Pocket money when in Beijing - To earn or not to earn?

If you are a scholarship/sponsored student studying in a foreign country, there are two ways you make money. One, by digging your parents' pockets. Two, by doing some work in a fast-food chain or a gas station [like in the American movies]. But what do you do to earn your pocket money when you are studying in Beijing?

Apparently, nothing.

From whatever I have come to know through various resources on internet, students are not permitted to work while studying in China. It is illegal. Actually that makes me wonder if working while on student visa in India is legal or not. :S

Pretty much your only option of earning some cash in Beijing is to give 1-on-1 tuition in English. But lo, that job is eaten up by native English speakers. And an Indian cannot even crib or cry on this. After all, even you wouldn't really prefer an American over an Indian fellow to teach Hindi to your kid.

I am going to inquire about this matter in detail when I go to visa consulate later this week. May be explaining my case in detail could help me get a solution to this.

OPPORTUNITY - Huawei Maitree Scholarship

This is the second best opportunity after CSC for students who wish to pursue their Bachelors/Masters education in China. I came across this link last month in newspapers and I was *drools* before I saw it includes only degree education, not certificate/diploma courses.

http://www.huaweischolarships.org/scholarship-guidelines/

Huawei is one of the leading Electronics Chinese multi-national company in India. Back in second year when Chinese was still just a hobby and discussions regarding career still just a timepass, my college teachers had often mentioned Huawei to me.

Well it turns out Huawei has no liking for my choice of education. Still have dropped them an email explaining my case and emphasizing on the relevance of educational background to the organization. Bachelors in Electronics engineering with good command in Chinese language. Really I did not exaggerate :P

Very very unlikely that they will consider, but fingers crossed.

OPPORTUNITY - India China Institute

Now that my exams are over, most of my waking day is spent on scouring the internet for resources to fund my education in China. Some of the ones which I come across depress me to no limit when I see that their deadline is way past. Not my fault, I applied for my university in May 2011. I possibly could not have applied for a research grant in November 2010.

Anyway, this is a link I found today.
http://www.indiachinainstitute.org/blog/2011/01/24/new-school-student-travel-research-funds/

After going through it I realize it was not of much relevance to me anyway. But it could help someone who comes across this blog, sometime in future.

Received my admission letter and JW202!!

Today is indeed a very happy day! Pretty unexpectedly, I received the airmail package from CUCAS containing my offer letter and JW202 form! CUCAS had actually procured my admission package on 27 May and although it was supposed to reach by this month's end, today came the early bird! CUCAS gives you options between airmail (free, takes 30 days to reach) and Fedex/DHL thing (US $50, takes 3-4 days to arrive)

There is a sweet little CUCAS handbook as my ready reference to my NEW university - Beijing Language and Culture University in the package. It has everything; from a map of the university to common usage phrases in Chinese [how to order food, common expressions, how to book tickets, how to rent accommodation and like], the academic calendar, what to pack, weather conditions. It just gave me a feel of already being in Beijing!

Chanakyapuri is calling Prateeksha now. I got to got to got to apply for the visa now!

OPPORTUNITY - China Scholarship Council (CSC)

For anyone interested in studying in China, the annual scholarship offered jointly by Indian and Chinese government is the best option ever. The scholarship covers entire expenses of tuition, accommodation and travel fare. Additionally, the scholar is also awarded a monthly stipend of RMB 1400 [roughly INR 9800]. Here is the link to the scholarship:

http://www.education.nic.in/scholarship/Schol-es.asp#CHINA

However, I missed out on this scholarship because it clearly states that students awaiting final results need not apply. Losing out on this scholarship has been the lowest point of my journey so far, and this entire consequent quest is a result of that loss only.

IMPORTANT NOTE to those applying for this scholarship to study Chinese language: You need to attach 2 letters of recommendation for this scholarship. Make sure you start arranging for them well in advance, because getting these letters can take a real lot of time.

Welcome, everyone!

大家好。Hello everyone! I'm an Electronics and Communication engineer. I have also completed a 2-year diploma in Chinese language from a reputable recognized institute. I have now taken admission in prestigious Beijing Language and Culture University for Intermediate level Chinese language program. The course is of one-year duration.

The tuition fee is RMB 23200 [roughly 1.6 lakh rupees] and the cheapest accommodation is RMB 22000 [roughly 1.5 lakhs].

To everyone who will be visiting the blog and taking the effort to comment, I would like to point out a few things politely:

• Please do not recommend an education loan. That is not an option.
• Please do not recommend to "work for a year, save and then go."
  

This blog trails my quest to finding myself a scholarship/sponsorship/funding to continue my education in China. I hope to find something of importance here and also help other struggling students find resources.

再见！See you!