Job Discussion Forums

[dave ning]

Which country pays more? Does Japan have a higher standard of living than China? Were your teaching experiences better in China or Japan? I'm really debating on where I should teach. I'm waiting on Hong Kong. I really like Japanese culture ad it seems like a great place to teach. I'm wondering if I should worry about landing there because of the recent earthquake. Any information would be great. Thanks!

[Mr_Monkey]

Apart from your third question, the information you seek is easily available through a search engine, even the mostly broken one on this site.

With regards to your third question, it's impossible to say - experiences vary by person and context; I would actually suggest that the question is useless for you in your decision - it's far too vague and seeking impressions, which won't help you for reasons given above.

As far as your question about the earthquake is concerned, I'm not even going to answer it.

Go to Hong Kong.

[seklarwia]

I'm teaching in Japan now but have taught in China, too... You do realise that HK and China are two completely different places, right?
Despite it officially being part of China, people from Hong Kong call themselves Hong Kongese (they do not identify with the mainland at all... I learnt that the hard way at uni when I was constantly getting lectured by the HK students when I mistakenly introduced them as Chinese) and the Chinese still need visas/entry permits to go to HK and if they can get one, they are only allowed to stay for 7 weeks, yet as a UK citizen I can pop over there with no visa and stay for 6 months.

China is heavily polluted, dirty with most of the people living in povety (we're talking living in shacks with no electricity or running water poverty) whilst HK in comparison is more like Tokyo but prettier.

So your topic title is misleading to begin with and as Mr Monkey said, the questions are either easy to answer for yourself if you do a basic search or pointless answering (your 3rd question).
That question isn't going to get you anything useful since not only is it too vague, but one person might do a teaching job (you don't even seem to consider that there are different kinds of teaching jobs - what's the point of somebody telling you about their experience teaching in a uni, if you are applying to work in a kindergarten?) in HK and love it and have a bad experience in Japan whilst another person could work the exact same jobs (as in the same posts with the same employers) and have the opposite experience; a lot of what a person experiences depends on their individual personality, their likes/dislikes, their personal expectations of the job, etc.

[Glenski]

The quake affected a small part of the country, and one that didn't have a lot of teaching opportunities anyway (quite rural).

It will be difficult comparing in some respects. Urban vs. rural items are just one thing.

Also, as mentioned, Hong Kong is different than the whole of China (as would be Taiwan).

Maybe if you described what the situation is now, those of us in Japan could offer comparisons.

[rxk22]

Well do you want to be poor in a kinda rich country.
Or, do you want to be kinda rich in a poor country?