Sophia Camille Erickson - The China Option: A Guide for Millennials: How to work, play, and find success in China

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Copyright 2018 Sophia Erickson. All rights reserved.

Travelers Tales and Solas House are trademarks of Solas House, Inc.,
Palo Alto, California. travelerstales.com | solashouse.com

Art Direction: Kimberly Nelson

Cover Design: Kimberly Nelson

Cover Photo: Maridav, Shutterstock

Interior Design and Page Layout: Howie Severson/Fortuitous Publishing

The character sprinkled throughout the book is ming. It means clear and bright, and represents the sun and the moon. It is one of the most common characters in Chinese, and combined with other characters, forms words such as cngming (intelligent) and mngbi (understanding).

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request

978-1-60952-133-2 (paperback)

978-1-60952-134-9 (ebook)

978-1-60952-168-4 (hard cover))

First Edition

Printed in the United States

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Im very frank in this book about how people of color (POC) are treated in China, and the many elements of racism that are prevalent in the country. If you are a POC reading this book, please dont dismiss moving to China out of hand as many POC do go and have extraordinary experiences; I just want to be honest about the challenges you may expect.

Tired of the divisive politics of the United States, scared of getting shot on your way to the super market? You want to escape, but Canada is too boring and Mexico is too dangerous.

Is it ennui? Youre approaching quarter life and tired of the same old faces, same old bars, same old routines. Youre stuck in a dead end job with a boss you hate and you feel vaguely cheated, slowly discovering society lied when it told you you were special and your future bright.

Or is it a sense of adventure? A desire to see the world? Lifes too short to spend in a country where exotic cuisine is swapping in your white bread for whole wheat.

Maybe you want to learn Chinese. Maybe you have a passion for calligraphy, kung fu, tea, pandas, the Great Wall. Maybe youve been reading in the news that China is the up and rising superpower, Asia is the future, and you want to cash in on that.

Maybe you like Chinese girls. Maybe you feel suffocated by your tons of student debt. Maybe youre just bored. But something made you pick up this book. You want out.

The good news is youre not alone. Out is in. Every year, thousands of young foreigners just like you flock to Asia to teach English and drink cheap alcohol and take weekend trips to Thailand. And because youre not alone, the path has been paved for you. China is no longer the mysterious, forbidden kingdom of loreso let me explain how to make your China dream come true.

Ask almost anyone if they like to travel, and they will say, Of course I wouldif I had enough money. If they won the lottery they would travel, but otherwise its just not feasible. Traveling is seen as the privilege of the elite, like a country club membership or a Lamborghiniduh, everyone would like one of those, but who can afford it?

Since money is the great stumbling block on the path to our dreams of becoming carefree gypsies, lets start by addressing the financial reasons why it makes sense to move to China.

First, lets make a straightforward comparison in terms of earning power in the U.S. versus in China. Lets look at the profile of the average Tim who moves to China: a twenty-four-year-old young graduate with a humanities degree from a mid-ranked university. According to 2014 data from the U.S. Census Bureau, Tim could expect to earn an annual salary between $25,000 to 27,000 in the U.S.

If Tim moves to China and becomes an English teacher, he can expect to make between RMB 12,000-15,000 a month in China. In terms of dollars, thats about $1,800-2,250 per month, which will add up to around $21,600 to 27,000 annually. This doesnt include the extra benefits he will receive as part of his job packageeither free housing or an extra housing allowance of around RMB 2,000 per month.

Tims gross earning power is about the same, if not slightly lower, in China as it is in the United States.

Now lets compare cost of living in the U.S. and in China (with the important caveat that there are wide disparities between different cities in both countries):

• Gross Income (Salary): 13,500 RMB
• Rent: 2500 RMB
• Utilities (electricity, gas, water): 200 RMB
• Phone & Internet: 300 RMB
• Food: 1500 RMB
• Remaining Disposable Income: 9,000 RMB ($1,350)

If Tim had stayed in the US, would he be able to save $1,350 every month while paying rent and living a nice lifestyle?

America is facing a student loans crisis. In 2016, the average American graduated with student loan debts of $35,000. Millennials cite student loans as a reason for delaying moving into their own apartment, buying a car, buying a house, getting married, and starting a family.

Student loans also have an opportunity costmoney put towards student loan repayment is taken away from retirement savings. If a fresh graduate put $35,000 in the bank from graduation until retirement, compound interest would turn the amount into $684,474 by the time he retires. Paying off your student loans young has huge repercussions on your ability to retire early and enjoy a relaxing end of life.