Being Poor in Shanghai, China
Do you feel poor in China?
I am not poor in comparison to the poor here in Shanghai - I just sometimes feel poor in comparison to friends back home.
The China Expat Package
I know I’m not the only one, but I would kill (small animals) for an expat package.
The idea that you get probably $75,000 and up (way up) per year, plus paid nice housing, plus a driver, relocation expenses (including the eventual move back home), and paid schooling for your kids just sounds too good to be true.
Of course, they are hiring managers and specially skilled personnel with plenty of experience to fill these positions (or investment bankers with freshly minted degrees, take your pick), so that precludes me from getting such a package without first going to work for one of the multinationals that provides such a deal for quite a few years. Which is tempting in and of itself.
Shanghai is full of expats who make bank. This means that things like bars and clubs are just outright expensive.
It makes me pine for Shenzhen, where a special at 3-D Bar will get you six bottles of Beck’s for a mere 100 RMB, and all the peanuts you can eat.
It also doesn’t help that my closest friend here at the moment and coworker likes to go to expensive things and doesn’t hesitate to spend money.
Meeting Expats in Shanghai Who Don’t Like to Spend Money
So, to tell the truth, the two types of expats I’d like to meet the most in Shanghai are the following:
- Those who have figured out how to and are willing to have fun w/o spending much money
- Honest and no-bullshit open people who are doing business here
Of course, those from the second group who are successful are more likely to spend a lot of money. Kind of a catch-22. But if you fit both descriptions it’d be great to hear from you.
