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cdninkorea
Joined: 27 Jan 2006
Location: Seoul
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 Posted: Tue Jul 22, 2008 10:21 pm Post subject: China: Not the Next Korea After All? |
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Like many on this board, I'm constantly thinking about my next move in my EFL career. It's going to be a few years because I want to finish my MEd first, but it's still an obsession of mine.
I was putting some serious thought about China. Until I started looking around the China board and saw these:
Reasonable Wage for Uni Level
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| 4,000 for 12 hours is pretty good for a uni. |
(4,000 RMB= 593,755 Won)
Teachers Complaining About Salaries
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| I think China offers a pretty good lifestyle overall but not a great deal of opportunity for saving. |
Cheap Cities to Teach/Live In
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| 99.9% of old china has been knocked down and turned into some concrete eyesore. |
The Real Bottom of the Barrel: ESL Teacher Wages
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Hong Kong: 25,000.00 HKD (3,205.65 USD)
Japan: 250,000.00 JPY (2,323.41 USD)
South Korea: 2,300,000 WON (2,205.00 USD)
Vietnam: 21,857,550.00 (1,300.00 USD)
Taiwan: 35,000.00 TWD (1,151.478 USD)
Indonesia 9,500,000.00 IDR (1,026.48 USD)
Thailand: 33,000 BAHT (1,000.00 USD)
Malaysia 3,500.00 MYR (1,071.50 USD)
Mongolia 1,100,000.00 MNT (948.20 USD)
China: 6,000.00 RMB (874.848 USD) |
Wages Are a Joke
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| I talked to a uni in Beijing that offered me 4000 rmb a month. |
Do any universities in Korea offer a measly 593,755 Won?
From the same thread:
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I've been saying this for years and years. ESL in China was crap from day one.
I've seen some of the best and most talented earn pauper's wages,and degreeless poor speakers of English earn more. |
Some people on this board talk about China like it's The Next Korea.
It seems it's still better for dating, but the pay seems to be significantly less than here.
What does everyone think? |
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mises
Joined: 05 Nov 2007
Location: retired
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| Posted: Tue Jul 22, 2008 10:29 pm Post subject: |
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Koreans have a peculiar desire for English that totally passes all economic necessity. I don't know if this kind of fervor will be maintained in a very confident China.
Last edited by mises on Tue Jul 22, 2008 10:52 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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mikeyboy122
Joined: 28 Feb 2008
Location: namyang
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| Posted: Tue Jul 22, 2008 10:31 pm Post subject: |
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If your stats are right, I want to go to Honk Kong. I heard the pollution in China makes Korea look pristine. Thanks for the info!  |
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Underwaterbob
Joined: 08 Jan 2005
Location: In Cognito
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| Posted: Tue Jul 22, 2008 10:49 pm Post subject: |
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If you factor in cost of living you still make more here. I was friends with a couple working in Hong Kong taking in over $6000 a month. Sounded great until they told me their rent was $2000 a month and they spent another $1000 on utilities and food.
http://www.geoexpat.com/features/9.html |
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mikeyboy122
Joined: 28 Feb 2008
Location: namyang
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| Posted: Tue Jul 22, 2008 10:56 pm Post subject: |
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| Seriously? I appreciate that information. Korea isn't all that bad. Like anywhere, it's what you make it. Thx. |
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cdninkorea
Joined: 27 Jan 2006
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Tue Jul 22, 2008 11:07 pm Post subject: |
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A lot of those stats for Hong Kong don't look much different than Korea. Is there more money to be made there? What's the best place for money in Asia besides Korea?
Before anyone calls me greedy: I'm trying to do three things simultaneously: 1) pay off my undergrad loans, 2) pay for grad school without new loans, and 3) save for retirement (I'm only 26, but you can never start too early). Money is a priority but so is standard of living (particularly dating) |
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Underwaterbob
Joined: 08 Jan 2005
Location: In Cognito
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| Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 12:41 am Post subject: |
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| cdninkorea wrote: |
A lot of those stats for Hong Kong don't look much different than Korea. Is there more money to be made there? What's the best place for money in Asia besides Korea?
Before anyone calls me greedy: I'm trying to do three things simultaneously: 1) pay off my undergrad loans, 2) pay for grad school without new loans, and 3) save for retirement (I'm only 26, but you can never start too early). Money is a priority but so is standard of living (particularly dating) |
I get the impression rent is the killer and most jobs do not supply a free apartment. Also $260 a month for electricity? I've had electricity bills here as low as $6. While the public transportation seems comparable to here, private transportation is reserved for the rich. Whatever you do don't get sick. $80 to see a GP compared to $10 here. |
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tomwaits
Joined: 05 Feb 2003
Location: PC Bong
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| Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 3:24 am Post subject: |
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Teachers on HK NET scheme get over 2500 US a month as a LIVING ALLOWANCE on top of a high salary so I'm not sure where that chart comes from. Maybe it refers to kindy tutors. Getting into NET requires a teaching cert but don't take my word for it-go to HK Forum or the HK education bureau.
As for the mainland it's all over the map. Yes there are 4000 RMB jobs but many earn very good pay---thing is you can't send an e-mail or two and find that level of pay. You need to be there. And keep in mind that 4000 is basically a part time job-perhaps 3 mornings a week. |
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Bigfeet
Joined: 29 May 2008
Location: Grrrrr.....
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| Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 3:29 am Post subject: |
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| I'm sure the wages in China will keep going up the more their country develop. |
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pkang0202
Joined: 09 Mar 2007
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| Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 3:34 am Post subject: |
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In my opinion, the Chinese don't need to learn English, and their people know this.
Korea is a completely different scenario. Korea doesn't have the population and resources to make businesses go out of their way.
The Chinese can simply say, "We have cheap labor, cheap materials, and gigantic population. If you want to do business then Ni Hao mo-fo." |
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Sody
Joined: 14 May 2006
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| Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 5:08 am Post subject: |
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I know many teachers who teach and are currently teaching in China.
I wouldn't recommend it for people who are interested in saving money unless you are well qualified and know what you are doing.
That is the huge difference between Korea and China. For China you can go for the experience and the culture.
Korea is more advantageous because ESL teachers with little to no qualifications and experience can get a relatively good gig (starting out) and save that money. |
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nautilus
Joined: 26 Nov 2005
Location: Je jump, Tu jump, oui jump!
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| Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 6:37 am Post subject: |
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| pkang0202 wrote: |
| In my opinion, the Chinese don't need to learn English |
Is that just a hunch, or did you spend time in China?
I find it hard to believe a country with economic aspirations (and the knowledge that every other country in the world apart from itself is using English_-, has no interest in learning the language. |
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bassexpander
Joined: 13 Sep 2007
Location: Someplace you'd rather be.
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| Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 1:37 pm Post subject: |
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You have to realize that there are a lot of people on this site who couldn't function as well as their peers in Western society, and had to leave to make money here. Part of the way they deal with their failures is to jump on the "China will own the world" train.
One of the stops on that train ride is "Korea sucks/China is the future of ESL."
These people can't identify with western society, because they failed at it. Koreans won't allow them to become part of this culture because Koreans only accept Koreans. So to make themselves feel a part of something, these teachers choose to glorify China. |
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CeleryMan
Joined: 12 Apr 2007
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 2:03 pm Post subject: |
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| Why is Korea even mentioned in the same context as China?? China is the global benchmark ... aside from human rights, I suppose? We're still bickering over the age of American cattle, under 30 months, right? What ever happened to all the Grand Canal banter? |
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travel zen
Joined: 22 Feb 2005
Location: Good old Toronto, Canada
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| Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 2:52 pm Post subject: |
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China?
Lots of girls will mob you, no matter what u look like. Also, there are as many 'massage places' as there are McDonalds in the west.
I kid you not.
But there is no real money in it. You also wont be a part of the society, especially if you have a chinese gf. Same as Korea.
China is harder to move around in as all signs are in chinese and most all people don't understand english. |
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