Always Have a Plan: My “Move to China” Plan tagged: , , , , , , ,

Always Have a Plan: My “Move to China” Plan

Posted by Mike in China Living, Finances, My Life, Work

Moving to China wasn’t exactly something I could pick up and do right away, it took 4 months of planning. Below is a run-down of my biggest obstacles:

  1. Quitting my job: It’s harder than it sounds to quit a job at the right time. Especially when you know that other people depend on you and knowing that my manager was already short-staffed (I was the only one working under him). However, I was in the middle of a “leadership rotational program” that had me leaving my manager by July, so, 5 months early wasn’t too big of a difference. Nonetheless, it was hard choosing the right time (when projects had reached logical ending spots) and leaving on a good note.
  2. Figuring out what to do without a job: This is the hurdle that most can’t get past. This hurdle gets much higher in the economy we are in today. My plan was two-fold. First, I would work on internet businesses, taking inspiration from The 4-Hour Workweek book. Second, I would attend intensive Mandarin lessons full-time at a top University. In a year’s time, I will possibly re-enter the corporate working world once again with new-found marketing and Mandarin abilities.
  3. Getting out of housing obligations: I rented, and have always rented housing. My problem was, I was on a one-year lease and had 4 months remaining when I left. I notified the leasing office in January of my intentions to leave, and lucky for me, they found a newly-divorced current tenant who wanted to downgrade to my studio apartment. I was no longer on the hook for the remaining 4 months.
  4. Selling my valuables: The biggest valuable I had was my car. I found a buyer in January from, ironically, someone who had just entered the United States from Shanghai (where I will be living next). We worked out a deal where I would sell her my car the day I left my apartment. My other valuables were either sold on ebay or craigslist.
  5. Telling family and friends: I am 27 years old (soon to be 28), but still, my parents are concerned about my life decisions. Especially when I tell them that I am quitting a well-paying “dream” job that aligned perfectly with my schooling. Unfortunately, it didn’t align perfectly with my life goals. The fun is magnified when I need to tell friends, co-workers, and acquaintances that I had quit my job to pursue my purpose in life of an international career.
  6. Visas: I will be attending a university in Shanghai for my Mandarin studies. For the price of a bit over $3,000 US, I will go through intensive studies for a year to perfect my Mandarin abilities. I also have the benefit of getting a student Visa that will allow me to live in China for as long as I study. Once I get to China, I have been informed that I can make this a multiple entry Visa. I currently have a traveler’s Visa.
  7. Finances: I worked for a large bank and understand finance in-and-out. Unfortunately, I know US finances, not Chinese finances. You will learn as I learn and explain. The three things I did arm myself with before I left were 1) a Capital One Credit Card (0% foreign transaction fee charge), 2) A PNC Debit Card (No international ATM fees), and 3) A Discover Credit Card (2% foreign transaction fee charge and a partnership with Union Pay for any time that my Capital One Card isn’t accepted).

I’ll explain each of these sections in more detail as time goes on. Hopefully by doing so, I can help someone else feel comfortable with making a similar life decision of moving to China.