Job Discussion Forums

whosonfirst · Joined: 27 Apr 2009 Posts: 4

Hello. I am an American man in my early thirties, and I have been a foreign teacher in China for about three years. I have a B.A. degree, but not in teaching. During that time I have worked in plenty of cities throught the country. I am now at somewhat of a crossroads. I am currently working in one of the top three cities in the country. Yet I am wondering as Jack Nicholson said in the movie with the same title, is this as good as it gets ? Let me start by saying I have learned to enjoy the job of teaching here through my many experiences. But I am now wondering what's next. Yes i do know the saying. wherever you go, there you are. But I also believe that changing the location, can be good as well. I also need to add that I am married to a Chinese woman from the mainland. She has stuck with me through many adventures here. She is in her late twenties, and is currently back at school getting her B.A. Degree. She is a smart cookie, with standard english, and some business experience. We do not have any childern.
So my question to the Dave's ESL masses, is where should i go from here, with my wife ? I enjoy teaching in the university level. And would be open to moving to another part of Asia. The things i would be looking for, are 1) a decent quality of life , 2)decent pay as a foreign teacher. 3) A place where my wife can get a decent job.
I know after reading this most of you will say, why don't you take your wife back to America. But that's just not in the cards right now.
Places I have been thinking about are Hong Kong,( although everyone on the esl board here talks about the differences between there and the mainland). I have also thought about Japan. as my wife is learning japanese for her class.
So i am hoping that people from other parts of Asia can give me some opinions. There may be other countries that I am not thinking about as well. All ideas and suggestions are welcome.
If we make a move, it would be in the Summer of 2010. So need to plan now

living&learning · Joined: 26 Feb 2008 Posts: 245

I'm in the same boat as you, so to speak - 3 years in Taiwan, 3 in China, and I'm ready for a change I think.

Also have a degree and a TESL, and speak Chinese. I wonder if it would be worth packing up and going to Japan, where I'd be illiterate again (in Japanese that is).

I have less time to figure out where I'm going - I need to be in place by September 1st, of this year!

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

With a BA degree in a teaching-unrelated field, you are not going to find work in the university system in Japan. Consider other options.

As far as Japan is concerned, you will probably have to start on the bottom rung (ALT or eikaiwa teacher), and the market is terribly flooded here right now. Perhaps business English agencies...? Hard to say without knowing more about you, but that flooded market is pretty tough.

If your wife doesn't have JLPT level 2 ability, she is likely not to get FT work in anything non-teaching here. She might want to consider working as a Chinese teacher, but that sort of work is kind of spotty and usually PT as far as I know.

englishmaster · Joined: 03 Sep 2004 Posts: 118

Why not cross the Yellow Sea to Korea? You can still get a uni job with a BA there, although there's a lot of competition. The job market there seems to be holding up, judging from the job offers.

There's also Taiwan, although you usually need an advanced degree for a uni job there. Look at www.tealit.com.

Those are the best places for saving money to continue your education.

Good luck.

eclectic · Joined: 09 Nov 2006 Posts: 1122

If you arein China, chances are you dont earn more than US $800 per month. So if $$$$ is your current motivation, you can double that salary easily in Korea. Avg. hakwon salary for starters is US $1,700 per month.

Only sacrifice there will be: the people there are EXTREMELY narrow-minded and UN-international in their tastes and interests. Be prepared for 100% pure and unadulterated KOREAN thinking, eating, sleeping, breathing, and everything else.

I am here now, and from the US, and with my wife who is from India. I also do NOT want to take her back to the USA, as right now that job market is sucking major wind from all sides. And I have friends there making $6,000 per month and can't save a dime!

jahson4 · Joined: 20 May 2009 Posts: 4

Korea isn't a bad choice. As for the previous poster's comments, Koreans can be narrow minded regarding some issues, but I've managed to meet many of Koreans with open minds. The money is good here and you'll be able to live in relative ease.

I'm unsure about being able to secure a university position too easily. Some people manage to acquire university jobs with only an undergrad, but generally a Master's is required.

samch · Posted: Thu Jul 09, 2009 8:43 am Post subject:

i'm a newbie just starting to put my feelers out as to where to go etc.. as a qualified teacher what would you guys recommend finacially/ life style wise - china, taiwan. korea ? or another asian country?

anyway · Joined: 03 Sep 2007 Posts: 109

If your wife is seriously seeking employment, then I think Korea would be a poor choice, unless you all are willing to consider working illegally. Naturally, I did meet some non-native (ie non-white) teachers there, but they were working illegally, getting shafted, etc...Having said that, more and more Koreans are studying Chinese, so private tutoring might be available...

If Japan and Korea are out, I guess it's the SE Asian market. I'm not familiar with Thailand, but obviously there are a lot of gigs there, as in dime a dozen...Meh.

Have you considered Indonesia? There are fairly regular ads from KELT and IALF (academic prep type job) which seem to pay relatively well.

Otherwise, Vietnam is the clear choice. There are more and more ads for EAP gigs there all the time. The money rivals Korea (especially with devalued won) and the big difference is obviously a lower cost of living. The trade off? While Koreans are more than willing to steer clear of foreigners, it doesn't seem that Vietnamese take the same approach.

I should add that I will be teaching in Macau this fall. The city guide on tefl dot com says work at institutes is plentiful there, but those comments have no date. Cost of living seems reasonable and your wife might have better chance for a 'real' job there...

Just my two cents.... bon voyage!

robertokun · Joined: 27 May 2008 Posts: 199

Might want to think about Malaysia. I don't have personal experience there, but know that the ethnic Chinese population is huge and that KL is a big city for business. A person or couple with Chinese and English language skills and a business background would probably do well there. Might want to check with people on that part of the board for info about how teaching conditions are there.