Job Discussion Forums

Angel.Ro · Joined: 09 May 2015 Posts: 59

I was just reading through a bunch of different posts and I started thinking about something: at what point would you say it becomes "too late" to head back to your home country and pursue another career?

From reading various forums, it seems to be a pretty common occurrence that people initially set out to teach overseas for a year or two, and then end up staying for 10+ years - whether for marriage, money or some other reason.

But at that point most people would be in their early to mid 30s, which would seem to be - at least by conventional thinking - too late to enter the work force back home without many hard skills.

So I was just curious to hear the opinion of some of the teachers on here, at what point would you say you're probably better off making your long-term career an ESL teacher vs heading back home?

litterascriptor · Joined: 17 Jan 2013 Posts: 360

It is never too late.

However, whenever you make a move, you need to consider your destination. Can it support your ambitions?

Moving to Detroit to be a subcontractor, might be a bad idea. Moving to somewhere that has a strong housing market, better idea.

You may well need to skip embracing the comforts of home for the cold comforts of corporate.

In a word, repeated thrice- location.. location.. location.

Friend of mine moved to the US. Is stuck in a city where he can't get a teaching job. A hundred miles away is a city where he could land a gig in a week, but he's intent on being with his family.

location, location, location.

Consider what you want to do carefully, find the best location for it, start building contacts in that location. Find the key employer contacts, housing contacts, hit the city's subreddit up on reddit to get a sense of the social scene.

Even then, no promises made.. you might end up right back in China.

Songbird · Posted: Mon Jul 20, 2015 2:42 am Post subject:

Hell, no way. No coming back! I'm one of those who is leaving China after 10 years- today I fly back to Australia. In fact, I've just gone to close all my bank accounts here.

I don't necessarily plan on getting into teaching (though I have picked up a couple of online students, and it could increase) as ESL is almost impossible to get into in Oz. It's fine, I'm ready to start a new life and can move anywhere. I have saved some money for survival for a few months while I get my bearings again too.

Scary- this time every year I just usually go back for a holiday! But I know it's time, and I'm not finding the goodbye hard at all. Just different.

asiannationmc · Joined: 13 Aug 2014 Posts: 1342

When u have more in China than in your native country ... u stay ...

mandu · Joined: 29 Jul 2004 Posts: 794 Location: china

Im at the point of no return

I have more here than in New Zealand,15th year in China,I have a Chinese wife and a 2year old boy and Iam 48 years old.

I should have gone back home years ago.

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

"Go bind your sons to exile
..................................."

creeper1 · Posted: Mon Jul 20, 2015 12:46 pm Post subject: