Job Discussion Forums

[cartago]

What are the places or jobs you've taught where there were no other foreing teachers or a small expat community and how was the experience?

I worked at a school in Turkey where I was the only foreign teacher and only 2 other teachers spoke English. I can speak Turkish but not fluently so I was still out of the teacher's room conversations a lot. I knew and lived with other expats in the city so outside of work it was not isolating.

Now I live in Iraq and there are some other expats at the school and most of the local teachers have lived abroad but I don't hang out with them outside of the school or with other expats. I don't mind it too much and I hang out with locals a lot but it is nice to have a social circle of people from your own or similar cultures sometimes.

I don't know how people handled it before the internet. It would be extremely isolating in that situation.

[spiral78]

I didn't take the job, but I was once offered a position at a small town in the Czech Republic. The place was populated primarily by Russians (and Czechs, of course) and at that time there were reportedly only 3 or 4 native English speakers around. Most/all of these were reported to be either usually drunk and/or generally unpleasant characters. The housing available was a tiny room with a small refrigerator in the school dormitory (no tv or internet provided, though admit this was 15 years ago and internet wasn't ubiquitous). The guy who held the job for the prior academic year said it was fine if one was really into hill-walking and/or reading or writing a great novel - but very restrictive in terms of social interaction:-). Too far from the cities to commute regularly for weekend refreshment.
The only element missing here from a truly isolating scenario is that I at least wouldn't have been a visible minority.
But I didn't take the job

[Lack]

China is pretty isolating culturally. Third tier city China can be awful. The only culture around here is the language and chopsticks...

My coworkers are just about the only foreigners I know here. I don't mind that. I didn't come here to meet foreigners.

[jibbs]

One year in China, in Taiyuan, capital city of Shanxi Province, heart of coal industry, worked at a company as a proofreader. The city has 3 million or so but there were stretches of more than a month or two without seeing another foreign face. The only conversations I had was at work or online. Felt isolated there for sure, sometimes felt a bit crazy, spent most of my time at home online, drinking a lot. It was really busy, noisy, crowded in my neighborhood too, but the white face sure stood out. The way some locals look at you is surreal I guess, like they're seeing a strange animal for the first time and don't know how to react. You're totally outside their field of familiarity.

[johntpartee]

[Shroob]

[johntpartee]

Yeah, it wasn't bad at all. COL in Zhengzhou and the surrounding area is very low for such a big place, lots of Western amenities for those who want them.