Links Moving, Vincent Talon (South China Manager), +86 136 0015 7792, vincent.talon@linksmoving.asia
The school has done a lot of work with this company, please be sure to tell him that you are working at ISNS.
Here are some useful and free applications to get for your phone before or when you arrive here. You can download them all from both the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store. The first two are particularly useful!
1. “Pleco” (An English-Chinese dictionary with a simple layout that contains both pinyin and Chinese characters. It also has an audio feature to play the sound of the word for you).
2. “Word Reference” (A more detailed and in-depth dictionary that not only translates words, but translates words in the appropriate context for you).
3. “Wechat” (It won’t be long until someone asks you for your wechat. Seemingly the most popular way to connect with people through voice, text, and video. Wechat also has functions to order food, call taxis, transfer money, buy movie tickets, and pay for almost all items and services. China’s version of Facebook with more functions).
4. “Skyscanner” (Some of the best parts of living and working in China is not only our proximity to the international hub city of Hong Kong, but also that we are surrounded by several beautiful, and uniquely special South East Asian countries. With most of these countries being fairly cheap to fly to, Skyscanner is a reliable and easy-to-use program that shows you both the cheapest times to fly to a particular destination and/or the cheapest places to fly to from your current location).
5. “Taobao” (One of a few, free online markets available, but is probably the most widely used and well known. You’ll definitely need the help of a Chinese person initially to set it up for you and teach you how to navigate it, but once it’s up and running, it changes your life in China for the better).
6. & 7. “Hello Chinese” and “Chinese Skill” (Fully free, offline-functioning educational programs for those that are interested in learning the language. Both applications use written, visual and auditory exercises to teach you, but ‘Hello Chinese’ is probably the simpler program of the two, and ‘Chinese Skill’ is more in-depth”
– toiletries! (soap, moisturisers, toothpaste, face wash, make-up, deodorant, possibly shampoo and conditioner depending on your preference, etc.) A lot of products in China have whiteners in them that bleach and dry out your skin, and the toothpaste does not contain fluoride.
– medicine and vitamins: it is hard to find Western medication for common ailments and trustworthy vitamin providers (Hong Kong is better)
If you like hiking and/or running, you’ll be coming to the right place! There are miles of hiking and running trails right behind our school. I would recommend bringing any of your specialty hiking/running gear with you before arriving in China, as comparable quality or name-brand gear is either not available or more expensive. Hong Kong has a few good running and hiking equipment stores, but prices also tend to be high.
Melatonin to adapt to the time change
Like Sarah said, lotions and potions
Sport underwear like Patagonia or ExOfficio–much better than cotton in the humidity
A tv device if you want to watch Netflix/Hulu (try Amazon fire or I think some people have Apple TV)
A VPN (we got a subscription to ExpressVPN before we arrived to use when out and about on our phones)
A box of wine for when we arrived (don’t judge us but it made those first few nights adapting to a new apartment more fun)
Also, check if your phone is on the right frequency–you’ll need it to be on GSM instead of CDMBA or it won’t work with most other country’s SIM cards
Also, start learning Mandarin on Hello Chinese! It’s fun and really helped us adapt to ordering food and such at restaurants when we first arrived.
Welcome to ISNS.
-just a few banking bits of information. If you’re a seasoned international teacher you already know this, but if you’re not, make sure you have a 4 digit code for your home bank account and don’t forget to let your bank know that you’re coming to China.
You will need enough money to live on for 2 months. The cost of living here is not very much but for food and other items you may need like metro cards, things for your apartment to make it your “home”, and the like, it’s nice to feel secure.
It is cold here in seasons so bring a comfy and warm jacket, socks and sweater. I have used mittens as well. It also gets ridiculously hot and humid.
Great group of fun and supportive staff here, you won’t be alone.
If you’re into live music, keep an eye on Clockenflap – an incredible 3 day festival of music and arts in Hong Kong on November 9-11 this year. Early bird is on sale now! http://www.clockenflap.com
Some fave acts from previous years: Chemical Brothers, M.I.A., Kaiser Chiefs, The Prodigy, Feist, Sigur Ros, Foals… the list goes on.
It’s a pretty incredible experience to see the iconic HK skyline silhouetted behind the main stage!
For live music closer to home, check out B10 – a small (but mighty!) warehouse-style concert hall in OCT Loft. https://www.facebook.com/b10live/
ISNS FACULTY 
Shipping Items to China
Most people do not ship personal items to China but rather pay for extra luggage and bring it with them on the airplane.
Please note that some items, such as books, may not be permitted in China and may be confiscated at the border.
Here are a few companies that may be able to assist with shipping:
Continental International Moving http://www.cimmover.com/
Links Moving, Vincent Talon (South China Manager), +86 136 0015 7792, vincent.talon@linksmoving.asia
The school has done a lot of work with this company, please be sure to tell him that you are working at ISNS.
