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Michal
Joined: 11 Feb 2005
Posts: 24
Location: China
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 Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2005 8:29 pm Post subject: China or Thailand ?? |
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I know it's a tough question (or repeated one ??) but having worked in Thailand for a while ( knowing its pros n cons) but never in China , I wonder what would you think about the choice, in terms of work prospects (being a non Native English speaker but with the" right " credentials), quality of life,culture,people etc etc
Are there any places in China I should prefer or avoid ?
Thanks for any help.
Michelle
I'm not in SE Asia now; I'd like to go back though but can't make up my mind where to  |
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anthyp
Joined: 16 Apr 2004
Posts: 1320
Location: Chicago, IL USA
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| Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2005 10:12 am Post subject: |
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Great! I am always excited to answer questions about China.
| Michal wrote: |
| I wonder what would you think about the choice, in terms of work prospects (being a non Native English speaker but with the" right " credentials), quality of life,culture,people etc etc |
Well, if by "non Native" you mean "white," the Chinese will welcome you with open arms. If you mean something else (black brown yellow green), there could be trouble, but not too much if you stick to the big cities.
"Quality of life," eh? It will be pretty good for an EFL teacher, you will have light hours and a lot of freedom with what you do in the classroom. The girls are very pretty, the food rules, blah blah blah. You can spend all day on Dave's if you like, because your place will likely come with a computer thrown in. And as we all know, that's what's most important.
"Culture" -- well, as you will be constantly reminded, the Chinese have 5000 years of it, though you will sometimes wonder where it went. All joking aside, there frankly isn't much to do, I mean don't count on going to many museums or art exhibitions or anything like that. China is China, you have to sacrifice all that hoary old European culture for the laid - back, stress - free lifestyle that comes with living here.
| Michal wrote: |
| Are there any places in China I should prefer or avoid ? |
What the hell. Can you be more specific please? |
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Michal
Joined: 11 Feb 2005
Posts: 24
Location: China
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| Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2005 12:02 pm Post subject: |
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" Great! I am always excited to answer questions about China.
So YOU are the one I'm looking for.... 
"Well, if by "non Native" you mean "white," the Chinese will welcome you with open arms. "
No No NO.....White? black??I thought there is one meaning to Non native English speaker i.e. a person whose first language is not English .... 
"Michal :Are there any places in China I should prefer or avoid?"
What the hell. Can you be more specific please?"
Here is the thing: I'm terribly confused .How should I choose a place , if I have no idea what the place is like.I definitely don't want to end up in a remote /deserted area ....and since I'm"a girl",the young and beautiful Chinese women are not really an appealing incentive for me  [/quote] |
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sigmoid
Joined: 21 Jan 2003
Posts: 1276
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| Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2005 2:09 pm Post subject: |
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I've taught in Bangkok for years and would like to go to China but most of the job offers in China have really low salaries, some lower than Thailand which is surprising for a country that has the largest and fastest growing economy in the world.
I think if you are going to China the southern coast is the best in terms of development, from Guangdong province up to Shanghai, but that opinion is just based on research, not experience.
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| Quality of life," eh? It will be pretty good for an EFL teacher, you will have light hours and a lot of freedom with what you do in the classroom. |
What about salary?
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| The girls are very pretty, the food rules, |
Aren't these just gross generalizations? And are they prettier than Thais? Is the food better than Thai food? 
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| "Culture" -- well, as you will be constantly reminded, the Chinese have 5000 years of it, though you will sometimes wonder where it went. |
I think a lot of it was sold off to collectors and museums in the West or destroyed. |
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mlomker
Joined: 24 Mar 2005
Posts: 378
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| Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2005 2:10 pm Post subject: |
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| Michal wrote: |
| No No NO.....White? black??I thought there is one meaning to Non native English speaker i.e. a person whose first language is not English .... |
You worded your post in indirect manner, so I also assumed that you might not be caucasian. You won't have a problem being a non-native speaker in China if you are caucasian and speak English well. The employers tend to be more concerned that you "look Western" and some will care about what country your passport is from.
| Michal wrote: |
| Here is the thing: I'm terribly confused .How should I choose a place , if I have no idea what the place is like.I definitely don't want to end up in a remote /deserted area ....and since I'm"a girl",the young and beautiful Chinese women are not really an appealing incentive for me |
China is very large. It would be more helpful if you posted what kind of weather you could live with, whether or not you want to be on the coast or inland, perhaps you want to be within a few hours of a major city so you can explore during holidays, do you care if the area speaks Mandarin vs. Cantonese, how much contact with foreigners you want or don't want, and how far away you are willing to be from Western food!
