Job Discussion Forums

[Mark Johnson]

I have about $5000 and want to go back home to USA. I don't have any support from anyone. I'm totally alone, old, a poster for losers with no skills at all. I'm sick and tired of teaching and of the bad management the low salaries, long working hours, the ridiculous paperwork, the crazy marketing gimmicks, the rude and unmotivated students, the lying recruiters.
I could go on. Back to my question. I need some ideas about how to get back to USA alone on my budget and start a new life in my country.
What kind of work could I find and where is a good place to live?
Is it possible to start a new life, or am I going to end up waiting tables?

[rioux]

Based on what you wrote I would say just stay here. You wrote you have long hours with low pay. Why not just work at a university for the low pay but at least you will have low hours.
5k saved up will be eaten up fast - real fast.
Apartment, (used) car, food, etc.
You won't last long.

[toteach]

Sounds like you're in the wrong job in China. Stick around, like rioux suggested, and try the University scene. No marketing at all. With the new semester around the corner it would be very easy to slide into another job.

IF you go back to the States, consider a skilled trade with on the job training. Plumbers and HVAC are always in demand...

[Non Sequitur]

[ESL104]

How old are we talking, OP?

[Mark Johnson]

[Mandrews1985]

Hi Mark,

I'm sorry about your current position. I would not want to be feeling like this, especially alone, in China.

It seems like you've had a hard time of late. Bad recruiters and private schools seem to make up your recent history. Can you tell us some more information?

How long have you been in China?
What types of schools have you been teaching at?
What qualifications do you have?
Do you have a residents permit/ Z visa in your passport?

I got well and truly messed around in my last job in Korea, and thought about packing it all in and going back home, I decided to give it another go in a different country. It rejuvenated me. Maybe a change of scene is what you need.

However, if you're asking for advice to get back home, it seems like you don't really have much to go back home for? And what appears to be no transferable skills to get you anything more than a minimum wage job when comparing to those 20 something recent grads (not meant to be harsh, just surmising what you've said).

That 5,000 USD won't go far there. But in Asia it will do.

Previous posters have mentioned university jobs here in China, normally no recruiter is involved. I second this idea. Especially if you just apply for a bog standard uni position teaching oral English.

My experience teaching in a university here in China is:
Great students (not necessarily academically great, but fun and interested)
No discipline issues
No set office hours
Very few teaching hours
Autonomy in my classroom
No micromanagement
Stress-free life

Move to a smaller, lesser known city in China. Get a university job where you were working around 15 hours a week or less, with access to the city. And then start working to live, rather than living to work. Learn some Chinese (if you haven't already) and you'll soon become the opposite of lonely.

Cheer up, mate things will get better.

[Non Sequitur]

[ESL104]

I'm not convinced 43 is too old to start again in the West, although it's borderline.

[litterascriptor]

[The Voice Of Reason]

As a Brit I know nothing about the jobs market in the US. Our OP sounds very sure he wants out of China and Education, and asks for advice on getting back to and working in the US. Fair enough. It doesn't sound like he wants advice on staying and working in China.

In the UK people change their jobs and types of jobs much more so than in the (job for life era) past, making it not at all unusual for a forty-something (such as myself) to look for and find work in different sectors. Entry level can be low paid, but there are opportunities after a year or more for advancement for those with maturity and a hard-working ethic, especially those with any kind of management experience (or lying about such experience). Being able to relocate for work can help a lot. I imagine the US is not too different as for the above.

Although I have a BSc I'm also pretty much unskilled (got TEFL cert for this gig). I worry and stress about my future. I should think about it, but doing so isn't good for my health.

My two cents are; you know what you want and that's to get back to the States. I'd suggest to work in a language mill (more hours but more pay than a uni gig, usually) until you have enough money to fly back. Give a month's notice if you can't give it a year. If you've got a friend you can stay with in the US while you look for work, that'd be great. Take the first job that comes and keep an eye out for another job.

Best wishes.

[water rat]

Actually you have had the power to return any time. Just shut your eyes, click your heels together and chant, "There's no place like home, there's no place like home..."

[roadwalker]

OP, I'd think now (or at the end of your contract) would be the best time to return to the States. You're still young enough to look attractive to employers and you have purchasing experience. I don't think the job market is anywhere near great and it won't be in the foreseeable future, but you could luck into a good position. Have someone you know evaluate your experience, it may be better looking than you give yourself credit for. Give yourself a set amount of time to find something worthwhile and then re-evaluate your situation at that time. Don't burn bridges in China, since you may suddenly remember why you left the States in the first place.

If you feel stuck in China, or decide to return after giving the land of milk and honey another try, I whole-heartedly agree with the above advice about working for a university/tertiary institution, and also with NS's advice to check out a few while still in China. For me, working for a for-profit school feels the same as my old US job, only in a foreign country. Uni jobs tend to be a lot less stressful and more rewarding for a lot of us. Good luck.

[teachingld2004]

Well come to my school. We badly need two teachers asap.
Great school boss speaks great english good students (for the most part) 4 months paid vacation and every year a plane ticket round trip home.'We need teachers so we do not have to work many hours. Problem is area. Far away from anywhere. But 4 months paid holiday is great.

[Stomper]

Take a breath OP....
Have a holiday if you can.

I feel your disguntlement!
Hope things are getting better