Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Oreovictim]

[Oreovictim]

I taught in Seoul for 4 years, and I’ve been teaching in Shanghai for almost 3 years now.

There are two things you need to pay attention to. If anyone says, “Oh the air quality is the same” (or) “Shanghai is a lot cheaper,” take that info with a grain of salt. Shanghai’s air quality is a lot worse than Seoul’s. Did you read the world news last December? There was a day where Shanghai’s AQI hit 500. I check the AQI on a daily basis. Just the other day it was 196 here in Shanghai and only 29 in Seoul. It seems like it’s never in the green for Shangers.

Shanghai’s definitely not cheap, either. A lot of recruiters will tell you that it is, but they just do that so you’ll accept a low-paying job. (Actually, don’t even go through a recruiter.) You can still save some cash, sure. I’ll give you an idea about my job.

I make about 16,500 RMB a month. That’s roughly 2,839,000 Won. I don’t get a pension or an end-of-the-year bonus paycheck, and I still have to pay for my rent. I paid 3,300 RMB for my last place, but it was old. Now I live in a nicer place that’s around 4,100 a month, but it’s also a few stations farther away from anything mildly interesting.

For me, Shanghai has several good things going for it.

1. There are more adult teaching gigs here than in Seoul. I work at an adult school, and I don’t even have to do a split shift.

2. The people aren’t as xenophobic / racist as some Koreans are.

3. There’s more variety with the food.

4. It’s easy to find private gigs, and nobody cracks down on it.

5. There are lots of foreign supermarkets over here, but they’re pretty pricy. A box of Life is about 100 RMB.

6. You get to choose your own apartment. Also, you put down a deposit, and you pay your rent for three months at a time. How is this a good thing? Simple: it keeps the broke fresh-out-of-college kids out of China. Bwa-ha-ha!

Last, in my opinionated opinion, Chinese women are more attractive than Korean women. I’ll assume that you’re a straight woman. If so, and you like Asian men, you’d probably like Korean more than Chinese guys. If you’re not in to Asian, there are lots of Europeans in this city. If you’re really attractive, you can nab a dreamy French guy or something.

Here are some of the headaches that you’ll get from banging your head against a wall here in Shanghai.

1. Shanghai’s a lot more crowded than Seoul.

2. China has a smoking culture. You can’t escape second-hand smoke. People sometimes smoke in convenient stores, bathrooms, ATMs, elevators, malls, coffee shops, etc.

3. There’s constant construction – roads, buildings, or your neighbor doing a renovation at the crack of dawn. You’re too young to remember, but there was this show called Fraggle Rock. Well, just search for Doozers.

4. Shanghai has lots of country-side migrant workers. You’ll sometimes see parents holding their kid over a garbage can to go to the bathroom. Watch out for the kids squatting on sidewalks, too. I’ve always wondered what the nouveau rich say, “Reginald, do be a good butler and take young Long Wei out for his morning dump on the lawn.”

5. Nobody pays attention to crosswalks. When the cars have the light, people cross. When people have the right-of-way, cars and motorbikes cross.

6. There’s a lot more begging and street scams in Shanghai than there are in Seoul.

7. The people are loud, loud, loud.

8. Most of the subways close at 10:30 or 10:45.

9. They’re crazy about their fireworks. They especially like to set them off early in the morning. It’s supposed to bring fortune.

10. They have no concept of queues.

11. There’s no T.P. or soap in most public restrooms. Remember that the next time you see a group of restaurant cooks in a bathroom mall.

12. There’s no floor heating in Shanghai; you’ll freeze in your apartment.

13. It’s easy to get cockroaches. I never had a single cockroach in Korea. I’ve lived in three apartments in Shanghai and have to fight them off. Even my newly renovated apt. had a few, and I’m a tidy guy.

14. A lot of the people have oral hygiene issues. I mentioned it to my foreign dentist, and she said that untreated periodontal disease is a big issue in China.

15. A lot of websites are blocked. You’ll need to get a VPN for Facebook, Youtube, Gmail, and the good sites. (Wink-wink, nudge-nudge.)

16. The service industry is nowhere near as good as it is in Seoul. When you’re at a register, don’t expect a smile, a greeting, or any warmth whatsoever.

17. It rains a lot in Shanghai. You won’t get snow, and you won’t get beautiful spring and fall colors.

18. The air pollution is horrible.

19. Mandarin isn’t easy to read like Korean is.

20. The internet is slow.

21. The food’s good, but a lot of the dishes are covered in oil, and Chinese love MSG. (And I don’t mean The Michael Schenker Group.)

