I've been living in Beijing more than 2 years now and have managed a few interesting experiences. I guess growing up in Canberra doesn't fully prepare for what China has to throw at you. Hopefully I can draw some useful information from these experiences and impart them in a meaningful way over the next few paragraphs.

I'd first like to break the Bejiing experience down into two groups - the local expat experience and the foreign expat experience. The line can sometimes blur however they can be generally distinguished through the following characteristics.

Local expats find their jobs locally through job agencies like thebeijinger.com and zhaopin.com. They can also come on internships, work experience, language study programs or teaching positions hoping to work their way up to fortune after gaining some 'China' experience. Through reduced wages they are forced to live cheaper lifestyles somewhat comparable to the average Beijinger.

Foreign expats are usually posted here by multinational companies and enjoy western salaries and added extras such as cleaners, drivers and large 150+square meter apartments in Sunlitun. This is definitely a comfortable way to live but can lack some of the richer cultural experiences of the local expats, especially if the foreign expat is not motivated to 'get amongst it'.

Generally speaking you want to try to be a foreign expat. This will allow you to continue making mortgage repayments and managing to eat at the same time. However, for those of you without the backing of a multinational corporation, here are some words of advice before you scratch that China itch.

• Get a Z visa. There are 3 types of visas - L (tourist), F (Business Visa) and Z (Work Permit). Make sure you get the Z visa if you want to take up employment in China. Your company must help you to arrange this. Some people/companies try to work it on the F visa but they are only short term and will lead to a lot of hassle.
• Check your contract. You may find some things that you are not accustomed to. Eg 10 days (sometimes no days) annual leave, no superannuation, no health insurance, 3 month termination notification periods, 2 month delayed salary payments, 6 day working weeks etc These conditions are not that uncommon.
• Almost everything is negotiable (every step of the way).
• Minimise your dependencies and liabilities. This give you more power to bargain. For example, if your work pays for your accommodation and you become redundant, all of a sudden you are not just searching for a new job but a new apartment as well. This can be difficult if you've never had to look for real estate in a foreign language quickly. Basically, think long and hard before you hand over any decent amounts of cash or agree to benefits that others have control over.
• Don't expect to learn Chinese while holding down a full time job in just 1 year. 5 years is probably more realistic (if you manage to keep the discipline of going to class). If you are going to study full time you'll need at least 2 years on the ground here. It's a tough language. To give some perspective, learning Chinese at CIT for one year is barely enough to enable you to order a meal and pay for it.
• Being able to speak Chinese will not guarantee you a good job. It helps, however it's just a means to communicate with people, it's not an actual trade as such - unless you're an interpreter. Actually all of my highly paid foreign friends speak almost no Chinese at all.
• Teaching English is a dead end job. It doesn't pay very well and will only give you the opportunity to find more English teaching jobs.
• Living in China is like being a manic depressive, the highs are high and the lows are low. Be prepared for all seasons.
• Tax is lower in china (it's not all doom and gloom). It depends on your tax bracket, but if you earn around 20,000RMB (~AUS$3000) / month expect to pay about 3,000 (~AUS$455) in tax (15%).
• Living costs can be cheaper. I say 'can' because there are definitely a lot more things to spend your money on here than the average town in Australia. It just depends on how you choose your lifestyle. But for example you can buy a chicken breast at a local supermarket for around 8RMB (~AUS$1.20) or you can blow 2,000RMB (~AUS$300) any night of the week at an up market KTV (Karaoke) joint.
• Lastly the weather sucks. Sub zero winters and 30+ degree summers make you wish you could afford an apartment with an air conditioner. Also, the pollution is bad and each season has something to prove, eg sandstorms in spring and skin peeling dry air in winter.

Despite some of the grim descriptions, I really do feel that Beijing is a great city. There is plenty to see here and heaps of people to meet. I'm not sure that you'll make your life fortune here but I can guarantee that you'll gain some rich work and life experience.

The new (incomplete) China Central Television building just down the road from my apartment in Beijing on an unusually clear day (Feb 2008)