Job Discussion Forums

[missing]

Well, after 2 years of teaching in China, I returned to the U.S. last fall. Now, 3 months later, I find myself looking for a way to leave the country again. The itch is still there.

I've read many threads and posts of people who've been doing this for years and years, and I wonder if they (you) planned it all along, or fell into it, and what you were doing before that, what your plan is for the foreseeable future....

I'm 28 and I guess I'm feeling the pressure to find some sort of normal job to support me in the U.S.- one that will allow me to settle and prepare for the future. The problem is, I don't know what I want to do, career-wise. Not to mention I can't find a decent job, with my rather useless art degree...

What I do know is that living abroad for 2 years has left me yearning for more. I am considering going to India for a year. But then what?? Back to the U.S. only to find myself in the same predicament? Off to another fascinating destination in search of something I can't explain?

I guess I'm writing to all of you to look for some support, feedback, advice on what to do. I know many of you have been in the same situation before. (Although chances are you left again, or you wouldn't be reading this forum?)

Talk to me, comrades...

[wildchild]

you might try going fishing, maybe trolling in a lake, or jumping in a lake!

[denise]

Isn't there a saying that says something like, "I'd rather regret something that I've done than something that I haven't done"? If you are certain that you want to leave and aren't having any luck with the job search back home, you might as well go. Better now than later, once you do find a job and are more tied down.

But...

What do you consider a "normal" job, though? Many of us who've been doing this for a while (I've been in this field for seven years--not long by lifer standards but getting there...) actually consider teaching a normal job, even a career. If you don't feel the same, and you do go to India or elsewhere, returning home for that elusive normal job might be even harder because you'd have an even longer gap in your CV.

Good luck,
d

[missing]

Wildchild- um, thanks for the advice. I haven't quite figured out how it would help, though.



What do you consider a "normal" job, though? Many of us who've been doing this for a while (I've been in this field for seven years--not long by lifer standards but getting there...) actually consider teaching a normal job, even a career. If you don't feel the same, and you do go to India or elsewhere, returning home for that elusive normal job might be even harder because you'd have an even longer gap in your CV.

Denise,

Let me re-phrase that. By "normal" what I meant was a job in the U.S. that would allow me to...support myself, to not have to worry about how to make next month's rent, to live comfortably, and hopefully to mentally stimulate and challenge me. In saying that, I recognize that teaching English abroad has afforded me all of these things and more.

I guess what I'm struggling with is exactly what you said in your last sentence- if I leave and decide to return again after one, two, or ten years, what challenges will I be faced with then?

If I look at teaching abroad as a career, then it makes sense to continue with it, since it's been my career for the past 2 years. Maybe I've just been brainwashed by the majority that believes it's just an interim job...

[ls650]

[naturegirl321]

I personally would like to keep moving to different countries for my whole life.

[Venti]

Perhaps you stated your reason for leaving China and returning to the US after two years and I missed it. If so, I'm sorry. But, I'll ask anyway.

Why did you return to the US? If it was because you were done with China and no longer had the desire to remain there, you're probably better off waiting until a year or so has passed before you leave the US again for an overseas job. If it has only been three months since you returned, you're probably still dealing with the shock of being back home after having lived abroad for an extended period of time. It's possible that you might even be missing some of the things (or people) in China that you didn't think you would miss before you left. This is normal. It doesn't mean you made a mistake by leaving.

I returned home after a year teaching abroad. I was miserable for the first few months and was dying to go back. I was sure I had made a huge mistake. Eventually, I got back into my old teaching gig after returning home and came to feel good about my decision to return. However, the desire to go back to Japan never completely left me and, after a year of being back home, I decided to go back to Japan. That's where I am now. But, I could've easily stayed back home and continued to advance my career had I no desire to leave. I came back to Japan because I really wanted to be here. The point is, I gave it a year.

If you're already losing heart after three months because you haven't found employment that is meaningful to you, and are thinking you have no real options other that to bail out on the US again, you really should take some more time to find that "normal job" you say you want.

Anyway, don't decide until you've been back close to a year.