Korean Job Discussion Forums

jajdude · Joined: 18 Jan 2003

If $1000 was up for grabs in China, I'd give it a shot.

guangho · Posted: Wed Aug 17, 2005 11:32 pm Post subject:

I am seeing more and more 8000 RMB ($1000) and up jobs on the Dave's board. And shawner, I'm looking at doing my CELTA in Beijing.

Butterfly · Joined: 02 Mar 2003 Location: Kuwait

I genuinely don't think there is the same passion for English in China as there is in Korea, but I will make the leap when the time comes.

South Korea now has the lowest birth rate in the world, soon enough there will be hardly any students to teach here, so people ought to be looking to make the move when the time is right for them. It's also getting farkin' expensive here, I know my money doesn't go as far as it used to.

I heard the government plans to put native speaker teachers in all middle and high schools in Korea, for a big effort to push out private English education. All this and it being too risky to do privates here, it's just getting a bit crap to work in Korea - nice place, nice peeps, rubbish salaries, not enough freedom.

I'll be in China soon enough, I reckon.

JongnoGuru · Joined: 25 May 2004 Location: peeing on your doorstep

Tiger Beer · Joined: 07 Feb 2003

There are certain kinds of people who complain, don't like, talk bad about everything and everywhere.. and then there are people who don't.

Shawner always struck me as the latter - wherever he goes, he's going to be enjoying it and making the best of the experience.

JongnoGuru · Joined: 25 May 2004 Location: peeing on your doorstep

I think you're right, Tiger. But then, what is this thread? The "China Rocks, Period!" thread? Or the "Shawner's a Happy Soul Who's Going to Make the Best of it Anywhere -- He just Happened to Land in China, That's All" thread?

Oh, and how does a $1,000 salary in China sound to you and teachers you know?

travel zen · Joined: 22 Feb 2005 Location: Good old Toronto, Canada

China?

Its' not so good. If you like third world conditions compared to Korea....rude people (much more rude than Koreans) and even more spitting and nose-picking than you will ever get used to.

As for the girls? You are right, they don't wear make-up. They HAVE MUSTACHES! I had a hard time telling guys from girls ...and I'm not hatin' on the place.

Anyway, go there and find it out for yourself. I stayed in Korea for two months, and China for two months and I know that China is waay over-rated on everything...especially quality...but it is developing.

My two rinminbi on the subject.

Tiger Beer · Joined: 07 Feb 2003

I'd go with travel zen's assumptions on the place.

I don't have extensive experience.. but made several trips to China to add Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Leshan, Kunming, Lijiang, Dali, and Tianjin to my China list.

All that being said.. I do know a very rare few who rave how great China is in particular.. but know most others who say its 'Korean on steroids' comments..

As for me.. more of the latter. Attractive women who hawk up huge spit goobers and let them fly is an interesting sight once or twice.. but a few too many times, and you wonder why. Chengdu had beautiful women, but the rest of the country didn't have that over Korea. As to everything else - China severely lacked in even basic English skills.. most of it was even more Chinese than Korea is Korean.. the dentistry almost matches Japan (trade in crooked teeth for decaying teeth).. most Chinese had thinning hair (unlike Koreans with the thick hair).. the spitting and staring and general northeast asian goofiness hit higher highlights that I didn't think elsewhere outside of Korea could surpass.. the buildings are a grey contrete block nearly everywhere which far surpasses Korea is architectural blandness (which is pretty impressive).

All that being said.. I do hear the rare report out there how China is actually better.. and it makes me wonder.. what did I miss on the times I went for visits??!!??

trevorcollins · Joined: 02 Jul 2004

trevorcollins · Joined: 02 Jul 2004

trevorcollins · Joined: 02 Jul 2004

Butterfly · Joined: 02 Mar 2003 Location: Kuwait

Ya-ta Boy · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: Established in 1994

I'm interested in hearing what people think is more interesting in China.

brachy · Joined: 01 Jul 2005

Maybe its not a question of what is more interesting as to who is more interesting.

Guys in Korea tend to dig the whole "girls think im interesting because Im not from here" thing, but then a majority of them get tired of playing with their 'toy' and move on.
But in China it seems more like "girls will bow down to my every need, treat me like a king, while i just sit around and do nothing" sort of thing. And they WILL stick around in hopes of getting out of the 3rd world-esque country.

Let's face it guys don't come to Korea, let alone China for the cultural experience, or the crappy infrastructure.

That's my guess.

Freezer Burn · Joined: 11 Apr 2005 Location: Busan

China Positives: the food is varied and delicious, your money goes further there, you can easily live on $200 a month, more to see and do when travelling, some parts of China are stunning, plumb university jobs with a lot of holidays, cheap DVD's and CD's, China is ever-changing and growing into an exciting place, its more exotic than Korea because everyone goes to Korea, or so I'm told from this board,

Negatives: far more polluted, the people are dirty (generalising here, but with a majority) the classes are huge and usually the school is much poorer than here, traffic is dangerous, infrastructure is dodgy you lose power in winter and summer, beggers are everywhere and human rights suck, communism in your school and community, no english television or radio, firewalls on your internet, less English, very hard and bureaucratic to send money home.

My two cents: If you're here for money first, then stay here, but if you're here for travelling and seeing the world before you go home and get a real job, then head to China.