| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
browneyedgirl
Joined: 17 Jul 2007
|
 Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 3:50 pm Post subject: |
 |
|
| Underwaterbob wrote: |
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 |
How big was their apartment? I heard the apartments that are the size of a walk-in closet with no kitchen go for $1,000. |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
PeteJB
Joined: 06 Jul 2007
|
| Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 4:56 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| My friend in Shanghai makes over 2000 USD a month... So can't be all the same. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
captain kirk
Joined: 29 Jan 2003
|
| Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 5:51 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| bassexpander wrote: |
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. |
Korea was bumped up to be a player by tons of U.S. coin. That's why there's money here. They're set up.
But China has a whole lot of people slaving. So many people and no U.S. money injection at the start like Korea had.
Interesting theory you have about farkups believing they'll fit in somewhere 'over the rainbow', like China. Are there really THAT many FTs who talk about China as 'the next place to be'?
So many people that it'll always be draggin' its huge butt, generally. Maybe there are spots, like Shanghai, as Pete mentioned. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
TheUrbanMyth
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Location: Retired
|
| Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 7:37 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| pkang0202 wrote: |
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." |
The large number of English schools there though don't support that theory. Let's get real. If the Chinese insist that everyone who wants to do business must learn Chinese... Americans, Canadians, British, Australians... are not going to learn Chinese. They'll just go to India or some other place where the locals learn and speak English. FDI would nose dive and the Chinese economy would crash. They'd be back to '60 and '70 levels in a decade.
Maybe in 30 or 40 years they'll be able to call the tune, but for now, it's English or perish and they know this. They've had all those advantages for decades and only now have been able to make something of it. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
mises
Joined: 05 Nov 2007
Location: retired
|
| Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 7:42 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| bassexpander wrote: |
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.
|
Robert Kagan, in this latest book The Return of History and the End of Dreams refers to the idea that China will dominate the world as not an "unreasonable assumption". Is he an esl teacher in Korea? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
cdninkorea
Joined: 27 Jan 2006
Location: Seoul
|
| Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 7:57 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| PeteJB wrote: |
| My friend in Shanghai makes over 2000 USD a month... So can't be all the same. |
Housing included? How far does $2000 go in Shanghai? I would very much like to hear more. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
samd
Joined: 03 Jan 2007
|
| Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 9:43 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| The salaries in China may be much lower, and it may be difficult to save a comparable amount as here, but the attraction is that you can live like a king for teacher's salaries over there. Eat and drink all day and night and live in a nice place for next to nothing. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
cdninkorea
Joined: 27 Jan 2006
Location: Seoul
|
| Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 3:05 am Post subject: |
|
|
| samd wrote: |
| The salaries in China may be much lower, and it may be difficult to save a comparable amount as here, but the attraction is that you can live like a king for teacher's salaries over there. Eat and drink all day and night and live in a nice place for next to nothing. |
The consensus on the China Job Forum says otherwise. What's your source? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
samd
Joined: 03 Jan 2007
|
| Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 6:55 am Post subject: |
|
|
| cdninkorea wrote: |
| samd wrote: |
| The salaries in China may be much lower, and it may be difficult to save a comparable amount as here, but the attraction is that you can live like a king for teacher's salaries over there. Eat and drink all day and night and live in a nice place for next to nothing. |
The consensus on the China Job Forum says otherwise. What's your source? |
My uncle lives in Beijing and I've made several extended trips to there and Shanghai.
3 people, nice restaurant, private room, plenty of food, etc. Total US15.
I could go on, but it's not really necessary. US$1K goes a lot further in China than it does here, but you don't have an extra thousand left in the bak at the end of the month. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
cdninkorea
Joined: 27 Jan 2006
Location: Seoul
|
| Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 5:32 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| samd wrote: |
| cdninkorea wrote: |
The consensus on the China Job Forum says otherwise. What's your source? |
My uncle lives in Beijing and I've made several extended trips to there and Shanghai.
