Peter D.
Shenzhen is better as its closer to Hong Kong and more foreigner-friendly

Paul Martin B.
In general, go to the larger city. There will be more English speakers; modernity (read: food safety; real toilets, not squats); and expats to help you out. I have taught in Beijing and Tianjin for 5 years. Good luck!

Peng L.
absolutely Shenzhen

Kerry W.
Definitely Shenzhen!!

Merritt F.
I taught in Shanghai for six years, at Shanghai American School, and although my Mandarin is extremely limited, I had absolutely no problem. In fact, a surprising number of people could speak at least some English. I hired a private tutor to learn the language and that helped a lot. I have a friend who taught in Shenzhen, and it was the same story there. I took Mandarin lessons for a year, but didn't really need to, especially since there are apps to translate English to Mandarin. Enjoy your time in China! It's always an adventure.

Moses T.
Hey Oscur,

I've been to ShenZhen and totally enjoyed it there. It is a very modern city with all the resources you may need.

Wish you the best,

MC Theimer

John K.
Shenzhen is right next to Hong Kong. You literally walk across the border. That said, it isn't very typical of the rest of China, is very new looking with almost nothing traditional to see and most of the population is concerned about making money and not much else. It's probably one of the easiest places to get used to for Westerners who are not really looking for something very different.

Lee C.
rule of thumb accepting work in China - always go for the big city. they are classed in tiers. quite a lof of newcomers start off in backwaters with the hope of progressing up the ladder to one of the top tier cities which is basically 1. Shanghai 2. Beijing and probably 3. Shenzhen.

Therefore if you are offered a position in any of those three places, do your research on the institution and if it is not too good to be true, go for it.

good luck!