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Korean Job Discussion Forums
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| Are you considering moving to China? |
| I have no interest. |
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28% |
[ 31 ] |
| Some interest |
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37% |
[ 41 ] |
| Strongly considering. |
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18% |
[ 20 ] |
| Definitely going some time in the next 2 years. |
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10% |
[ 11 ] |
| Definitely going some time in the next 5 years. |
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6% |
[ 7 ] |
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| Total Votes : 110 |
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Oreovictim
Joined: 23 Aug 2006
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 Posted: Thu Dec 30, 2010 7:25 am Post subject: |
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| redaxe wrote: |
I think it's more about the old school age-deference system the Koreans have, where you basically are supposed to unquestioningly follow your elders' commands about everything. It stifles personal freedom, curiosity, and creativity.
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Perhaps I'm talking out of my a$$, but I think that it's encourages corruption and manipulation, as well. Foreigners get cheated right and left from shady hagwon bosses, but so do Koreans. I've met lots of Korean teachers who were getting screwed over by their bosses, but they took it - all because their boss is, well, their boss and he/she is older, too. |
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Mr. Pink
Joined: 21 Oct 2003
Location: China
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| Posted: Thu Dec 30, 2010 7:06 pm Post subject: |
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| brier wrote: |
Good post Mr. Pink!
I will most likely be in China within two to three years. The missus being Chinese-Korean and would like Jr. to learn Chinese too.
The more research I do, the more it seems like a mixed bag.... But I'm trying to position myself for something good. |
What type of weather you like will also play a big part of where you end up.
I lived in Korea for 9 years and I don't remember meeting any foreigners that weren't either teachers or American service members. I've been in China for 1.5yrs and I've met more expats working in the financial sector, as CEOs, or engineers than I have met teachers. This of course probably isn't the norm, but I get the impression that due to China's lower costs and size a heck of a lot more expats bring their families over here than I ever saw in Seoul.
China is more "international" in a lot more respects, and it shows in the bigger cities. That is a plus for a ton of people.
I am in the northern part near Beijing/Tianjin because I can't stand the weather around Shanghai and anything south of there. I would probably be good to go to Qingdao or Nanjing, but I figure if I am going to change work places I would rather either go back to Korea or try another Asian country like Malaysia or Thailand.
I think for people that are adventurous, it doesn't hurt to try out China. For ESL jobs though, as I said, MOST pay crap. The way to make big bank is to have a 15-20hr teaching job and then line up privates and charge 200+ RMB an hour. Last year I used to do about 15hrs a week of privates charging from 200-350 RMB an hour depending on what type of class it was. It almost killed me, and I am glad I am not doing it this year. I don't teach ESL though, so with my normal job I was working everyday, and most nights until 10pm or so. It was rough.
Good luck to those who are planning to go though. |
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Yaya
Joined: 25 Feb 2003
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Thu Dec 30, 2010 7:38 pm Post subject: |
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| Thanks for your insightful posts, Mr. Pink. In my opinion, I ain't missing anything in China. I arrived in Korea in 1994 and thought it was a slimepit, then went to Tianjin a year later and found it much more slimier. |
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Mr. Pink
Joined: 21 Oct 2003
Location: China
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| Posted: Thu Dec 30, 2010 10:45 pm Post subject: |
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| Yaya wrote: |
| Thanks for your insightful posts, Mr. Pink. In my opinion, I ain't missing anything in China. I arrived in Korea in 1994 and thought it was a slimepit, then went to Tianjin a year later and found it much more slimier. |
Tianjin's changed a lot since the 90s. I live just outside of the city proper. The problem though is the pollution. It is ranked as #3 for polluted cities in China. I seriously am shocked every time I go there and see factory smoke stacks besides apartment complexes....that bad air must get inside the apartments located right next to it...so gross. The city does have a few nicer things than when I first visited it years ago, still, it's gross as you said.
I was in Seoul in the 90s and the pollution was BAD, however, it has come a long way to improving since then, especially after 2002. IAs I am sure you know.) China IMO has made zero improvements to fix their environmental woes. |
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Yaya
Joined: 25 Feb 2003
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Thu Dec 30, 2010 11:51 pm Post subject: |
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| Mr. Pink wrote: |
| Yaya wrote: |
| Thanks for your insightful posts, Mr. Pink. In my opinion, I ain't missing anything in China. I arrived in Korea in 1994 and thought it was a slimepit, then went to Tianjin a year later and found it much more slimier. |
Tianjin's changed a lot since the 90s. I live just outside of the city proper. The problem though is the pollution. It is ranked as #3 for polluted cities in China. I seriously am shocked every time I go there and see factory smoke stacks besides apartment complexes....that bad air must get inside the apartments located right next to it...so gross. The city does have a few nicer things than when I first visited it years ago, still, it's gross as you said.
I was in Seoul in the 90s and the pollution was BAD, however, it has come a long way to improving since then, especially after 2002. IAs I am sure you know.) China IMO has made zero improvements to fix their environmental woes. |
Of course, China has made great strides in infrastructure and development since 1995, but I'll tell you what I saw in Tianjin in my visit. The roads were often flooded after rain because of poor sewage; power outages were common; no walls separating toilets in bathrooms (!); having to go to Korean restaurants because regular Chinese eateries were so filthy. And contrary to what a few Korean guys had told me, Chinese women were a FAR CRY in beauty compared to Korean women.
