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Dream_Seller
Joined: 01 Feb 2014
Posts: 78
Location: China
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 Posted: Wed Feb 26, 2014 7:13 am Post subject: |
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| Thanks for all the responses. I would probably work myself to death if given the opportunity. However, one of the main reasons I'm moving to Vietnam is to get off the hamster wheel. No matter where I go, there I am...so my happiness is my fault. Finding a work/life balance is what I need to do. Thanks again. |
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Tigerstyleone
Joined: 26 Mar 2010
Posts: 181
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| Posted: Wed Feb 26, 2014 9:42 am Post subject: |
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| What's your current job ? |
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Dream_Seller
Joined: 01 Feb 2014
Posts: 78
Location: China
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| Posted: Wed Feb 26, 2014 11:29 am Post subject: |
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My job involves quiet alot of paperwork. Ready for a career/lifestyle change.
Last edited by Dream_Seller on Fri Aug 04, 2017 3:52 am; edited 1 time in total |
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kurtz
Joined: 12 Mar 2008
Posts: 518
Location: Phaic Tan
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| Posted: Wed Feb 26, 2014 12:31 pm Post subject: |
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| Dream_Seller wrote: |
| Thanks for all the responses. I would probably work myself to death if given the opportunity. However, one of the main reasons I'm moving to Vietnam is to get off the hamster wheel. No matter where I go, there I am...so my happiness is my fault. Finding a work/life balance is what I need to do. Thanks again. |
Feeling like you're getting nowhere in life? On a metaphorical hamster wheel? have to say, I have met dozens of TEFELers who are getting nowhere. Some can't even affford a plane ticket home. Think very carefully about your move. I suggest a trekking holiday in Nepal or a baba trip in India; let the beard grow and don't forget your copy of The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying and a yoga mat to complete the ensemble.
Good luck  |
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Dream_Seller
Joined: 01 Feb 2014
Posts: 78
Location: China
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| Posted: Wed Feb 26, 2014 12:52 pm Post subject: |
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| Thanks Kurtz...I love you |
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just noel
Joined: 17 Jul 2006
Posts: 168
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| Posted: Wed Feb 26, 2014 2:18 pm Post subject: |
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[quote="kurtz"]
| Dream_Seller wrote: |
Feeling like you're getting nowhere in life? On a metaphorical hamster wheel? have to say, I have met dozens of TEFELers who are getting nowhere. Some can't even affford a plane ticket home. Think very carefully about your move. I suggest a trekking holiday in Nepal or a baba trip in India; let the beard grow and don't forget your copy of The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying and a yoga mat to complete the ensemble.
Good luck |
Dream Seller,
I understand you wanting to get off of the "hamster wheel." This is the situation for most people in the world in general and in particular in the West.
It is....a hamster wheel. Tread Mill. Whatever you want to call it.
And it sux.
But the questions by you seems to be (I'm not sure), is that you need to earn X amount of money per month. Is this so? I assume this based on your question about the number of hours needed/wanted.
If you need X amount of hours and it is as much as you state, then I do not think you should even think of coming here.
If you need less than the amount of hours you note, or do not need a lot of hours, then I think you should come.
BUT....whether you want to work 40 contact hours doing 7-day a week split shifts at mills or you want to work 15-20 per week saving little if anything,
You will once again be....on a treadmill.
Most of us here are on the hamster wheel. And when you're far away from "home" it gets a hell of a lot tougher as choices diminishes as we get older and the years go by. |
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Dream_Seller
Joined: 01 Feb 2014
Posts: 78
Location: China
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| Posted: Wed Feb 26, 2014 6:37 pm Post subject: |
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| I can definitely respect where your coming from👍maybe I will consider China or Korea instead. Thanks again |
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montblanc20
Joined: 21 Jul 2013
Posts: 53
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| Posted: Thu Feb 27, 2014 5:04 am Post subject: |
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Have you visited Asia before? My opinion is that Korea isn't a happy place, even if you can find work and save more there. And maybe it is a stereotype, but China is too big and poluted. Maybe south of china could be nice. Like Hainan. Never been to China.