22. You have to be concerned with food quality.

23. There are too many knock-off products.

24. Shanghai has a cat problem. I like cats, but I hate outdoor cats. People leave plates of food out for them in parks and in bushes outside of apartments. Late at night you’ll sometimes hear cats fighting or having some romance under the moonlight.

25. And number 25 . . . when you order a beer, they always give you a WARM one. You definitely have to ask for a cold one.

[Weigookin74]

Thanks, quite informative. But is there widespread air conditioning during the hot months? Also, if you rely on some kind of portable heater, does it help? I have heard Shanghai is wicked hot and humid even more than Korea. Being in Beijing would be better or worse?

[jleblanc]

[Oreovictim]

[watergirl]

hi Oreovictim...
You sound vey informed about China..
So, in your opinion, are there more p/t evening jobs available in China compared to Seoul? Bc I find in Seoul, there are not that many pt/, block hours that one can do in the evening One can definitely get private tutoring stuff, but it involves travelling, making it difficult to get enough extra money
.
Reason I ask is that my friend had a day kindergarten job in Taiwan and also, an evening pt job in an academy.
I feel immigration and the LOR system here, basically enables all the hakwons to merely put extra work on their contracted employees, and not require the Hakwon owners to get p/t employees.

[Oreovictim]

[Oreovictim]

[bmaw01]

Hello Oreovictim,

I don't want to hijack OPs thread but I just have two quick questions.

1) I'm 45 years old. Is being an older guy a big issue like it it in South Korea? I actually look younger (mid 30s).

2) My degree is in special education. Are there any opportunities for someone who wants to teach children with disabilities?

Thanks.

[Oreovictim]

[rollo]

I would vote Shanghai. I have spent a lot of time there and it is very exciting city. If you meet foreigners, they will not likely be English teachers. Mostly business men or embassy staff and of course lots of tourist. But if you want to make the good money you need more experience, and get all the creditials you can. But female and does not really help you that much ,nor will being Canadian. You will not meet many Canadians in Shanghai. A lot of Aussies and Brits unlike Korea you have to be able to teach. business English is a big deal in Shanghai and if you find a job and one of the "Name schools" like Wall Street you can make some serious dough. But as i wrote before you have to be able to deliver not just entertain. If you worry about a little dirt you shouldnt be out East any way. Polish your teaching skills, get some creditials and 14,000 to 18,000 RMb a month is fairly easy. Privates are legal so that helps. Less drunks and losers in the ESL community. Shanghai is a lot more interesting and cosmopolitan than seoul

[talentedcrayon]

Today I had a conversation with my school's driver:

Him: "You need a Chinese girlfriend if you want to learn Chinese."

Him: "You should marry a Chinese girl."

He is 54 years old.

In Korea, very rarely will you ever meet a 54 year old man who thinks its okay for Korean women to date foreign men.

In China, people don't seem to have any problem with it. In fact, most people I meet seem to think its a good thing, something to be encouraged.

In Korea it is almost impossible to get a job outside of teaching English. I met a doctor with 35 years experience in the Swiss pharmaceutical industry. He has hundreds of contacts and he knows how to sell drugs in Europe. He tried to do contract work for Korean pharma companies (his wife is Korean and also a doctor). But, he said it was impossible. Koreans prefer to do business with Koreans, full stop, period, no need for further discussion. So, in one case he said they hired a Korean consulting company at a cost of a few million dollars, rather than paying him (a German) less than 100k. He couldn't understand it. He knows the approval process for drugs in Europe, he knows how to market them, he speaks German, English, French and Korean fluently... he knows the who's who of the pharma industry... but the Korean company' CEO didn't care. The main reason the CEO cited for choosing the Korean consulting firm: "you are a foreigner, we are afraid you won't understand Korean culture." So, they chose a Korean firm with literally no reputation/experience in Europe and paid them several million instead. He told me he expected them to totally fail entering the European market. But, that was their choice. After a few years of trying and getting no where, he and his wife started a German hagwon.

In China, doing business is much easier. Anyone can start a company here it seems. I know tonnes of people who have come over as English teachers and started gyms, bars, coffeeshops, etc. Chinese are open to the idea of doing business with foreigners. At the end of the day, the Chinese just want to get rich and if doing business with a foreigner is the best way there then so be it.

[ippy]