Job Discussion Forums

[lelick1234]

I was wondering if it was a feasible life plan to move my family (my wife and my daughter) to China. I have the following questions that would help me make this decision:

1) Will I be able to afford to feed my family?

2) How much would it cost to educate my daughter?

3) What sort of life should my family be expecting to enjoy or suffer?

4) Would a MA in TESOL improve my overall pay or would it just be a waste of money?

I am currently living in Egypt working at an American high school. I am making about the same money as most Chinese ESL job posts allegedly pay. I am just tired of the political chaos and disorganization.

5) Should I just bite the bullet and earn my teachers credential and work in the United States?

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

[PBirm123]

Bite the bullet and start a traditional career(with traditional pay and traditional career trajectory) in the U.S.

That said, the pay you'll receive in China will definitely allow you to feed and provide shelter for your family.. but not much beyond that. The excess money will have to go to putting your child into an international school.. which are pretty expensive even by U.S. dollar standards.

If your wife works, too, and you both take on private students.. you could actually save some money and live a pretty comfortable life. Not a luxurious life with abundant Western luxuries, mind you, but still a pretty damn good life.

[mambawamba]

I pm'd you some details.

[muffintop]

[bharrell]

If you love your family and want the best for them in life, don't bring them to China. In addition to all that has been accurately stated above, your child would possibly learn to behave like a mainland Chinese, as they would think it is normal to queue jump, spit/urinate/defecate on the sidewalk, scream into the telephone, etc.
I think many modest professions in the USA(truck drivers and such) would be preferable. Becoming a certified teacher is certainly better.

[lelick1234]

Thanks for replies. Still looking for more opinions. To help you understand my situation, the following points should be understood.

1) My wife is Egyptian and my daughter is 8 months old.

2) We live modestly in a two-bedroom home with my father-in-law and a house cat. No rent, but very modest living standards.

3) I have to go back to US anyways to get my wife's American passport. I plan on getting a California credential in social studies and English. I will give the US three years to get a standard public/private school job. If that fails, however, I am planning to go abroad.

[teenoso]

A lot depends on your personal circumstances. An 8 month old baby is very young to bring to China. After 3 years she will be still very young and not in school.
If she is healthy and robust , here may be fine, but if she has any health problems , I would stay out of China . You sometimes see here family protests outside hospitals , and sadly it is usually about a child who has suffered under the hospital's care.

Is your wife adaptable, and up for an adventure ? If she is not working she may suffer more culture shock than you. On the other hand, Chinese people love young children and China can sometimes be a safe and good environment for raising a child (provided the traffic and air pollution are not too bad).
Hard to see how exposure to two or three years' pollution in China can be anything but bad for a young child.

I see ex-pat families in parts of Shanghai, and I think they have made the choice - wife or husband's career first, while the kids are young enough, get promoted back in the home country, so kids get properly educated back home.

But as an English teacher, you will never have this lifestyle, nor probably the career boost that China can give people in other jobs.
If you can make it work in the US, why not do so? Frankly some of us are here only because things didn't work out back home.

[lelick1234]

Don't make China your goal. Make it a last resort if everything fails in the states.