Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Nolos]

Anyone work there before? How does it compare to Beijing or Seoul?

[waynehead]

I've visited several times, never worked there. My first thought about Shanghai is "crowded crowded crowded." But there's a lot of cool stuff there fer sure.

[rollo]

Well Shanghai is huge and rich. It is a true international city and you can get anything you want . Seoul is a big city but Korean to the bone and kind of provincial in some ways.

Beijing is a toilet in my opinion. Way overcrwoded, polluted, terrible transpeortation. At the "bar ghetto" Santilun they sell fake Hoegarden for around 8 bucks a glass, where you will be swarmed by beggars, hookers and touts of all types while you listen to canned Chinese pop.

You can make good money in shanghai but it is expensive. The expat scene is a lot different than Koreas. Most of the expats are business people with fat salaries, housing stipends and such. English teachers can not afford to party with them. They can also be a bit snooty.

But it is a world class city, lots of fun, lots to do. I saw the Rolling Stones play the city theatre a few years back. Great nightlife. If you can teach, dress reall nice; play the game, there are some sweet gigs teaching. Hangman playing slobs will get nothing but ripped off.

[rollo]

Well Shanghai is huge and rich. It is a true international city and you can get anything you want . Seoul is a big city but Korean to the bone and kind of provincial in some ways.

Beijing is a toilet in my opinion. Way overcrwoded, polluted, terrible transpeortation. At the "bar ghetto" Santilun they sell fake Hoegarden for around 8 bucks a glass, where you will be swarmed by beggars, hookers and touts of all types while you listen to canned Chinese pop.

You can make good money in shanghai but it is expensive. The expat scene is a lot different than Koreas. Most of the expats are business people with fat salaries, housing stipends and such. English teachers can not afford to party with them. They can also be a bit snooty.

But it is a world class city, lots of fun, lots to do. I saw the Rolling Stones play the city theatre a few years back. Great nightlife. If you can teach, dress reall nice; play the game, there are some sweet gigs teaching. Hangman playing slobs will get nothing but ripped off.

[YTMND]

Shanghai is more of a European/fashion hub of China and is in a much warmer setting. Beijing is more of a political/business hub. I usually meet Chinese from the north that stay longer in Beijing, and those that come from the south usually leave and return to the south.

It depends on what you really want. If you want to meet people from all over, then these are two good cities to live in. If you are purely looking to go somewhere and be close to the locals, then these two big cities are not going to be good choices.

They are both very crowded. I going to move to Tianjin which is just outside of Beijing (30 minutes by train), and it is not crowded at all. So, I can still go into Beijing, which is 2 hours long by subway. It's basically like I am not leaving Beijing.

For Shanghai, I have heard good things about Ningbo and Suzhou. You might want to consider these 3 places or any other city around the bigger cities.

In Korea, you should spend more time deciding on the location. In China, it doesn't matter. You will be traveling anyway because it is such a large country. It doesn't matter where you are around the circle.

[rollo]

Sorry about the multiple postings. yes suzhou is quite nice and you can be in Shanghai in about 2 hours if you need the mega city feeling. Old Suzhou is wonderful, canals and old mansions. it was one of the richest cities in the world during the Silk Road days. Travel in china is awesome. the grasslands of Mongolia, the seascape of Shandong, or Yunnan and Tibet. HIgh speed train network is cool. Suzhou is also not as crowded, more laid back. but is a big city with all the modernity and nightlife you desire.

Ningbo is okay , nothing special. Wenzhou is also in Zhejiang province and it is an amazing city. About 4 hours from shanghai by hi speed train.

[byrddogs]

Shanghai is a cool place to work. It's an even better place to live if you make decent coin. rollo's assessment is pretty fair.

[seansmith]

Myself and byrddogs have both lived in Seoul and now live in Shanghai, and have weighed in on earlier threads with shared opinions that Shanghai is certainly superior. However, I would have to say that if you're a true newbie landing in Asia with an undergraduate degree, little or no experience, and one of those online TEFL certificates, then head to Seoul. Shanghai will likely chew you up and spit you out.

If you have experience and qualifications, then there is money to be made in Shanghai, easily in the 20,000rmb and up range. Private education is exploding as rich Chinese parents want better alternatives for their sons and daughters without necessarily paying a fortune to send them to the West. The lifestyle in Shanghai and travel opportunities outside of it are amazing and are much more varied than in Seoul and Korea. I live in the French Concession and so don't experience overcrowding. The big downer for me is the air pollution issue, which while not as bad as Beijing is still a problem.

[Nolos]

thanks for the responses everyone!

[markness]

Hey guys,

I have a 3-year BA in English from a Canadian university. The "higher" qualified people, I am assuming you mean are the people with BEd.'s or Masters/PHDs, right? Reason why I am asking is that some of the Seoul jobs ask for BEd.'s OR English Degrees, so what I am going on right here is a technicality, does my English degree make me more qualified than a person with say... a Political Science degree? Still on the fence between Seoul and anywhere in China. Seoul seems like it would be a better place for my noobyness to go, but my intermediate Chinese and the whole "wild west" aspirations make me want to go to China. Everyone's telling me Seoul is a way better place to be for a young guy compared to China, what im asking for is for people to tell me otherwise, lol!

[rollo]

What is a three year degree? I think you have to have a four year degree to work in china.

Higher qualifications would be a B.ed a masters or higher.

You could work at an English training school, if you are lucky could make some bucks.

Work experience also, is a biggie.

As other posters have written, good qualifications, good teaching skills and their is good money in Shanghai. this means being able to consistently put out a good class, with a little flair. No filler like games and such. Dress the part. Its Shanghai and that means money and people who are going to pay you do not want to be taught by someone with bad hygiene or sloppy clothes. The people I know who who make 20,000 a month or more teaching business ESl all dress like successful business people.

its a good place, entertaining and sophisticated and its a door to a huge country that is endlessly fascinating

[markness]

[rollo]

Well I know little about Canadian degrees, is why I asked. Shanghai is expensive, but there are ways to live cheap. Housing , probably the best way is to get and employer to help. I always mention clothing because i too see the hobo looking, wine stained tee shirt wearing unshaved teachers and hear them complaining about their salary and why they are not treated with respect.

So good luck what ever you choose. Shanghai can be awesome if you do your homework.

[Weigookin74]

[Weigookin74]