EXCLUSIVE I ditched the UK for China and life is so much better - my weekly shop is just £10 and I earn £1,000-a-month working 13 hours a week
Emily Severn says she spends just £10 on her weekly shop and earns £1k-a-month working just 13 hours a week.
The 24-year-old flew over 5,000 miles away from her home in Nottingham to live in Suzhou in the Jiangsu Province of Eastern China in June 2024.
Working as an teacher in both kindergarten and junior high schools, Emily normally does just 13 hours every week - teaching English to Chinese students - and is paid £20 per hour.
Noticing a huge difference in the amount she spends, Emily says she's seen price decreases in rent and social activities, and says she leads a more active life in China.
She says her outgoings in the UK would cost her £850-a-month, compared to £336 for the same in China - and she insists there is 'more of a work life balance' as she only works 13 hours a week, compared to an average 40-hour work week in Britain.
Emily, an English teacher, originally from Nottingham, UK, said: 'I think what drew me to it is it's so different to rainy England.
'In Manchester the rent for a one-bed apartment, as my university accommodation, was £850 per month.
'The rent every month here has been costing me 2,200 yuan which at the moment is about £323 pounds.
A woman who ditched the UK to move to China says she spends just £10 on her weekly shop and earns £1k-a-month working just 13 hours a week
'You can go to the market here and literally buy a full food shop for £5 and that can last you a few days.
'In the UK there would be a lot of time being sedentary but here I probably lead a much more active lifestyle.
'There are a lot of parks that are free so there are still a lot of free activities.
'They're literally a bigger scale. They have a wetland park near where I live and it's massive.
'It's difficult to walk around it all, it took me around three hours and I hadn't walked around the entire park. It's so easy to go over 10,000 steps every day.
'I was probably doing a lot less on most days at home. It was regularly 2,000 or 3,000 steps, the most was 7,000.
'All there was to do where I lived was a few parks but you didn't really want to walk around them. Everyday feels different in China, but in the UK everyday felt the same.'
'It's definitely a life-changing decision but all of my family are very happy for me.'
Emily first began learning Chinese at alongside her masters degree in Journalism - where she also met boyfriend Wei, 30.
After securing a job in Suzhou whilst completing her TESOL qualification – which stands for Teaching English to Speaker of Other Languages- the couple moved out to China together, where they now live in a one-bed apartment.
She said: 'It was actually my Chinese teacher's old boss that was hiring teachers in China.
'Once I had my TESOL certificate they could start giving me my contract and work permit.
'Personally within the company I work in there is more of a work life balance.
'There's more flexibility than in the UK.
'I think I wanted to move explore and see something new because a lot of the time in the UK there's not a lot that goes on.
'In summer in China there are a lot of light shows and concerts at parks.
'There's a hustle and bustle and a lot going on.
'The utilities in China are 100 yen for the electricity per month and in British pounds that's about £10.15, that was costing me £37 in the UK.
'My water bill is 100 yuan but we only really have to pay it every three months, so £10.15 every three months – compared to £37 in the UK.'
Emily explains most attractions – like water towns including Mudu, Nanxun and Zhouzhuang - cost as little as £1 for entry include museum access, and says she spends a lot of her time walking in the different parks on offer in her area.
Teaching a mixture of class based and one-to-one sessions, Emily is paid upwards of £20 an hour, and estimates she earns £10,145 over the year.
Living in a one-bed apartment with a kitchen, bathroom, living area and mezzanine floor for their bedroom, the couple spend their weekends travelling to local 'ancient towns'.
Despite loving life in Suzhou, Emily can see herself returning to the UK at some point.
'I think it's more wanting to come back to family,' she said.
'When you're in China you kind of value family a lot more because everyone places a big value on family.'
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