Korean Job Discussion Forums

[metalhead]

In the bigger cities, there seems to be less racism towards non-whites than in Korea. There is an incredible amount of Africans in Nanjing due to all the universities there, and I taught English alongside Cameroonians, Nigerians, Kenyans etc. They also didn't have many problems dating/meeting Chinese girls. Average pay when I was in Nanjing (and after that, Suzhou) was 10-12 000RMB a month, rent not included (both my apartments were 1700RMB a month, paid in three month installments, fully furnished). Utilities were about 200RMB a month, depending on the season.

I remember the nightclubs in Suzhou offered free drinks to foreigners as they really wanted foreigners in the clubs there as a face-gaining measure I suppose, pity I can't stand Chinese nightclubs or the weak beer they serve there, or the fake whiskey mixed with green tea!

Yes, China has more variety food-wise than Korea and is cheaper, but god forbid you go to decent foreign restaurants there (of which there are many), and then it suddenly doesn't seem so cheap.

China also had a lot more western products/food stuffs than Korea does, and the people were a lot more open/relaxed towards foreigners.

Of course, there are many annoyances in China. Crowds, noise, lack of personal space, pickpockets, fake EVERYTHING etc.

Easier to teach privates there and get part-time work, also never got ripped off on pay/not paid like some jobs in Korea.

If you have debts though Korea is probably a better bet, sure you can save in China and live really well, the RMB doesn't go that far once you leave, and you will spend more in China as there is more to do/see. A lot of foreigners in China end up finding other jobs or opening up there own business, met way more lifers in China than I have in Korea.

[chrisinkorea2011]

[shifter2009]

I don't think Shanghai or Bejing would be for me. Are their any good mid sized cities that are foreign friendly? I hear the south part of the country is the place to be.

[ttompatz]

[DejaVu]

[shifter2009]

[rabidcake]

I find it really amusing to see all of you discussing the idea of teaching English in China. Honestly, China is not a great place to live for many reasons. As someone living and working in China, I�d much rather live in Korea by far.

For those who only want to discuss the monetary gains of living in China. China is not necessarily a cheap country. Of course, it really depends on where you live, but travelling and buying imported goods are expensive. Rent in Shanghai is brutal and not cheap, the wages really suck for the costs you bear. Not to mention the quality of the rooms that you get for the price you pay.

You also have to take into consideration the high taxes that are implemented here in Mainland China. The government is also in the process of implementing even greater taxes that are aimed exclusively at foreigners at the 12,000RMB a month wage. If you want more details on this I�d be happy to provide resources simply ask otherwise take my word for it.

Also, the medical care in China is terrible. I go to Chinese hospitals and they get the job done, but they don�t match the sophistication of Korean hospitals, not even close. China doesn�t have a night life either, just a bunch of clubs that mostly foreigners go to. For the most part Shanghai (the largest night life city in Mainland China) shuts down at about 9:00 PM.

There is one redeeming factor for most of you though, and that�s that Chinese people don�t judge foreigners (western foreigners because they will judge Africans and other Asians) if you do not learn Chinese. They don�t care much if you can�t speak Chinese, and in some cases speaking Chinese or not makes no difference to them. Chinese often tell each other that their language is too hard for Westerners to learn anyways, so it helps justify the excuses people give when they live in China for years and still don�t know how to say rudimentary sentences.
Lastly, since dating girls seems to be an important deciding factor for most of you, there will be two types of girls you will mostly encounter in China.

Type 1) These girls mostly or exclusively date only Chinese men. They will occasionally date a foreigner who is able to speak Chinese extremely well.

Type 2) These girls only want to date men that are 백 인, (hanja白人).

You will be able to meet a lot of Chinese girls that will want to exclusively only speak English to you and nothing else. These are the girls I stay away from the most for a myriad of reasons, but they are more than available to any English teacher that is interested.

[creeper1]

China is a vast country and (just like Korea) there is a wide variety of opinions on the place from ESLers. Proabably the best option would be to go there and make up your own mind. It is not like you can't come running back to Korea if things don't work out.

BTW I wouldn't recommend China if you have debts that must be paid off at home. (Well you'd be looking at getting a job paying 9,000 yuan at least.)

[Yaya]

The pollution alone is reason enough for me not to live in China.

[creeper1]

[chrisinkorea2011]

[chrisinkorea2011]

And ive always thought this video that my friend showed me was funny. Amazing how strong the power of make up is! watch and be amazed or not so much?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Mu_betPexI

[Yaya]

[rabidcake]

[Squire]

A funny thing I noticed in Beijing over the summer was despite how horrible the Mandarin language sounded to me they spoke English in a far softer way than Koreans do. It was a more English sounding accent than American.

That's pretty off topic but I'm very interested in China when I finish here in a couple of years.