3 people, nice restaurant, private room, plenty of food, etc. Total US15.
I could go on, but it's not really necessary. US$1K goes a lot further in China than it does here, but you don't have an extra thousand left in the bak at the end of the month. |
Is that an example or do you mean that if you have a salary of $2000 a month you can live well with half of it? With or without housing?
Inquiring minds want to know... |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
bassexpander
Joined: 13 Sep 2007
Location: Someplace you'd rather be.
|
| Posted: Fri Jul 25, 2008 12:31 am Post subject: |
|
|
| captain kirk wrote: |
Interesting theory you have about farkups believing they'll fit in somewhere 'over the rainbow', like China. Are there really THAT many FTs who talk about China as 'the next place to be'?
|
It's not a lot of people... just a few vocal ones from time-to-time. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
xingyiman
Joined: 12 Jan 2006
|
| Posted: Fri Jul 25, 2008 2:06 am Post subject: |
|
|
| bassexpander wrote: |
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. |
There are lots of people back home in western society who are finding that they can't function as well. More and more everyday as our economy goes down the toilet. There's lots of people I know who were raking in the big bucks in the latter 90's computer craze who are unable to get employed nowadays. Functioning in western society is becoming more and more of a lottery gamble as time goes on and should by no means be viewed as anykind of a measure of prowess. I honestly don't know anyone who is living the "American dream", as everyone back home I can think of is two months late on every bill and managing garage sales on the weekends hopoing they won't get laid off in a month. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
travel zen
Joined: 22 Feb 2005
Location: Good old Toronto, Canada
|
| Posted: Fri Jul 25, 2008 11:31 am Post subject: |
|
|
I agree...but landing a Goverment job does wonders  |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
cosmicgirlie
Joined: 29 Jan 2003
|
| Posted: Fri Jul 25, 2008 2:37 pm Post subject: |
|
|
I moved to China recently and I can tell you that ESLing in China--particularily where I live(Shanghai)--is a half-pat/quatre-pat job. ESLing is a joke.
I work in the International School market--make close to 3000USD a month, housing provided, airfare every year plus 1000USD for insurance. If I was to eat the school lunch provided all I'd have to do is pay for breakfast and dinner--but I won't eat that crap Chinese food--Shanghai food is nasty!
If you are thinking China--think outside the box. My husband doesn't do the ESL thing either--nor teaching. In Shanghai there are a lot of jobs for laowai that are not teaching related. As long as you have the skills for the job. He's making over 80 000USD in sales.....so again...think outside the box of ESL...there is money to be made in China. So glad I left Korea when I did.
Zai Jian Mo-fos |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
samd
Joined: 03 Jan 2007
|
| Posted: Fri Jul 25, 2008 3:15 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| cdninkorea wrote: |
| samd wrote: |
| cdninkorea wrote: |
The consensus on the China Job Forum says otherwise. What's your source? |
My uncle lives in Beijing and I've made several extended trips to there and Shanghai.
3 people, nice restaurant, private room, plenty of food, etc. Total US15.
I could go on, but it's not really necessary. US$1K goes a lot further in China than it does here, but you don't have an extra thousand left in the bak at the end of the month. |
Is that an example or do you mean that if you have a salary of $2000 a month you can live well with half of it? With or without housing?
Inquiring minds want to know... |
I mean that if your total salary is US$1K, without housing, you spend the same amount a month as you do in Korea if you're living normally, not too cheaply, but not blowing your cash either (about US$1K), but that money buys you a whole lot more - a bigger apartment, better meals, more drinks, more cabs etc. At the end of the month there are no saving, but you've lived it up so it doesn't really matter.
I agree with what Cosmicgirlie says though, ESL is not the way to go in China. Teachers that I met there were a joke - no degrees, a bunch of non native speakers from Eastern Europe, etc. You probably won't get what you're worth over there unless you can land a sweet International School postion or something like that. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
