Friday, December 14, 2012
What is life like in Johannesburg, South Africa?
What is life like in Johannesburg, South Africa?
I am a Canadian and will be getting my Bachelor of Arts degree from York University in Toronto, Canada. I have always wanted to become a teacher but I really want to move to Johannesburg (I hear it's a GREAT life out there). Is there a University with a teachers' college there? How much on average am I looking at to rent a 2 bedroom apartment? What is the cost of living like there (cable, phone, groceries, etc.)? Do you need a car over there? How does an international student get accepted into country? Thanks in advance for your help.....
South Africa - 4 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
It's colourful and really diverse and at times scary. You meet a lot of really beautiful and really ugly things in virtually the same place. Extreme aversion for the bad will make you miss out on the really great things Johannesburg offers. Rent should be about R4000 including utilities, outside the security of a security guard and off-street parking. You definitely need a car. There are teachers colleges appended to universities - incredibly Adult Basic Education and Training focused interestinly. The cost of living is not too bad.
2 :
A bachelors flat (studio) will cost you between R3500-R4000 so a 2 bedroomed flat should be around R6000- excl water and lights. JHB is one of the most expensive major cities in SA to live in. Property is quite pricey here but the price groceries depends on what your eating habits are like. There shall be new safer ways of travelling with the Soccer world cup coming but Metro bus is one of the safest means to get around. (A car will eventually be a necessity as you may be stranded should Metro bus go on strike). We have thousands of international students in our Universities, and we treat them as we would any of our fellow South Africans. (I've never heard of Xenophobia at any JHB university).
3 :
Johannesburg has two universities with teaching colleges, the University of Johannesburg and the Johannesburg College of Education, which is part of the university of the Witwatersrand. Rent should be about R 3000- R 5000, groceries for one person probably about R 1000, phone depends on your usage but probably about R 200 per month, and about R500 for DSTV (satellite TV, our closest equivalent to cable). You can come on a student visa after applying to the relevant institutions. And you might get by without a car if you live close to your place of study, but I would strongly recommend that you get a car. They are working on improving our public transport system, but for now it is very hard to get around with no car.
4 :
Hi there. Why Johannesburg? Also known as Gold Reef City. It is hectic. Crime is higher in Johannesburg than Cape Town and Durban. It is also spread out over a huge area. Johannesburg is big. There are teachers colleges there, but not sure of names. Why not take a look at Cape Town. There you get Cape Town university, and Teachers colleges. yes you do need a car if you stay in any of the cities. Contact Passport office in Pretoria to find out what you require to get in there. To rent a 2 bed apartment you are looking at R3000 - R5000 per month. Water/electricity is expensie. I would say R200 for electricity a month, and Water could be up to R125 or more. But good luck.
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