Vietnam, Taiwan, Japan. I think these countries are worth considering. |
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ExpatLuke
Joined: 11 Feb 2012
Posts: 744
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| Posted: Fri Feb 28, 2014 4:04 am Post subject: |
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| montblanc20 wrote: |
Have you visited Asia before? My opinion is that Korea isn't a happy place, even if you can find work and save more there. And maybe it is a stereotype, but China is too big and poluted. Maybe south of china could be nice. Like Hainan. Never been to China.
Vietnam, Taiwan, Japan. I think these countries are worth considering. |
Japan is pretty awful for EFL right now in terms of making any sort of money. Most of the people who live seem to be those who want the whole Japan experience because Japanese culture is so popular in the West right now. But every teacher I've spoken to says the only teachers who have any money left at the end of the month are those that get in the JET program.
China is too hard to lump into one category as it's so big. Cities like Bejiing and Shang Hai are polluted to the extreme, but there's many towns, cities, and villages that are more remote and relaxed. I have friends teaching in China and they absolutely love it. Harbin seems to be a popular choice if you can stand cold winters.
If I wasn't so attached to Vietnam, I think the only other country I'd consider teaching in/moving to would be Indonesia. I got several job offers from there when I was debating between that and Vietnam 3 years ago. |
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VietCanada
Joined: 30 Nov 2010
Posts: 590
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| Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2014 12:47 pm Post subject: |
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| montblanc20 wrote: |
Have you visited Asia before? My opinion is that Korea isn't a happy place, even if you can find work and save more there. And maybe it is a stereotype, but China is too big and poluted. Maybe south of china could be nice. Like Hainan. Never been to China.
Vietnam, Taiwan, Japan. I think these countries are worth considering. |
Korea has the best expat community in the world. Seoul maybe not so much but just google and you'll find Busan and Ulsan for example have very lively expat communities that no other country can approach. My biggest disappointment with coming to Vietnam was how petty and selfish the expats are here, Much worse than any where I've ever lived as a matter of fact.
I would never recommend Vietnam to anyone who feels a sense of community is a consideration when choosing a country to teach in. Not even ballpark. |
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montblanc20
Joined: 21 Jul 2013
Posts: 53
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| Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2014 3:51 pm Post subject: |
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So best expat community in the world according to you = Korea is a happy place. Well, ok then. If you're looking for expats, go to Korea and avoid Vietnam I guess.
I kind of like not seeing so many US military and fresh out of college English teachers around. |
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GreatApe
Joined: 11 Apr 2012
Posts: 582
Location: South of Heaven and East of Nowhere
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| Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2014 11:52 pm Post subject: |
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Is Korea REALLY as bad as they say?
Man, I have heard some serious horror stories!
--GA |
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montblanc20
Joined: 21 Jul 2013
Posts: 53
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| Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2014 4:58 am Post subject: |
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Korea is ok. It's just different. Some people will like it and some won't. I made good friends there. It has better infrastructure and retirement and health systems than vn (day to day living is nice in the short term but if you think about really staying in vietnam as a poor or middle class, maybe you'll be stressed and unhappy) But it is a competitive society.
Isn't there a reason why the suicide rate is high there? And why some Vietnamese brides go there and end up killing themselves or getting abused and murdered. It doesn't happen to every bride, but it has happened.
Vietnam has some diversity that isn't found in Korea. Korea is monoculture for the most part. Vietnam has warm weather. I think these two things can shape the mndset of people.
I don't have much experience with expats in Vietnam. I don't hang out with many. The two that I hang out with the most are nice and adventurous and go on motorbike trips. Maybe the stereotypical "petty and selfish" expat is a guy who thinks he is a big shot because he makes ten to twenty times more than the locals or has a good source of passive income, thinks he is an expert on Vietnam and the Vietnamese because he's been here for two years and can speak some of the language maybe even fluently, and maybe has one or more girlfriends. Every expat who stays long enough becomes an expert. And on forums everybody's an expert. |
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mark_in_saigon
Joined: 20 Sep 2009
Posts: 837
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| Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2014 1:08 pm Post subject: |
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| And why some Vietnamese brides go there and end up killing themselves or getting abused and murdered. It doesn't happen to every bride, but it has happened. |
The girls who marry off to go abroad are often just taking a risk, knowing it could work out terribly. Some do okay, some don't. Lots of these women just do not have any good choices.
