Why LIVING IN TIANJIN, CHINAThe city is actually split in two, with the old town and the Binhai New Area, a rapidly developing part of town with a load of huge international companies opening up. Here are some of the reasons you'd consider living and teaching English in Tianjin, where there are plenty of jobs and demand is outstripping supply. For salary info and living costs information, as well as visa requirements, check out our guide to China.
living in tianjin1. CLOSE TO BEIJING, WITHOUT LIVING IN BEIJING
Tianjin is just 27 minutes from the capital by bullet train, which is pretty fancy. This means that while it's still a huge city, and plagued by the common problems in all major Chinese cities, it's a little less intense than living in Beijing, but if you want to spend a day there at the weekend, then you have that option! Not bad.
2. BREAKFAST!
The city has a snacking culture, and this kicks off spectacularly with the most important meal of the day. Walking out of your home and down the street, you can see treats like guozi fritters, sugar pastries, soy milk, steamed buns, fried cakes, and more. Everyone crowds in and sits together, munching away. It's an interesting way to start the day, and on a warm, fresh morning, we're sure you'll prefer that to pouring your cereal while it's still dark in winter (if you're from the UK, anyway).
3. IT'S JUST A BIT DIFFERENT
If you tell people you teach in China, they'll almost immediately ask ‘Beijing?' or ‘Shanghai?' And that's understandable. But for some of us, we want real adventure, and that means getting out of the major internationally famous cities and finding a different way of life. Even though Tianjin is developing quickly, and a lot of international companies have a presence there, the foreign population is still much smaller than other places in China. If you want to have an authentic Chinese experience and live somewhere exciting, that makes people say ‘oh what was that like?' not ‘oh, Beijing. Right.', then Tianjin could be a good choice for you.
There are a lot of other great things to do with Tianjin, including food, cost of living, architecture, outdoor culture, and more. It does suffer from heavy pollution, but that kindof goes without saying. The opportunities to earn good money and live a life less ordinary are as abundant here as anywhere else in the vast, mysterious land of China.