I would like to visit Shanghai one day but the $110 visa fee for U.S. passport holders isn't making it easy for me. |
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metalhead
Joined: 18 May 2010
Location: Toilet
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| Posted: Fri Dec 31, 2010 1:54 am Post subject: |
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A lot of people go to China blindly without any research. For living, if you want a somewhat beautiful city, go to Suzhou. For a clean city, go to Dalian. For a city overrun with Koreans, go to Qingdao. For a fun city, Nanjing. Beautiful girls and good spicy food, Chengdu.
Shanghai is expensive, I would not want to work there teaching English. That, and the people are stuck up - there are so many better places in China to go/live in.
Avoid 'unheard of' cities and small towns though, unless the thought of shopping for a rope within a week to hang yourself appeals to you somehow. |
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Depths of My Soul
Joined: 04 Apr 2010
Location: In The Sun
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| Posted: Fri Dec 31, 2010 10:48 am Post subject: Re: Are you considering moving to China? |
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| bobbybigfoot wrote: |
| Is China the future for the majority of ESLers? Is it best to get a jumpstart and head there sooner rather than later? Is it more beneficial to spend your time studying Chinese as opposed to Korean? |
Have some interest, but mainly concerned about the pollution there (something which will only get worse).
Though the thought of being able to find a 'non-Facebook girlfriend' is kind of encouraging.  |
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Theme
Joined: 06 Jun 2009
Location: Cedar Rapids Iowa
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| Posted: Fri Dec 31, 2010 12:21 pm Post subject: Putonghua |
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There is one written form of Chinese, but as we know, Taiwan uses traditional characters while the mainland adapted a so called simplified system.
When I spoke Mandarin in Hong Kong, they asked me in English to use English since they could not understand Mandarin, although they said my Mandarin was pretty good.
Any spoken language used by Chinese other than Mandarin is a dialect.
It is referred to on the mainland as Putonghua and Guoyu in Taiwan.
Which means "The National Language." ( of China ) |
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metalhead
Joined: 18 May 2010
Location: Toilet
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| Posted: Fri Dec 31, 2010 5:05 pm Post subject: Re: Putonghua |
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| Theme wrote: |
It is referred to on the mainland as Putonghua and Guoyu in Taiwan.
Which means "The National Language." ( of China ) |
Well yeah, although putonghua actually means 'common speak/tongue', which they need due to the many many dialects in China.
I spent over two years in Taiwan, it's still possible to find old people there that can't speak Mandarin but can speak Japanese and Taiwanese. Pretty weird actually. |
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Theme
Joined: 06 Jun 2009
Location: Cedar Rapids Iowa
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| Posted: Sat Jan 01, 2011 2:33 pm Post subject: Re: Putonghua |
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| metalhead wrote: |
| Theme wrote: |
It is referred to on the mainland as Putonghua and Guoyu in Taiwan.
Which means "The National Language." ( of China ) |
Well yeah, although putonghua actually means 'common speak/tongue', which they need due to the many many dialects in China.
I spent over two years in Taiwan, it's still possible to find old people there that can't speak Mandarin but can speak Japanese and Taiwanese. Pretty weird actually. |
Yea, I saw that too when I googled the subject to refresh my memory.
Is is not the national language and would that not be a better definition?
I lived in Taiwan and China between the years 1996 - 2004 myself, and also know very well how the old locals speak. |
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Adios_Corea
Joined: 17 Dec 2010
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| Posted: Sat Jan 01, 2011 4:42 pm Post subject: |
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Personally I have no intention of moving to China. While I would like to spend more time than I have traveling there, I simply could not live anywhere dirtier and more polluted than Korea. The spitting, littering, and air/water pollution here is enough to make me fear that I am slowly turning into the toxic avenger....so China would undoubtedly put me over the top.
As it is we're leaving Korea so that we can live somewhere that you can see the stars....and the bottom of the river.
Living in Asia has been a great experience, but the quality of life here is simply just too low to actually settle down and spend our lives here. |
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Louis VI
Joined: 05 Jul 2010
Location: In my Kingdom
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| Posted: Sat Jan 01, 2011 4:45 pm Post subject: |
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| Adios_Corea wrote: |
| ... I simply could not live anywhere dirtier and more polluted than Korea. The spitting, littering, and air/water pollution... |
Indeed. |
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Vagabundo
Joined: 26 Aug 2010
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| Posted: Sat Jan 01, 2011 9:33 pm Post subject: |
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my plane was full of Chinese "adjeosshis". The ruckus they were making on the plane, I was immediately reminded of their Korean cousins.
Now imagine half a billion or so of them. |
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metalhead
Joined: 18 May 2010
Location: Toilet
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| Posted: Sat Jan 01, 2011 11:42 pm Post subject: |
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| Louis VI wrote: |
| Adios_Corea wrote: |
| ... I simply could not live anywhere dirtier and more polluted than Korea. The spitting, littering, and air/water pollution... |
Indeed. |
Yes and no. The more rural the area, sure. But you don't see as much of it in the more well-to-do cities.
Personally I'm happy to be back in Korea again as I'm in my thirties, but for someone in their twenties I'd definitely recommend China over Korea, same as for older people, the Chinese are more lenient to older laowai than Korea is. |
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sirius black
Joined: 04 Jun 2010
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| Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2011 5:12 am Post subject: |
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| In my earlier posts I was more excited about China. This may be a very superficial reason but I don't like the fact that they ban Facebook, Skype and Youtube. Youtube I can do without but most of my communicating with family and friends is by the former two. Its now a BIG concern for me and has now made Taiwan more attractive. I want to learn mandarin. I heard some cons to the pros of Taiwan and put it a little down on my list but now I'm reconsidering. |
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