Job Discussion Forums

Stomper · Posted: Thu Dec 11, 2014 5:19 pm Post subject:

Take a breath OP....
Have a holiday if you can.

I feel your disguntlement!
Hope things are getting better

piglet44 · Joined: 26 Aug 2010 Posts: 157

43 is not old, at least not in Chinese terms.However it may be too old to get a job back in the US of A, I don't know.I think you are tired of the lang mill scene,in which case uni gig in a quiet green place could be good.If you can't stand China any more for other reasons you could try getting a job in another country but you won't get the deal you get in China anywhere else (as outlined by previous poster few hours,free accommodation and flight) .It really depends if you are fed up with China per se,or just with the gig you have now.If it's just the gig easily remedied.If it is China for many other reasons then it's more of a problem.
I know a lot of retirees go to Panama,Ecuador,Mexico you can get jobs there as an American.I don't know if you have any other marketable skills.Maybe it's time to cultivate some other talents, if teaching doesn't float your boat.

creeper1 · Posted: Mon Dec 15, 2014 2:14 pm Post subject: options

There are options at home. Do you see yourself as a good salesman? You could probably sell cars at home. Beware though, there will be sales target to be met etc.

Another option at home could be telemarketing. It is low paying and, again, you will have targets to be met. However it is an option.

A final option is to start with education again from scratch. Think about what you want to do with your life. Do your four years of education and then start looking.

Here is a typical experience of a returnee

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iK4L7Gh406U&list=UUKNRzuHIvzo_D1PyPCBtBWQ

johntpartee · Joined: 02 Mar 2010 Posts: 3258

I sent the OP a PM about a wek ago, he hasn't responded. He sounds pretty depressed in his posts on here (borderline despondent).

water rat · Joined: 30 Aug 2014 Posts: 1098 Location: North Antarctica

bograt · Joined: 12 Nov 2014 Posts: 331

creeper1 · Posted: Tue Dec 16, 2014 4:49 am Post subject:

Ooops. I hope he isn't genuinely depressed.

I feel guilty now for posting the video. Embarassed

At least it shows he isn't suffering alone.

Mark Johnson · Joined: 08 Jun 2014 Posts: 23

Thank you to everyone who posted a comment on my thread.
Water rat, I didn't get your PM. Mathews I got yours.

I've been sick with an infection but still working so I haven't been online at all. I'm teaching 35 periods a week and grading papers and doing evaluations for 164 students every two weeks. Once I go home I go straight to bed and watch TV until I sleep.

I found the youtube video to be unwatchable.

I have also thought about selling cars and telemarketing but I don't think I have the drive to do commision based work again. Its a young man's game as is teaching ESL.

True, I have been depressed of late and went to see a doctor, but there is no mental health care where I'm at.

Sorry I didn't post in so long, and thanks to all the advice, especially the advice about going home.

creeper1 · Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2014 12:25 pm Post subject:

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

Difficult. At the age of 30 I thought I could return to my native land and do something different. I had been teaching in the Middle East and Africa for 10 years but thought I should try something else. As a result I spent 10 years doing nothing very much before returning to teaching in the Middle East after a hiatus of 10 years !

Retired now and living one day at a time.

Stomper · Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2015 9:25 pm Post subject:

OP..
How are you doing?
Are things any clearer?

Hope you are on the up again.

Peace, dude.

litterascriptor · Joined: 17 Jan 2013 Posts: 360

You can by generic prozac over the counter, but I suggest you consider a dietary change and exercise before you go down that road.

If you are suffering from seasonal affective disorder, get one of those light dealies. I used to work nights and used one, did me wonders.

Take care of yourself, hopefully you get a week or two off over the lunar new years.

Maybe a trip out of China is in order? Tip a few beers down on a beach in the 'Pines if you can.

theoriginalprankster · Joined: 19 Mar 2012 Posts: 895

I usually went home (as in home country) from China by plane.

Getting home from work in China - bike, bus, train, plane or taxi, depending where I was coming from.

No really, I've gotten pretty down in the dumps in China, and felt pretty damn alone. I've left China more than once.

Not a bad place, with a good circle of friends, entertainment, a missus or two and a decent job.

For me the key was friends, lover and decent job.

Friends are still there, left lover-less and my contract was up - sunning myself in SEA, spending part of the day looking for a new job online.

Getting fed up with teaching though. Or more like edutainment-style gigs.

More corporate stuff would be good.