Questions about Harbin

[MissTina]

Me and my sister are planing to go to Harbin at the start of next year.

So I have a few questions.

1. How much are winter clothes in Harbin? The proper winter jackets? And boots? Are they available in western sizes? How much is it for western vs Chinese sizes?

2. How much competition is there for English teaching jobs in Harbin? How much is the average salary (& hrs) for an English teacher in Harbin?

3. Which visa would allow someone to work part time (tutoring) and study at HIT full time legally? Is there one?

4. Is it possible to get Piano lessons in Harbin conducted in English? How much would it cost per lesson/ hr? Also singing lessons?

and group martial arts lessons and Dance lessons?

5. Does anyone have any idea of Beauty salon prices in Harbin?

I hope someone can help me out with a few of these. I'd really appreciate it.

多谢！

[jbradfor]

3. Which visa would allow someone to work part time (tutoring) and study at HIT full time legally? Is there one?

AFAIK, no. However, also AFAIK, we have heard of no one getting in trouble for a little English tutoring in the side.

As for your other Harbin questions, search these forums for 'Harbin' (use the google custom search in the upper left), I think most / all your questions have been answered.

[Baud]

I was wondering what the drinking water situation was there. I will be in Harbin next month and I drink a lot of water and I hope to brew some green tea. I would prefer not to have to buy a case of bottled water a day. Do people drink the tap water at all? Or is there a simple filter system I could set up? What about for brewing tea? Any info from people in Harbin would be appreciated.

[kdavid]

1. How much are winter clothes in Harbin? The proper winter jackets? And boots? Are they available in western sizes? How much is it for western vs Chinese sizes?

Clothes here are relatively cheap compared to the West. How cheap depends on the quality and brand. There's not much of a difference between sizes. People in NE China are generally much taller than other Chinese, so "western" sizes aren't difficult to find unless you're overweight or really, really tall. I'm 6'1 and I don't have issues finding shoes or other clothing here.

2. How much competition is there for English teaching jobs in Harbin? How much is the average salary (& hrs) for an English teacher in Harbin?

There's a good market here. However, schools may have trouble getting your paperwork if you don't meet their crtieria. Salary depends on your qualifications and experience, and also who you work for.

3. Which visa would allow someone to work part time (tutoring) and study at HIT full time legally? Is there one?

You want to be on a student visa since that's what you'll be doing full time. You won't get hassled for doing part-time work. In fact, this will make finding a job easier as your employer (assuming you get work through one) won't have to deal with your visa/resident permit. You're likely better off finding one-to-one students on your own--though it's difficult to find ones who will pay what you deserve (as a trained, experienced, teacher).

4. Is it possible to get Piano lessons in Harbin conducted in English? How much would it cost per lesson/ hr? Also singing lessons?

and group martial arts lessons and Dance lessons?

I don't know, but I doubt it. The overall level of English here is quite low. Not many locals speak a standard of English high enough to teach effectively.

5. Does anyone have any idea of Beauty salon prices in Harbin?

What you pay depends on what you want. Hair cuts are generally priced based on the length of your hair. Getting a perm (if people back home still do those) are cheap, as is coloring (though I don't recommend you do that here). If you're looking for massages, etc., these services are also quite cheap, though you can find super expensive places as well. In China, you often get what you pay for.

[abcdefg]

I was wondering what the drinking water situation was there....Do people drink the tap water at all?

@ Baud -- Don't drink the tap water, though you can boil it and use it for tea or instant noodles.

If you will be in Harbin several months, and not just a few days, consider getting a water dispenser machine 饮水机 and having big jugs of drinking water delivered. Inexpensive and convenient. The machine gives you both hot and cold water.

(I used to live in Harbin. But the water situation is pretty much the same in any Chinese city.)

[kdavid]

I was wondering what the drinking water situation was there....Do people drink the tap water at all?

I've been drinking (boiled) tap water for five years. At the moment, I don't seem to have any abnormal growths or cancers--perhaps I'll find these later in life....

[abcdefg]

@kdavid -- This is just a thought, but it might be worth trying bottled water in view of the chronic diarrhea you reported earlier. I'm not trying to be cute or clever; am suggesting this in a helpful vein. I'm not sure what the culprit in boiled tap water might be, if any. Perhaps something inorganic, even something leeched out of your pipes. Still, I would try that substitution empirically for a while if it were me.

http://www.chinese-f...007#comment-251007

[WestTexas]

Dude I would definitely not drink the tap water, boiled or no. The tap water here is not meant to be drank. Boiling it will kill the bacteria, sure, but it will not remove the pesticides and heavy metals the water will have accumulated. I use the tap water here to boil eggs. Now, I'm not a chemist, but it seems that the electricity from my hot plate on the bottom of the pot is causing some white chemical to accumulate (precipitate? don't know the right scientific term) on the bottom of the pot whenever I boil any tap water in it. It is very hard to scrape off. That doesn't happen with normal water.

Oh, I've also had tap water come out in several cities in China, including Beijing, that was brown. You are talking about a country where they attempted to divert one of the largest rivers in the world northward to use it for water, only to find out that the water was too polluted to do anything with. There are countless villages in every part of China which have open sewers (or none at all) and are daily draining human excrement into the rivers. It is not like in the US where they purify and process all the water before it comes out of the tap. Personally I would steer clear of the tap water here.

[kdavid]

I've actually been drinking bottled water exclusively for about the last six months. There's been no improvement in my condition.

[abcdefg]

I've actually been drinking bottled water exclusively for about the last six months. There's been no improvement in my condition.

Sorry that the solution was not so simple.

[kdavid]

Sorry that the solution was not so simple.

Yeah, me too. Thanks for thinking about me though.

As for the water, millions of people are drinking this city' water. The average person still sees bottled water as a luxury item.

I also don't trust the bottled water companies here to treat the water any differently than any other company here treats hygiene and/or sanitary issues, etc. Yet, I still drink the bottled water. It at least looks cleaner.