5 questions to ask yourself before moving to Beijing

I cannot believe that there are no opinions on this? :S

104 views,but no replies?

Did I pose a difficult question?

I wrote a post on our blog along these lines a while back.
It was titled "7 Questions You Should Ask Before Moving to Beijing"

The questions I came up with were:
1. Can I live on the salary I've been offered?
2. Can my spouse/partner find work?
3. What about school for the kids (if you have them)?
4. Will my family hate me if I make them move overseas?
5. Will I be able to get [favorite food/shampoo/other item] in China?
6. Do I need to speak a lot of Chinese?
7. Should I make the move?

I think most people just need to some validation for that last question so I say: Yes I think you should move to China.

My own five would be..

1.Why do I want to go?
2.Can I support myself in Beijing?
3.Can I improve my life/myself in Beijing?
4.Will I miss what I have to give up to live in Beijing?
5.Have I been honest with myself with question one's answer?!

I too will be moving to Beijing in a few months. I unlike yourself dont really have a choice because my husband has a job offer. So i thought i would write questions, suitable to my situation...also because you seem upset that no one is wrtting their comments

1. Why not go with?
2. wouldnt my life be more fun, with more stories of adventure if i do go?
3. can i go back home if i want too, any time i wanted to?
4. am i going with because im running away from something?
5. am i open minded to handle anything and accept this totally different calture?
6. can i try to get more into involved with my local community? Like not staying in my flat all the time, but go out and meet people? take up sports...ect

Not sure it really helps you, maybe you should ask yourself some of them too?

I take it as given that you will enjoy your time in China.

I think there is only one critical question....What will happen when I return home at the end of this assignment?

In other words is this a career breaker, career enhancer, career neutral or the start of a long life in China?

I think it is difficult to answer some of these questions without first visiting Beijing (or whether you are going to be in China). Whilst each and every one of us can accept that it will be a completely different lifestyle to what we are used to, it is difficult to try to envisage somewhere that you haven't visited, especially if you plan to spend a long period of time there. Whilst my children seem to think it would be a great opportunity for us to go (bearing in mind, they are staying back in the UK), I have had a mixed response from other family members and friends. People have commented on the politics, the pollution etc whereas I am trying to be more open minded about these things. I am hoping it would enhance my own life and broaden my mind, as well as giving me the opportunity to visit other parts of the world that are closer to China than the UK. Nevertheless, there are bound to be pitfalls along the way. I believe as long as you go with an open mind and don't expect it all to be a bed of roses, it is definitely worth giving it a try. Saying that, I still cannot make up my mind whether to go or not!!

Manlin wrote:

I take it as given that you will enjoy your time in China.

I think there is only one critical question....What will happen when I return home at the end of this assignment?

In other words is this a career breaker, career enhancer, career neutral or the start of a long life in China?

Hopefully the start of a good life in China.The UK is always going to be there to visit,from time to time.

Bed of roses... roses have sharp thorns ..LOL

Interesting question.