Blurb Book Preview gets a Boost.

March 16 2010 by CS in travel China |No Comments
If you like new things- and who doesn’t, right?, then you’re going to be thrilled with Blurb’s new book preview widget. Instead of boring static badges, Blurb has brought “Live view” direct to you. They’ve had live view on the site for some time now and they’re not alone. Amazon has been doing this for a while also. Now you can see it and preview a sellers book anyplace they insert the widget- on a blog (ehem, look down), on Facebook, anywhere a person can insert code for a badge, now they can insert this live preview. And remember- you still get free shipping* with any book order placed before March 22nd.

Question of University Pay in China Gets a Really Long-winded Answer.

March 15 2010 by CS in travel China |No Comments

In the last post I laid out the groundwork for an answer to the question; “How’s the pay at a Chinese University?” Today a new blog within this blog begins, Brendan’s Budget Blog, answering that question.

Visit, and subscribe if you like, to the BBB feed to watch Brendan, a 23 year old man from Seattle, Washington carry-on for 30 days recording every RMB he spends while he documents his experience.

Brendan's Budget Blog

Does University Pay in China Support Western Habits?

March 13 2010 by CS in travel China |No Comments

Public Chinese Universities are funded by the state and therefore offer a sense of security to Foreign experts wanting to come to the country for employment. However, there is a trade off. The pay isn’t the highest offer out there to be had. The scale is commonly set between 4,000 RMB and 5,000 RMB per month for English teachers in their first year. Doctors and specialists enjoy a different standard of pay. Private schools and pay-by-the-class institutions offer much higher salaries but the business, employment, and most importantly- the pay, isn’t guaranteed by the state. The risk [there] is that come Monday there may be chains on the door or the employer may have done a vanishing act. It’s possible and there a number of horror stories floating on ESL blogs warning against shady companies and employers.

So the question- “Is 4,000 or 5,000 RMB enough?” is quite a valid question. Beginning on March 15th for 30 days, a first year Foreign expert from the US will help answer that question by blogging his daily expenses, habits, and rituals.

Visit Brendan’s Budget Blog after the 15th of March to follow his progress and read how he adapts to Chinese living. Will his monthly salary be enough to support his standard of living or will his standard of living change in response to his wages?

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