LikeLike
Here are some useful and free applications to get for your phone before or when you arrive here. You can download them all from both the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store. The first two are particularly useful!
1. “Pleco” (An English-Chinese dictionary with a simple layout that contains both pinyin and Chinese characters. It also has an audio feature to play the sound of the word for you).
2. “Word Reference” (A more detailed and in-depth dictionary that not only translates words, but translates words in the appropriate context for you).
3. “Wechat” (It won’t be long until someone asks you for your wechat. Seemingly the most popular way to connect with people through voice, text, and video. Wechat also has functions to order food, call taxis, transfer money, buy movie tickets, and pay for almost all items and services. China’s version of Facebook with more functions).
4. “Skyscanner” (Some of the best parts of living and working in China is not only our proximity to the international hub city of Hong Kong, but also that we are surrounded by several beautiful, and uniquely special South East Asian countries. With most of these countries being fairly cheap to fly to, Skyscanner is a reliable and easy-to-use program that shows you both the cheapest times to fly to a particular destination and/or the cheapest places to fly to from your current location).
5. “Taobao” (One of a few, free online markets available, but is probably the most widely used and well known. You’ll definitely need the help of a Chinese person initially to set it up for you and teach you how to navigate it, but once it’s up and running, it changes your life in China for the better).
6. & 7. “Hello Chinese” and “Chinese Skill” (Fully free, offline-functioning educational programs for those that are interested in learning the language. Both applications use written, visual and auditory exercises to teach you, but ‘Hello Chinese’ is probably the simpler program of the two, and ‘Chinese Skill’ is more in-depth”
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The Microsoft Translate App is also awesome! I would also download this.
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Two very important things to bring from home:
– toiletries! (soap, moisturisers, toothpaste, face wash, make-up, deodorant, possibly shampoo and conditioner depending on your preference, etc.) A lot of products in China have whiteners in them that bleach and dry out your skin, and the toothpaste does not contain fluoride.
– medicine and vitamins: it is hard to find Western medication for common ailments and trustworthy vitamin providers (Hong Kong is better)
LikeLike
If you like hiking and/or running, you’ll be coming to the right place! There are miles of hiking and running trails right behind our school. I would recommend bringing any of your specialty hiking/running gear with you before arriving in China, as comparable quality or name-brand gear is either not available or more expensive. Hong Kong has a few good running and hiking equipment stores, but prices also tend to be high.
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I just want to add that Shenzhen is a nice, safe and inclusive city! I am sure you will love this place!:)
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Here’s something about possible items to bring to China. . . http://3c3c.waxingandwayning.com/2017/06/China-packing-list.html
Also, here are some recent articles about Shenzhen. . .
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/economy/article/2127862/will-2018-be-year-shenzhen-and-guangzhou-finally-overtake-hong
http://www.cnn.com/travel/article/what-to-do-shenzhen-china/index.html
https://www.curbed.com/2018/1/2/16839548/shenzhen-electric-bus-fleet-green-transit
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Best things that we brought with us:
Melatonin to adapt to the time change
Like Sarah said, lotions and potions
Sport underwear like Patagonia or ExOfficio–much better than cotton in the humidity
A tv device if you want to watch Netflix/Hulu (try Amazon fire or I think some people have Apple TV)
A VPN (we got a subscription to ExpressVPN before we arrived to use when out and about on our phones)
A box of wine for when we arrived (don’t judge us but it made those first few nights adapting to a new apartment more fun)
Also, check if your phone is on the right frequency–you’ll need it to be on GSM instead of CDMBA or it won’t work with most other country’s SIM cards
Also, start learning Mandarin on Hello Chinese! It’s fun and really helped us adapt to ordering food and such at restaurants when we first arrived.
LikeLike
Welcome to ISNS.
-just a few banking bits of information. If you’re a seasoned international teacher you already know this, but if you’re not, make sure you have a 4 digit code for your home bank account and don’t forget to let your bank know that you’re coming to China.
You will need enough money to live on for 2 months. The cost of living here is not very much but for food and other items you may need like metro cards, things for your apartment to make it your “home”, and the like, it’s nice to feel secure.
It is cold here in seasons so bring a comfy and warm jacket, socks and sweater. I have used mittens as well. It also gets ridiculously hot and humid.
Great group of fun and supportive staff here, you won’t be alone.
LikeLike
If you’re into live music, keep an eye on Clockenflap – an incredible 3 day festival of music and arts in Hong Kong on November 9-11 this year. Early bird is on sale now! http://www.clockenflap.com
Some fave acts from previous years: Chemical Brothers, M.I.A., Kaiser Chiefs, The Prodigy, Feist, Sigur Ros, Foals… the list goes on.
It’s a pretty incredible experience to see the iconic HK skyline silhouetted behind the main stage!
For live music closer to home, check out B10 – a small (but mighty!) warehouse-style concert hall in OCT Loft. https://www.facebook.com/b10live/
Enjoy!
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