Job Discussion Forums

[Justin Trullinger]

That's where the comparisons with other expat English teachers become important.

YOu can't compare apples with oranges.

I don't really know how much an average person in most countries earns, and opinions vary.

But it matters less than you'd think- the question has to be, what does it cost a foreigner to live there. In some places (European cities come to mind) they're very used to foreigners, and the difference between what it costs a foreigner to live there, and what it costs a local, is fairly slight.

But in Ecuador, for example, foreigners are usually living alone, or at best in couples. Ecuadorians often live in multi-generational families. Changes the rent picture a lot.

Korea has whole separate rental systems for foreigners.

I've lived in places where the local transportation isn't safe, or isn't allowed, for foreigners.

I think the OP's original question was aimed at "Why isn't there a resource that enables prospective EFL teachers to compare between various countries and see where they would live best?"

And it's a good question. I think the answer is, that resource would be very complicated. Also, subjective.

In Ecuador, for example, I paid a lot less rent (less than half) compared to many of my foreign friends. We didn't care about having a modern apartment. But I spent more money in restaurants than most of them. A lot of people I knew spent half their rent again in internet and cable tv!

For me, the affordability of a good restaurant is an essential part of standard of living. A decent pub with imports on tap would be nice, too! But if nice apartments and cable TV are too expensive, I couldn't possibly care less! It's subjective.

Best,
Justin

[santi84]

In Canada, an unrelated BA and CELTA/TESL certificate is the equivalent salary to working at McDonalds or Tim Hortons.

In Canada, a related MA in TESOL along with a few years of experience will earn you either a good wage ($30+/hr) with few hours. Luckily, McDonalds and Tim Hortons is still available if you need to supplement.

[naturegirl321]

tefl.com has, or at least they had, a comparison chart available for members. Maybe you could try there to get an idea of prices?