Most people recommend living in either a large city (Beijing or Shanghai) or a secondary city (perhaps a provincial capital) for your first trip due to the prevalence of Western people and amenities (despite the pollution and noise). When you move to smaller towns you will be more isolated, you will get stared at because they aren't accustomed to foreigners, etc.
You do need to be more specific about what you are looking for from your experience, though! |
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Michal
Joined: 11 Feb 2005
Posts: 24
Location: China
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| Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2005 5:34 pm Post subject: |
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China is very large. It would be more helpful if you posted what kind of weather you could live with, whether or not you want to be on the coast or inland, perhaps you want to be within a few hours of a major city so you can explore during holidays, do you care if the area speaks Mandarin vs. Cantonese, how much contact with foreigners you want or don't want, and how far away you are willing to be from Western food!
Most people recommend living in either a large city (Beijing or Shanghai) or a secondary city (perhaps a provincial capital) for your first trip due to the prevalence of Western people and amenities (despite the pollution and noise). When you move to smaller towns you will be more isolated, you will get stared at because they aren't accustomed to foreigners, etc.
You do need to be more specific about what you are looking for from your experience, though! |
Thank You,why didn't I think of that myself?
I'll take it as some guidelines and will post soon my preferences for specific suggestions. |
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ContemporaryDog
Joined: 21 May 2003
Posts: 1477
Location: Wuhan, China
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| Posted: Fri Apr 15, 2005 12:07 am Post subject: |
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Having been to both countries I think Thailand is much more interesting, friendly, and with a lot more to do.
The only reason I'm not there now is because of my wife.
When you go out in China you can spend western amounts just on a night in a bar, whereas in Thailand you can go to a decent bar, get a bottle of Thai spirits and four red bulls for five quid and party the night away.
The food in Thailand is also much better, especially at the cheap end.
If jobs in Thailand are really paying more than China then its definitely preferable, as its a cheaper place too, especially to travel around in. |
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Norman Bethune
Joined: 19 Apr 2004
Posts: 731
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| Posted: Fri Apr 15, 2005 1:53 am Post subject: |
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| ContemporaryDog wrote: |
| Having been to both countries I think Thailand is much more interesting, friendly, and with a lot more to do. |
Ah yes...Thailand has the sex shows, teenage prostitutes, sex tourists, ladyboys, and big elephants to ride. CHina doesn't (unless you know where to look). 
| Contemporarydog wrote: |
When you go out in China you can spend western amounts just on a night in a bar, whereas in Thailand you can go to a decent bar, get a bottle of Thai spirits and four red bulls for five quid and party the night away. |
Five quid gets me a slap up dinner, a bottle of Baijiou, and 10 litres of beer where I am in China.
| contemporarydog wrote: |
The food in Thailand is also much better, especially at the cheap end. |
Satay is just another name for Yang Roh Chuan.
| contemporarydog wrote: |
| If jobs in Thailand are really paying more than China then its definitely preferable, as its a cheaper place too, especially to travel around in. |
Perhaps, if you want to travel from cheap no-star hotel to no star hotel in Thailand. In China, travel is cheap, and lodgings are cheap also. If you know what you are doing in China, you can stay in a Western style four or five star hotel in some places for under 10 US a night. Is it the same in Thailand? And many times, a Chinese person will, out of friendship...nothing more...not a free english lesson) invite you at his expense to travel to these places.
You can tell which country I think is a better place to teach and travel in. |
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Michal
Joined: 11 Feb 2005
Posts: 24
Location: China
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| Posted: Fri Apr 15, 2005 8:01 am Post subject: |
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You do need to be more specific about what you are looking for from your experience, though!
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You made me realize my priorities :I need to be around foreigners with all its implications ( western food,amneties etc),which doesn't mean I'm not inetersested (so to speak) in the locals.... . Here is one example-Chaing Mai -not as big and hectic as BKK but lots of western people n stuff + lovely places around.
So...should I stick just to Beijing or Shanghai ?
One more thing....are all/most of the Western guys in Asia just for the local girls?? I wonder. |
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ContemporaryDog
Joined: 21 May 2003
Posts: 1477
Location: Wuhan, China
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| Posted: Fri Apr 15, 2005 8:12 am Post subject: |
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[b]Ah yes...Thailand has the sex shows, teenage prostitutes, sex tourists, ladyboys, and big elephants to ride. CHina doesn't (unless you know where to look).
[/b]
Hmm, no, I was thinking more of something a guy told me recently about Chiang Mai and the sheer range of things to do. Meditation, learn martial arts, go trekking, etc etc.
[b]
Five quid gets me a slap up dinner, a bottle of Baijiou, and 10 litres of beer where I am in China.
