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| Asia or Europe? to Save while you teach? |
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| Total Votes : 1 |
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davechile
Joined: 17 Mar 2006
Posts: 87
Location: San Francisco, CA
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 Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2007 9:46 pm Post subject: Asia or Europe? Teach and be able to Save a little 1 yr exp. |
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Hi all
With the Euro so strong and wages paid. Where do you think is the best to teach see the country but still put a little away to save.
Thank you for your opinions!
Dave |
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spiral78
Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash
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| Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2007 11:28 pm Post subject: |
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| It'll be Asia. Europe is a wildly popular destination for newbie teachers and the strong labor market keeps wages relatively low. You won't save anything to speak of in Europe, speaking generally. |
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jr1965
Joined: 09 Jul 2004
Posts: 175
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| Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2007 8:18 am Post subject: |
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Dave,
Yes, it's definitely Asia. I see that you're currently in San Francisco (my hometown). The cost of living in many European cities will be similar to SF's, as will the wages that an ESL/EFL teacher working in a language school makes.
When I worked in Asia, I had airfare and housing paid for and also made enough each month to pay bills, travel, and save a bit. I would strongly urge you to start there. |
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davechile
Joined: 17 Mar 2006
Posts: 87
Location: San Francisco, CA
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| Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2007 2:54 pm Post subject: Asia |
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Thanks for the advice.
SF native huh! Yes the Northern Californians have an adventurous spirit I think. I recently moved to the Richmond District after living in the Presidio for 4.5 years. I get the idea that Korea is all around the best place to make a decent wage and save some cash before moving on. In Japan, the JET program ALT positions don't seem like teaching positions. The seem like teachers aids? Yet, they pay more than most private company jobs it seems?
How much generally if I live modestly can I save for travel and gettting started in a new country if I go to Korea? I prefer the country/suburbs but, do not mind the city for a year. San Francisco is very different than the mega cities of Asia.
Thank you for your advice from your years of living it!
Dave |
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jr1965
Joined: 09 Jul 2004
Posts: 175
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| Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2007 5:13 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| SF native huh! Yes the Northern Californians have an adventurous spirit I think. |
Yes, San Franciscans do tend to be adventurous!  I actually grew up in the Richmond District.
Now, to answer your questions: I know there's a lot of crazy stuff posted over on the Korean forums, but actually, I think Korea is not such a bad place to start out. I did some student teaching in SF at a local university when I was a newbie, but then took a post in Seoul, where I stayed for a few years. It was tough at first. As you say, the mega cities of Asia are VERY different from SF (and even Europe). The sheer size of Seoul, for example, the noise and pollution, coupled with the lang barrier, etc. made for some pretty intense culture shock. Once this passed, though, and I started learning some of the lang and making friends, I began to develop a life there. The countryside in many places in Korea is quite beautiful. I could go on and on.
I think what's key is that you need to find a reputable school. I would also urge you to start in a city (Seoul, Pusan, maybe even Taegu if you're looking to move to Korea) so that you have more contact with expats, which will be important at first, I think. When I lived in Seoul in the mid 90s, I was able to save anywhere from $300-800 a month on average after paying bills. My housing was paid for, but my roommate and I split food, electricity, water, etc. I didn't have much overhead in those days (e.g., loans or credit cards). I didn't live extravagantly but I wasn't a monk, either. Some months I saved less because I traveled (in and out of Korea). I think you could probably do this even now, though I'm not sure what the exchange rate is for the Won/US Dollar these days. Again, I want to stress the importance of working at a decent school (not some fly-by-night lang school)�both for the pay and your sanity. Check the job listings here on this site as well as others. You may also want to become a member of TESOL. You can then receive electronic mailings about international job offerings. Many will require an M.A., but not all and most employers listing with TESOL are reputable.
JALT would probably be a very good way to start out in Japan, though I was never on that program. I have known others who were, though, and all had relatively good things to say about it. Best for you to ask about that over on the Japan forum where people can give you the scoop on the state of the program these days.
Hope this helps. Good luck! |
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