| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
davidrwest2005
Joined: 30 Aug 2006
Posts: 12
Location: Hubei
|
 Posted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 3:56 am Post subject: China v. Thailand |
 |
|
I have been in China for 3 years and and thinking about leaving cold winters and questionably healthy food for warmer days and new tastes.
Is anyone out there who has lived in both China and Thailand and could offer any insight?
One specific issue is about the work day. A Chinese teacher may have 7 classes on a given day. Do Thai teachers have to face exhausting schedules too? Are the foreign teachers given exhausting schedules?
A lot of the negative comments about working in Thailand sounds like they could easily occur in China too. China, however, does have many good qualities and I'm sure these good qualities are found in Thailand too. Is it just that few people choose to comment about the great things in this forum? Is that a fair assumption? |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
bradley
Joined: 28 Mar 2005
Posts: 235
Location: China
|
| Posted: Sat Nov 22, 2008 2:19 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Well, honestly it really will depend on your co-workers and school. I have taught at universities in both China and Thailand and have had positive experiences both places but the visa issue for me has been much easier in China. However, I do enjoy living in Thailand more. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
davidrwest2005
Joined: 30 Aug 2006
Posts: 12
Location: Hubei
|
| Posted: Sat Nov 22, 2008 5:25 am Post subject: |
|
|
I remember reading that Western teachers find that Thai students are somewhat immature compared with western students. I found that to be true while at a Chinese university. Still, a good portion of the Chinese college students valued my lessons.
But I read a lot on this forum that Thai students are somewhat lackadaisical. The same can be true for China too but engaging lessons and good classroom management skills are a good antidote .
Right now, I work at a primary school. The school has provided me with my own classroom "The English Workshop." The class teachers usually watch my classes to remind the students that they have to behave. That presence does wonders.
Working in China is great. While I enjoy the success, I wonder if there is something different that will be great and then some. I think Thailand has something.
Can you write more about some of the differences bith GOOD and BAD? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
bradley
Joined: 28 Mar 2005
Posts: 235
Location: China
|
| Posted: Sat Nov 22, 2008 6:59 am Post subject: |
|
|
Well I teach about the same number of periods a week here in China as I did in Thailand. One big difference is that I don't have office hours in China. In Thailand I was supposed to be at the office from nine to five or so.
I enjoyed the students in both countries but the students I teach in China are at a higher level than in Thailand. It may just be my class or the university but I feel that the students in China value their education more. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
bradley
Joined: 28 Mar 2005
Posts: 235
Location: China
|
| Posted: Wed Nov 26, 2008 12:19 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Also I have to admit that I have been quite lucky. In both Thailand and China, the retention of teachers is quite high at both schools. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
PattyFlipper
Joined: 14 Nov 2007
Posts: 572
|
| Posted: Wed Nov 26, 2008 2:17 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| bradley wrote: |
One big difference is that I don't have office hours in China. In Thailand I was supposed to be at the office from nine to five or so.
|
Herein, I believe, lies one of the principal differences between working in Thailand as opposed to China, along with much better holidays at government institutions, and other benefits such as free accommodation and air fare reimbursement very rarely offered in Thailand.
As a place to live, Thailand possibly has the edge, in that it is generally more congenial and, in the Urban areas at least, more user-friendly than China for a foreigner. You don't necessarily need Thai to get around - although a knowledge of the language (much easier than Mandarin in my view) naturally makes life simpler and more enjoyable.
For me the biggest disadvantage to Thailand has to be the work situation - particularly if you wish to ply your trade as a teacher. Salaries are about the same as China, but Thai employers are some of the most demanding on the surface of the planet, while offering very little in return. Long hours and a slew of extra-curricular demands (including at weekends) intended to deprive you of your free time are very much par-for-the-course in Thailand. Thai employees are mostly treated little better than indentured-serfs, and unlike in China, this same treatment is usually extended to the foreigner.
Another consideration is the convoluted Thai immigration procedures. I appreciate that since the Olympics, things have also become much more difficult in this regard in China, however the hurdles there still pale into insignificance when compared to the Byzantine labyrinth which is Thailand. Choose your Chinese employer carefully and the visa and residence process will generally be easily taken care of; this is rarely, if ever, the case in Thailand, where 4 or 5 different government departments (usually working in totally opposition to each other) are involved in the process of ensuring that the unwanted farang does not get too comfortable or become too entrenched on sacred Thai soil. You will have to make expensive (in relation to the salaries on offer) and disruptive visa-runs.
Given the right position and location, I would definitely consider going back to China, whereas wild horses could never drag me into the Thai workplace again. Far better to go to Korea for a year, save money and spend it in Thailand, without having to do battle with the ghastly Thai edutainment system. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
bradley
Joined: 28 Mar 2005
Posts: 235
Location: China
|
| Posted: Thu Nov 27, 2008 2:45 am Post subject: |
|
|
The visa restrictionis have or are ending in China after the Olympics  That is good news. That is a huge issue for me as well. My school takes care of the visa for me whereas in Thailand I had to do most of it alone. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
bradley
Joined: 28 Mar 2005
Posts: 235
Location: China
|
| Posted: Thu Nov 27, 2008 3:55 am Post subject: |
|
|
| I think China is easier to adapt for a new teacher or expat.... |
|
| Back to top |
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
