Job Discussion Forums

[Old Surrender]

So what would you do? I love my job, but I am bored in my city.

The job:
-- Pay is low, but I work 10-12 hours a week, so that's fine. (I picked up a bit of side work elsewhere.)
-- My housing is good, I get free food that isn't bad.
-- Students are cool.
-- I have a lot of classroom autonomy, i.e., management doesn't meddle too much
-- No problems with the uni management. No surprise schedule changes, no late pay, all promises fulfilled thus far, free utilities. Basically they know they're in middle of nowhere, so they treat the FTs well.

The city, er, town:
-- There's literally nothing to do aside from taking scooters through the countryside and going to KTV, which was fun for a couple months. Now, I'm counting down the days till vacation starts.

Previously I worked for a language mill in an awesome city, but I never had time to enjoy it thanks to the heavy workload. Now, I have all the downtime in the world but I'm bored s***less.

Here's my dilemma: With uni hiring season on the horizon, should I find a job in a city I like? (Dalian, Qingdao, Shanghai, Yantai) Or, should I keep my awesome job and bear with the boredom? I want to spend a couple more years in China before going to grad school.

Perhaps I'm just a whiner or I'm just getting stir crazy because I see vacation on the horizon.

[Beyond1984]

Old Surrender complains that, in his town, there is "nothing to do aside from taking scooters through the countryside and going to KTV..." but likes his job.

He mentions Dalian as a city with better prospects.

Dalian has been kind to me; here, I met the woman who became my cute Chinese wife.

I may be quite mistaken, but if OS goes on the alert, he might find in his town a similar treasure.

-HDT

[nickpellatt]

Not everyone wants to find a Chinese wife, and some people have a positive aversion to finding one!

I would suggest taking a chance on a change of scenery. Sure, its important to like the work, but if the environment bores you senseless, its probably a poor trade off. Time to move on I reckon, make the most of the time you have left before grad school, so hunt down a job in a city that appeals to you. New place, new adventure right?

[Ariadne]

There is a lot to be said for a great job, good admin, and a comfortable place to live.

Just a few ideas that might make the location more pleasant for you...

>Get yourself a Kindle so you always have plenty of reading material.
>Throw some parties for other teachers.
>Sponsor contests in your classes and take the winners out to dinner at the restaurant of their choice.
>Find a nice (legit) massage place.
>Ditto for hair salons... shampoos are lovely mini massages.
>Take some weekend trips to nearby places of interest. Chinese tours can be a cultural experience apart from the destinations.
>Get friendly with a Chinese teacher and take turns cooking dinner one night a week.
>Accept some of those invitations from your students to show you their home towns.
>Get some TV series on DVD and get hooked on things like "The Big Bang Theory".
>Spend a night at a hotel every now and then for a change of pace.

Good luck to you whatever you decide to do.

.

[Old Surrender]

As much as I find the local women appealing, l'm already married. Wode meiguo airen is bored, too. In fact, more so than I am.

Yeah, we went on some weekend trips, too, with mixed success and we're already watching more TV now than we've ever had in the states. (Thanks BitTorrent!)

A kindle, I'll check into that.

Thanks guys, I'll see how we'll feel after break.

[Zero]

Depends on your goals. Why is it you want to stay in China a couple more years?

Are you saving money in the boring town? Learning Chinese? Something else? If you are just sitting and existing, I don't see much point.

What would the desireable town offer? IF fun is what you are after, of course they'll offer more of it.

[A'Moo]

Beyond 1984 has said "Dalian has been kind to me-it is here I found my cute Chinese wife"...
It seems we have been told of his cute Chinese wife before..
Last week, maybe last month. Maybe he has been talking of his cute Chinese wife since 1984-it seems so...

[chinesearmy]

where's this city/town?

[kev7161]

I suggest you pull a runner and flee that dismal place! Just kidding.

[DixieCat]

[Old Surrender]

Dalian is great town! People-watching at Shengli Guangchang, the sea by Xinghai Guangchang, and taking in the wacky nightlife was pretty entertaining. However, I don't want this thread to de-evolve into "this city is better than that city" p***ing contest. To each their own, right? I know people at my place who've been here for seven years.

@ chinesearmy: Henan, an hour from ZhengZhou
@ Zero: I'm saving quite a bit of cash to finance my winter break adventures since my day-to-day expenditures are usually, well, Zero. My Chinese is progressing OK. I get to audit the Chinese classes for the foreign students. My long-term life goal is to teach English comp at the community college level, which is more or less what I do at my current gig. Unlike English conversation/oral English gigs, I think this will help me get a prime GTA spot while I'm at grad school.

Perhaps I just need an attitude adjustment, but I'll see what pops up during hiring season.

[Beyond1984]

"You live where you work and if your not defined by your work but rather than your past time, it is wise to consider that when choosing a location to live work and play." -DixieCat

I've been in Dalian for almost five years, and haven't spent even one night in my classroom.

Could you rephrase the part that begins with "if?" Try to simplify, simplify simplify ... you're way over my head here.

-HDT

I try to look to the future, not my past time (going back to 1817:)

[Beyond1984]

"Beyond 1984 has said "Dalian has been kind to me-it is here I found my cute Chinese wife"... A'moo

Help me out here, A'moo ... how could I better distinguish between my cute Chinese wife and my less attractive Chinese wives?

-HDT

Don't spread the word about the inadequacy of the English language ... thank goodness the Chinese love it!

[YAMARI]

I always say find a place you like to live in and then find a job there. I feel a lot more happy in Shanghai than I do in small towns because I enjoy meeting international people over hanging out with small town people. I did enjoy small town China for two years but then it got boring. My advice is find a good place and there will also be good jobs there if you look around.

[DixieCat]