Job Discussion Forums

[Lobster]

The numbers and details seem all out of whack to me. Firstly, there are no full-time jobs at McD's and similar except for the manager's. You may contribute to CPP, but there are no benefits. No bank is going to give someone who works part-time jobs in fast food a mortgage. Where does the down payment come from? What about the rent you must pay and other expenses while you save for the down payment? What about taxes? It is absolutely not cheaper to buy groceries in Canada and cook at home than it is in China. I was just there a couple of months ago, and even the vegetables were more expensive there. Gas and the cost of public transportation is high, and utilities are a total ripoff. Clothing? Ha!

Look, I know working couples in Canada with decent jobs paying about $18 per hour. Even living frugally they can only dream about buying their own place. Of course, Canada is a big place, and you can find cheap deals on houses if you're willing to live in less-desirable places. But if you want to live in Vancouver, Toronto, Calgary or Montreal, you will be a renter for 20 years before you even get a mortgage. After 20 more years of paying the mortgage you'll be ready for comfortable retirement, if you consider living under a bridge and eating dog food comfortable.

In contrast, after working hard in China for 6 years I was able to buy an apartment in Shanghai. Its value has now tripled. My mortgage will be paid in a few more years. My utilities bills in January were about $50. My wife doesn't have to work. What I want to buy, I can buy. When the mortgage is paid, I will be able to, should I choose, sell the apartment and buy a place in Canada outright. I'm certainly not working in a grease pit for 40 hours a week to do it.

When I was living in Canada, I had an ok job. I had a newish car and life wasn't too bad, but it wasn't a MCd's job. I was the AD for a major language school. Even so, the idea of owning a home there was a distant dream. It's nice to be down on China and what people can do here, but the "facts" about life in North America presented here are unrealistic. Please do keep us updated regarding your progress.

And no, I am not a recruiter, so don't even go there.

This, however, is not the topic of this thread. I have not heard any more about this suicide/murder/whatever since it supposedly took place. It seems that there is an awful lot of crap coming out of these two schools from both the admin and FT sides. There are quite a few FTs working in China at any given time, and no doubt there will be murders, suicides and robberies committed. The details of this particular incident remain obscure.

RED

[7969]

[Lobster]

The minimum wage in BC is currently $8.75 per hour. It will rise to $9.50 in November. A 3-zone ticket for public transit is $5, so $10 dollars return (that's over 60 rmb per day in freakin bus fare). Buying a pack of 10 tickets can cut that down to $4.10 each way, but that's still almost an hour of your minimum wage gone just getting to work. Better pack a bologna sandwich for lunch if you can afford one.

So go ahead, work that McJob, live in a damp and dark basement rental for $500 per month. Spend an hour and a half commuting everyday. Shop at the thrift store for used clothing. Scrimp and save, but when you need new glasses, shoes or a trip to the dentist, you can watch that disappear. On a positive note, in the evening you can stroll down to the beach and watch the toffs sailing by on their yachts.

RED

[The Great Wall of Whiner]

Look, I do not disagree that one can do well in China. But China is becoming more and more expensive and openly collude (they are charging a lot, so we will too!) while in Canada stores are competitive as hell (they are charging 20 so we will charge 19!).

[The Great Wall of Whiner]

[milkweedma]

Minimum wage in New Zealand is currently $13 per hour. The Unions and left wing political parties will push for it to increase to $15 per hour once we get rid of our current neo-liberal excuse for a government.
Sounds like Canada and the U.S have a long way to go to catch up in terms of minimum wage.

[7969]

[The Great Wall of Whiner]

[7969]

[xjgirl]

hey, and what does all this have to do with suspicious deaths near peizheng.

i thought whiner was gonna uncover the truth!

[Lobster]

Some good points have been made by both sides. Someone who is willing to work hard, live frugally and save money can have a good life either in China or in Canada. My gripes about Canada do not centre around money. I do appreciate the natural environment and the quality of items there. I just find life more comfortable here.

I don't believe that anyone active on this forum is conspiring to drive FT wages down, or is encouraging people to take low-paying jobs. Higher pay scales benefit us all. Still, there is no cohesion among FTs here, and what they will take in terms of pay and conditions is dependent on their personal situations.

We do seem to have strayed too far from the topic. Just what happened at Walton (not PZ)? Was there a death? What was the cause?

RED

[igorG]

I can't agree more with what has been said in the above post. I also would love to know what happened there. I am in the same city and not far from the alleged crime scene. If it happened, we'd all deserved to know. Still, even if it happened any media would not be able to get much, if anything, out of it. That's what s*cks about this country's leadership with all due respect.

[TexasHighway]

The Great Wall of Whiner wrote:

[The Great Wall of Whiner]

[The Great Wall of Whiner]

[quote="7969"]