Look here for traveler reviews of Guangzhou. It is listed in the top 16 cities in Asia on Yahoo travel. This is also a great site to see other traveler reviews of cities worldwide. You should look here before deciding on a post in an unknown city.
http://travel.yahoo.com/p-travelguide-1 ... gfkbPlDmoL
Guangzhou is surprisingly modern and developed. A couple of the worlds tallest skyscrappers are located in Gz, with more currently being constructed. There are elevated highways, underground metro's, and nice park/public spaces throughout the city.
Air pollution tends to be the biggest complaint of most expats, but this is true of virtually any city in Asia. You can't pack 15 million plus people into 1500 sq km's and not have air pollution.
The cost of living in Gz is low; on par with Bangkok/Manila. Perhaps slightly lower than Shanghai and Beijing.
Gz is westernizing rapidly, like the other mentioned Chinese cities. In my last year there, the first Starbucks opened. By the end of that year, there were 10.
If you have any more questions about GZ, I'm happy to tell you what I know.
Search found 2 matches
- Thu Apr 19, 2007 8:55 pm
- Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
- Topic: Utahloy International School, China
- Replies: 4
- Views: 14701
- Wed Apr 18, 2007 10:14 pm
- Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
- Topic: Utahloy International School, China
- Replies: 4
- Views: 14701
Utaloy International School
I worked at the American International School in Guangzhou (AISG) for 3 years, so I know a bit about Utaloy. It was definately the "second" school of choice for expats and international teachers in Gunagzhou. Although the package was not bad, there seemed to be a very high turnover at the school, questionable administration, and Utaloy parents were continually re-applying to the American School.
Given the expansion of AISG into new, larger facilities, supposedly capable of holding 2000 students, my guess is that Utaloy will have more difficulty than ever staying afloat.
As for Guangzhou, I loved it. Although the name of the city (formerly known as "Canton") is not as familiar to westerners as Beijing or Shanghai, that is not true among Asians, and GZ is considered to be a very important city in China and Asia. It is a modern, bustling city, and the richest city in China. An added bonus is it's close proximity to HK (1.5-2 hour train ride) and it's location, making virtually every destination in Asia, from Indonesia to Japan, within 4 hours.
I'd not hesitate to live in Guangzhou again, or work at AISG again, which I believe to be a sleeper "one of the best" schools in Asia, but I'd definitely look more deeply into Utaloy.
Given the expansion of AISG into new, larger facilities, supposedly capable of holding 2000 students, my guess is that Utaloy will have more difficulty than ever staying afloat.
As for Guangzhou, I loved it. Although the name of the city (formerly known as "Canton") is not as familiar to westerners as Beijing or Shanghai, that is not true among Asians, and GZ is considered to be a very important city in China and Asia. It is a modern, bustling city, and the richest city in China. An added bonus is it's close proximity to HK (1.5-2 hour train ride) and it's location, making virtually every destination in Asia, from Indonesia to Japan, within 4 hours.
I'd not hesitate to live in Guangzhou again, or work at AISG again, which I believe to be a sleeper "one of the best" schools in Asia, but I'd definitely look more deeply into Utaloy.