request reality check before move to pune

phithesis

Greeting,

I am an american planning on moving to Pune to attend Pune university this summer and I have a number of questions. As a note I should say that I lived in goa for two years as a student.
Also I have a Goan fiancee.

The plan is to move to Pune, reside on campus until Nov 2009. At that time my fiancee will move to Pune and we will get an apartment and marry.

Question: will we find it difficult to get a place before we marry?

Question: I see on the net ads for flats in Pune that cost between 4-6000 rps a month. What is the quality of a flat at that price? Are such flats in safe areas? Would I be able to get a flat at that rate near the university?

We are both not expecting to live a posh lifestyle: basic food shelter, no ac, etc, what is a reasonable amount to expect for cost of living in Pune?

Another issue is work. I have seen advertisements on the net of many people and training centers that offer voice accent training and gre sat prep services for around 150 rps an hour in Pune. Is this correct? If so, would I be taking a big risk if I gave english tuitions prior to getting my PIO card? I ask this because in Goa I knew many foreigners who regularly broke the law and were caught and merely paid a minor bribe. (I had a german friend that was caught by the cops with a pound of marijuana and he paid a bribe of 200 rps and was let go, and he kept the drugs.)

How difficult would it be for my fiancee to get a job at a call center in nov? She will have an MA in English and her accent is very close to an american accent.

What are some things I should consider and plan for aside from my above questions?

ok i will stop here. thanks
jim

phithesis

no one has any input?

PeakXV

Hi Jim - that's a plethora of generalized questions that you have there. And I can't answer any of them. You might be better to wade into your quest with one or two of your more important concerns first .... otherwise a list of non hardcore travel related questions tends to bedazzle browsers & as a result may take a while to be handled.

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Don't go to India ~ Pre-trip Warnings & Misconceptions?

capt_mahajan

Can't give you recent Pune specific info but...

Yes, there will be some difficulty finding an apartment if you two are unmarried; more so if there is a difference in ethnicity.

4/6000 on its own may not mean much. Depends on how upmarket the area is. For more expensive areas, 6000 is not sufficient for even a 2 bedroom flat, though rentals are falling in India. Safety is not always a function of rental cost.

cost of living issues... see the many threads here on indiamike. Everything depends on what your expectations are.

I cannot advise you to break the law. But as far as your fiancee goes, be aware that call centre jobs have been hit recently, and the recent Obama announcement of no tax breaks for US companies outsourcing still has to be resolved.

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