Job Discussion Forums

[General Disarray]

Theres a lot of people in this world, everywhere you'll go, you'll meet westerners.

I was in a hostel in Ukraine about 4 months ago, speaking to a fellow Brit (from Manchester though) in the dormitory. Turns out we had a mutual friend in Budapest.

I loved Guanajuato, great city!! I went there 2 years ago for Cervantinho, my friend told me to pre-book my hostel so I did 3 weeks in advance at a bargain price I thought of 100pesos a night. My friend couldn't believe the price, the day I leave for Gto, I look at the address and realised I booked for Guadalajara!!! I rang my friend who told me not to worry as his cousin lived in Gto, stayed in a big house with 17 other Mexicans for the 3 nights.

Went back the following year as on my way to Torreon from D.F, a beautiful city!

I think I would prefer to live in Guadalajara or Oaxaca though if given the choice. Morelia was a very beautiful city as well, I went there by mistake as the bus to Queretero I think it was, was all sold out.


Cali is a good shout, but you need to learn how to Salsa..

Vienna is a good city to live in right now, although it's pricier than most.

Belgrade is a good city with soul, Ryanair haven't started flying there yet, so the stag parties haven't discovered it yet!!!

I'm off to Belo Horizonte in 6 weeks myself though, just to learn Portuguese though, not for work, will be back in Budapest I suspect by February, a city with a lot of soul but been infiltrated recently by tourists as Ryanair started flying there 2 years ago, the stag parties have followed.

[plumpy nut]

[Cosmixed]

Istanbul has an excess of character, and definitely feels alive. It's a clusterfuck really, but not in a bad way, if that makes sense. Anything can and does happen here. So if you are up for an adventure (and can stomach a bit of chaos) come on over. You definitely won't be bored.

[JZer]

[nortenagirl]

Hi Lack,

Did you ever find your city with spirit?

I miss Mexico, for that very reason. Northern Mexico has the beautiful city of Alamos (in the state of Sonora), full of Colonial architecture, but it does get very hot in the summers.

Good luck!

Nortena Girl

[Lack]

[Hod]

Charming.

Plenty of places are still great. Taking one of your example countries, China, I'd have loved to have lived and worked in somewhere like Hong Kong, Macau or Beijing.

[Lack]

[Hod]

Well, would you have liked to have lived in China, India or Cambodia whilst those greats were being built? We'd probably be hod carriers or in charge of water rationing like Immortan Joe in Mad Max (guess who's flown long-haul economy and watched/slept through films, films and films recently).

It'd be obvious to now bang on about 21st century blah blah, but what about Morocco?

It wasn't my favourite place in a year there (Casablanca), but that's a country that isn't overrun by development, and the locals believe in tradition, etc.

[spanglish]

[hdeth]

[jpvanderwerf2001]

Much of India would be a possibility.
Almost anywhere in Russia, outside of Moscow/StP could arguably work. Other former Soviet countries, such as Ukraine or Bulgaria, would be options.
There are plenty of places in South America that might be considerations, but there aren't many jobs.
I would imagine much of Africa might have what you're looking for, though jobs are probably hard to come by.

The places where people need or want English (enough that people will pay good money out of their pockets to get instruction), almost by definition, are the most likely to be modernizing. I mean, you could head to the "soul-est" place on Earth, but can or will the people there pay enough for English lessons to warrant an entity hiring a native speaker?

[Shanghai Noon]

[scot47]

Bulgaria was never part of the Soviet Union. It was a member of the Warsaw Pac t, but that is not the same. As a destination for EFLing, it is hardly new. Fascinating place but very low salaries.

It was better in the old days before Thatcher scrapped the Cultural Agreement between the UK and Bulgaria. Under that. the British Council sent around 20 teachers every year to work in secondary schools. Local salary was topped up by a sterling supplement. I was on that programme in 1991-1993.

[Lack]