Haven't we all talked to girls here who will state they are getting married next year, then upon further questioning, we find that they do not know WHO they are marrying?
| Quote: |
| the stereotypical "petty and selfish" expat |
Not sure what the stereotype really is, but ever since I have been here, whenever I see westerners outside of the tourist areas, I notice that they mostly want to pretend they do not see their fellow westerner. Interestingly, I find the Asian expats to be friendlier to us than our fellow westerners. I do not at all get the feeling this has anything to do with wealth or income, yeah, they may be making normal teacher's wages, but that would not explain why they would think they were better than another westerner. Maybe some of these folks consider themselves experts on some matters, but any VN in the street has more expertise on VN than we do.
I always got the feeling that this is based on something else. We have all seen this adulation when we are in a public school, or somewhere away from the CBDs of the big cities. We also see that as the years go by, this is fading. Obviously, the more of us that are here, the more quickly this will happen. Thus, we have this dislike for our own guys, we would prefer not to see them here. I don't want to call this place paradise, but aspects of it can work out very well, and so it is natural to want to keep it all to ourselves, as the more of us that are here, the more our status is devalued.
I noticed this as soon as I came over. I will try to recognize my fellow westerner and chat if he/she shows any spark of friendliness, but usually they just pretend they did not see you, especially the guys you see outside of the tourist areas. Looks like the PNL crowd is friendly enough with each other, but it would be pretty hard to pretend you were the only westerner down there. |
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VietCanada
Joined: 30 Nov 2010
Posts: 590
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| Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2014 2:21 pm Post subject: |
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| mark_in_saigon wrote: |
| Quote: |
| And why some Vietnamese brides go there and end up killing themselves or getting abused and murdered. It doesn't happen to every bride, but it has happened. |
The girls who marry off to go abroad are often just taking a risk, knowing it could work out terribly. Some do okay, some don't. Lots of these women just do not have any good choices.
Haven't we all talked to girls here who will state they are getting married next year, then upon further questioning, we find that they do not know WHO they are marrying?
| Quote: |
| the stereotypical "petty and selfish" expat |
Not sure what the stereotype really is, but ever since I have been here, whenever I see westerners outside of the tourist areas, I notice that they mostly want to pretend they do not see their fellow westerner. Interestingly, I find the Asian expats to be friendlier to us than our fellow westerners. I do not at all get the feeling this has anything to do with wealth or income, yeah, they may be making normal teacher's wages, but that would not explain why they would think they were better than another westerner. Maybe some of these folks consider themselves experts on some matters, but any VN in the street has more expertise on VN than we do.
I always got the feeling that this is based on something else. We have all seen this adulation when we are in a public school, or somewhere away from the CBDs of the big cities. We also see that as the years go by, this is fading. Obviously, the more of us that are here, the more quickly this will happen. Thus, we have this dislike for our own guys, we would prefer not to see them here. I don't want to call this place paradise, but aspects of it can work out very well, and so it is natural to want to keep it all to ourselves, as the more of us that are here, the more our status is devalued.
I noticed this as soon as I came over. I will try to recognize my fellow westerner and chat if he/she shows any spark of friendliness, but usually they just pretend they did not see you, especially the guys you see outside of the tourist areas. Looks like the PNL crowd is friendly enough with each other, but it would be pretty hard to pretend you were the only westerner down there. |
This also happens in Seoul sometimes. I also noticed here that whenever I asked a foreigner who did acknowledge my existence about where the jobs were or where the schools were they wouldn't answer. That was extremely weird after 5 years in Korea where everyone would tell you where the schools were and even invite you to apply at their school with their potential recommendation.
I have found foreigners here to be elitist, petty and selfish about helping out fellow expats or even socializing. |
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