Job Discussion Forums

[Bondi007]

Thanks for sharing a little bit of your life with me and other readers. We all have a different but similar story of why we came/are coming to live and teach in China. It is soooo interesting and I hope to read many more... I have no idea if my 1 year stint will turn in to 5 (I arrive next month)...all part of the adventure, I suppose. I feel in good company with my fellow FTs.

Greetings from Bondi, Sydney.

[Songbird]

I was doing Childcare in Australia, but it was ridiculous, all I could get was casual work! I couldn't live like that....

Then on a morning brekkie show I saw a segment about people living and working overseas and thought 'nah' that's for hippies, nutjobs...' but kept it in the back of my mind.

A month later, the day after my birthday I made my NY resolution (don't believe in Jan 1) and thought, 'I have nothing to lose, why not?'. I had seen a job ad for English teachers through a recruiter in Perth , decided to send the CV. Wasn't expecting to be the 'right' person, got a call within an hour!

So went to China 2 months later for the first time...first year goes, very long, very challenging but applied for a new job in South Korea when I'd finished (it was where I really wanted to go in the first place).

Got to Korea 6 weeks later. 2 days later, walking around Changwon getting to know the place and walking through I hotel in the hopes of finding an adapter for my laptop, I slipped on an unseen step and busted my knee.

Thought it would be okay and feel better the next morning (my first day), instead, had to get a taxi to work 5 mins walk away, burst into tears and demanded to be taken to hosptial pronto.

That was the end of Korea before it even started, and several months of fun physio back home. This was the end of January.

Come May, still recovering and trying to work out what the hell I was going to do now, I decided to give up the whole English thing and apply for jobs back home in the city. When my family discovered this, they were so angry with me and said they knew deep down that's not what I wanted to do and not to give up. I decided I'd give China a go once again and got in touch with a teacher I'd worked with my first year who had a contact where I am now.

So here I am, back in China, 18 months later and not regretted one minute (except the money!). My knee is still weak, I have to take one step at a time (even up 4 flights of stairs!) and yes, the FAO is aware but is cool with it. I have never been late anywhere (classes etc) and fully expect to be asked to re-sign again within the next couple of months.

Wow, that was really long winded, sorry

[malu]

Don't want to put a downer on things but I'm someone who won't be extending my year in China. I'll see out my contract here until July then it's back to Indonesia where I feel I belong.

I have good terms and conditions here (although I do occasionally have to insist that contractual terms are not a moveable feast) and I can save a lot of money without trying. Accepted wisdom is that China offers poor pickings salary wise but as a (science) subject teacher with ESL background I have found I can put away $1000 per month and still maintain a comfortable life.

However, I miss Indonesia like crazy - most of all the food, the climate and the smiles - and for me China can't even begin to touch SE Asia as a place to put down roots. I loathe the attitude and bad manners of many people here and the winter in Guangdong turned out to be much colder than I had imagined.

[dialogger]

Good on yer Bondi
I did 2 years in Dalian and as a city there are a lot worse.
I lasted 6m in my first outfit and walked away from an airfare refund to be quit of them. Students were great though.
Visited 3 other Dalian universities (most are grouped to the South of the city along the light rail track and the highway out to Lushun) looking for work and got offers from 2 of them.
Hope you've picked a good 'un but if you haven't then leave after a year and get something better.
PM me if you like.

[englishgibson]

dialogger, have you worked with ACT centers before? forgive my intrusion on, just curious

i've done a few gigs in and've been here for six and a half..my last one's become kinda long term...got married to a chinese ...didn't learn the language though

cheers and beers

[dialogger]

Hi English G.
You are an icon on these fora.
No ACT centres.
Started with Liaoning College of Export and Trade (cr*p) out at Lushun and then to Dalian Maritime U for 3 semesters. Was offered a position at Dalian Uni of Tech but accom is not good there.
Did most outside work privately but some corporate - Hewlett Packard. I turned a lot of gigs down. A few weeks with Kids Castle put me off that junior area of work

[AussieGuyInChina]

[GeminiTiger]

This is my 3rd year.. I'm not leaving as long as I can get cantaloupe flavored gum and green tea flavored toothpaste.

Seriously though China has a lot of benefits.. lots.. just not money.

[englishgibson]

i guess i learn somethin' new every day

one benefit i've been able to enjoy is my wife (chinese)..been with her for 6 years ..married her last june..and yet another one with that we're gona have a baby..'m happy with that...cost of livin' still within limits and so i hope i'll be able to feed my family here in china intitially and then i'll see if to move or not

however, livin' workin' here can make ya feel real down...no matter what, you need that visa and employer or someone to vouch for ya on that F and then you've got to deal with some uncivilized behaviours of many...jumpin' lines, running red or speedin' on ya when you're tryin' to cross a street, spittin', sayin' hello to yor rear end and laughin' (my arse is really fine lookin' so why laugh ) regular diarrhea due to some contaminated food and so on and on ... so much for that "a lot of benefits", but i'm not tryin' to confront...just seein' my angle of a street, if you know what i mean there

well, we're all here on the same boat and've to learn how to deal with it...one way's stayin' positive and seeing those advantages rather than disadvantages

dialogger, thanx for that compliment, or at least i've taken it that way...sorry, i must've confused you with someone else
anyway, i've also gone through a few gigs here...i've turned a lot of'em down too...sometimes lil money and sometimes lil clue to why do it..'m proud of not puttin' on "white monkey" shows

cheers and beers to all hard workin' and accademically strong FTs that won't sell themselves short

[Surfdude18]

[Surfdude18]

[cj750s]

Kev just hasn't been around the Thais when they stop smiling.

[Surfdude18]

Not all fun and games...

[voodikon]

i think the thais, having been accustomed to foreigners for a long time, just have a super developed tourism industry and are savvy in the ways that will help boost that industry, i.e., all the smiling and despite speaking fluent english will still greet you and say thank you in thai (for that authentic touch). that's the impression i get anyway. but living there, i'd imagine it'd be pretty hard to truly fit in, whereas in china once you can get past the culture shock and barriers, you can find acceptance i think.

anyway, i'm another who originally planned to come a year and am now working on a fourth ...

[Surfdude18]