[/b]
In a good bar or in a local cafe?
[b]Perhaps, if you want to travel from cheap no-star hotel to no star hotel in Thailand. In China, travel is cheap, and lodgings are cheap also. If you know what you are doing in China, you can stay in a Western style four or five star hotel in some places for under 10 US a night. Is it the same in Thailand? And many times, a Chinese person will, out of friendship...nothing more...not a free english lesson) invite you at his expense to travel to these places.
[/b]
Yes, and its a big IF!!! My friend got charged 15 quid in Lushan to stay in a hotel with a crumby room with a mouse running around. Compare that to a couple of quid to have a beach hut with a nice bed and western toilet etc in Thailand.
It seems like everything in China is good value etc if you know the right people, have the right connections.[/b] |
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Michal
Joined: 11 Feb 2005
Posts: 24
Location: China
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| Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2005 2:30 pm Post subject: NINGBO,ZHEJIANG |
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Anyone knows what NINGBO,ZHEJIANG is like? Western people, amenities and attractions ???
Also has anyone heard of /experienced English First over there (or elsewhere)???
appreciate your help |
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mlomker
Joined: 24 Mar 2005
Posts: 378
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| Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2005 8:29 pm Post subject: Re: NINGBO,ZHEJIANG |
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| Michal wrote: |
Anyone knows what NINGBO,ZHEJIANG is like? Western people, amenities and attractions ???
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You could jump on the Yahoo groups, TEFLChina, TEFLChinalife, and TEFLChinajob (groups.yahoo.com). There are a couple regulars on those forums that are currently in Ningbo. Ningbo isn't far from Shanghai, so you could get anything that you wanted by taking a 4 hour trip.
I'm planning to go to Nanjing first, which is also about 4 hours from Shanghai by train. I obviously like what I've heard about the region.
EF is a large company that a lot of people have worked for. If you do a search on the forums you'll find plenty of information about them. I personally think that University jobs combined with outside private tutoring is a better choice, but you'll have to decide whether you want to teach older students or younger and how many hours you want to be contractually commited to. Those are two of the many possibilities--University teaching plus contract work or a language school. |
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struelle
Joined: 16 May 2003
Posts: 2372
Location: Shanghai
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| Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2005 9:47 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
And are they prettier than Thais? Is the food better than Thai food?
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Both points are seriously arguable! I've been to both countries as well, and it's a tough call as to which is better - there are so many criteria to consider! Unfortunately, I'll have to generalize here.
I like the Thai food better as it's a healthier diet, less grease, and generally spicier. For any decent meal you can just go to a street stall, and in Bangkok those places are in such abundance I start reeling from all the possibilities.
Chinese food is also excellent, and has many regional varities. My favorite is Sichuan food as it's spicy, but Xinjiang food comes in a close second. Like Thailand, cheap restaurants and street stalls are in abundance so you just take your pick.
This seems to be the case all over Asia, you just walk down the street, find a restaurant, and it's cheap. If people want to make a few extra bucks, they can sell snacks and fruit on the road, etc.
Steve |
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Michal
Joined: 11 Feb 2005
Posts: 24
Location: China
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| Posted: Sun Apr 17, 2005 5:34 am Post subject: |
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Hi mlomker
I love your comments /replies.They are really helpful.
Obviously, you're doing a much better job on the internet than I do.
Just wondered,have you ever been to China?
You're certainly good at pointing at the main issues.Thanks.
Michal |
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mlomker
Joined: 24 Mar 2005
Posts: 378
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| Posted: Sun Apr 17, 2005 9:06 pm Post subject: |
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| Michal wrote: |
| Just wondered,have you ever been to China? |
No! You should definitely get first-hand advice. I'm just providing you with some pointers that I've picked up over the last couple months of researching the various issues on my own.
I'm currently studying Mandarin at a Chinese-American resource center in Minnesota. I have been doing computer networking for a living for almost 10 years, so finding things on the Internet is practically my job. I'm planning to save some money and be a student for my first year in China. After that I will either look for a technology job (unlikely since English teaching actually pays as well) or I will find a University position teaching business courses in English or teaching business English. My Bachelor's is in Business and I'm about a 1/3rd of the way through a Masters in Telecommunications Management right now.
It'll actually be a good 2 years before I make the permanent move, but I'm hoping to make my first trip to Nanjing this Fall.
By the way, have you heard of Skype? It's a program that lets you talk over the Internet as if it were a phone. www.skype.com. There is a website that specializes in matching you up with people in other countries for language exchange. It's been an great resource because while I work with them on conversational English I get to ask them my questions about life in China! You should check it out: www.phrasebase.com |
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