Job Discussion Forums

[JZer]

[ootii]

[veiledsentiments]

... ootii and I were posting at the same time... here's my take

You are forgetting TAXES!! If you are making $4000 a month in the US, you would have to be living with your parents and have them feeding you to save $2000 a month. Taxes would cost you about $1000 (SS, Fed, Pa, Philly city tax, sales tax, gas tax, etc etc etc). You would need at least a functioning car and the expenses for that are higher than in the Gulf. Decent housing (rent, utilities, phone, maint, internet, cell phone) in an urban area will cost about a $1000 a month - unless you still want to live like a starving university student in a hovel and/or sharing with various eccentrics - or deal with a very long commute.

So, now we're down to $2000. Out of that you have to feed and clothe yourself. Need new glasses? Plan to go to a movie? Have a toothache? Go out to dinner other than McDonalds ever? Take a vacation? Buy Christmas gifts? Contemplate ever having a date? Computer died and need new one?

You get to save whatever you have left after that... And the reality is that 97.8% of Americans in this situation have nothing.

Oh... and there is the detail of amount of working time... See Ootii's annual work/vacation schedule - compare it to a US primary or secondary school teacher. They work multiples times the hours and have a fraction of the vacation time. Contrary to what you seem to think, the teachers working in the Gulf have thought this out and made the choice that works best for them.

But, it is up to you.

[JZer]

[ootii]

[JZer]

[ootii]

[veiledsentiments]

Philly for $400 or $500? must be a dump... I hadn't realized that Philadephia had fallen so far economically that its rents were that low... I haven't seen any urban area rental amounts at that level since the 70's or early 80's. I pay $400 in a small rural community for a tiny one bedroom.

How long since you lived in the US? Basic cable TV is $42, DSL $38, most apts make you pay the electric and gas because the prices have skyrocketed.. I'd say $1000 is conservative.

The 2 bedroom place that I sold in a Washington DC suburbs in 2002 would have rented for $1200 -!500... easy... For $400, you would get mostly roaches, rats and people shooting up in the hallways...

VS

(wasn't talking to you about taxes in my message, ootii, but you are right that a family would be living at poverty level at $42K in the US. Without large savings to bring in from the Gulf to make a big downpayment, you wouldn't qualify for a mortgage for a big enough house.)

[crashartist1]

Many people in foriegn countries assume that americans are all rich since they hear we make $60,000 a year. But they forget to acknowledge the high cost of living, and taxes that we do pay. I always use my parents as examples of this, I say my parents combined income is $XXX and after you take out taxes and everything that comes with owning a home, living in Southern California, puttign two kids through college, 2 cars, extra insurance blah blah you are left with -$XXX on your credit card every month. Usually all my students are silent after they hear this and no longer say that all Americans are rich cause they see it on T.V. therefore it must be true.

Personally I am going over to Saudi for 2 reasons 1)To live and work in Saudi Arabia and hopefully learn the language and culture. 2) For the money to pay off student loans and hopefully save some money.

poorESLteacher

[JZer]

[Gordon]

[JZer]

Isn't Japan expensive? So how can you do all that on $60,000?

[Gordon]

[crashartist1]

Gordon, I want your job!

[Gordon]