a little, my wife keeps yelling at me stop playing games study Chinese.

 

Work will provide a translator while I am on the shop floor, after work I am on my own. But Shanghai is a pretty western area so I should do ok until I can firm up my Chinese. Yuan will be spending the time until the baby comes with her family in Xingning so I will be solo for 3-4 months. Then we get to deal with USCIS again for the baby's passport and CBA.