Nanjing vs Suzhou, which would you choose?
I’m 21 and moving to China for my first teaching job. I’ve got two kindergarten offers and can’t decide.
Nanjing is 23k a month, 8–5 Monday to Friday, with 15 days annual leave. Suzhou is 24k before tax including housing allowance, 7:40–4:30, with 3 weeks winter vacation at full pay and 7 weeks summer at half pay.
I’m mainly looking to have fun, meet people my age, go out on weekends, and explore China while saving some money. Nanjing seems better for nightlife and meeting people, but being able to visit Shanghai regularly from Suzhou sounds pretty appealing too.
I’m also considering doing a year in Nanjing and then moving to another city, probably Chengdu, whereas I’d likely stay in Suzhou for two years.
Which would you pick? Is Nanjing actually that much more fun, or does being close to Shanghai make Suzhou worth it?