<p>chinabound- My S has been in Shanghai this past year teaching ELS. He makes less than your salary but has no problems making ends meet. He travels a little bit but otherwise has a very active social life. He lives in a hi-rise studio in the French Concession. It is fine - not luxurious in the least but in a great neighborhood. He found the apartment himself after the company that brought him over put him in a terrrible neighborhood. Make sure you know what neighborhood you are in and how far the travelling to school will be.
Shanghai and Beijing are VERY different. When we visited, we knew we were in a communist country while in Beijing. Shanghai was much more cosmopolitan and commercial. Much more western, I guess. He lived in Beijing for a year when in HS and is thinking about going back there next year. I think he likes Beijing more. (I liked Shanghai more.)
Re: insurance. Are you sure it is totally comprehensive? S remains on my insurance at no extra cost to me and only has hospitalization from his company. He has a list of local MDs in Shanghai who take my insurance.
He has been approached by strangers and asked to write essays for US colleges. He was offered a lot of money for it… $200-300 USD. He was going to do it but it didn’t sit well with him. He does do language tutoring on the side and makes a fair amount that way. (An extra $100USD/week can go a long way over there.)
If you have other questions, PM me and I’ll ask S.</p>