Boshko's Quick and Easy Guide to International English Teaching

[Ted Striker]

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[Ted Striker]

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[Alexander's Horse]

And never, never let an Asian woman move in with you.

I'm talking to you Ted.

[Alexander's Horse]

Even if a woman like this wants to move in with you Ted.

Just say no.

[Lincoln]

You forgot Thailand, Boshko:

A very inexpensive place to live. An apartment in Bangkok with air conditioning, hot water and a fridge is about $110.00. The people are the best in the world. They don't call it the land of smiles for nothing. Women are very attractive and as AH said there are two (or more) types. anyone who goes there to break as many hearts as possible is, in my opinion, the scum of the earth. You have to distinguish from the country women and the Bangkok natives in most cases. They are worlds apart. I married a woman who was living in Bangkok but she was raised in the country and she still had the traditional moral values instilled in her. She would not enter my apartment, for example and she would only date me with a friend tagging along until we became engaged.

As far as taching English is concerned, it doesn't pay much in Thailand but most people don't go there to make alot of money. Also the students are the best in the world. You will be respected just for being a teacher and they are great fun to work with. They love to laugh and joke with you but you will always have control of the classroom unless you are extremely incompetent (which is highly likely in this profession). Anyway, I agree with Boshko, It is a great way to expand your horizons if you don't have much money. I don't teach now since I already found my wife.

[Drake Tungsten]

As far as country-specific totty goes my vague impressions of Korea vs. Japan is that you get bigger tits in Japan, worse teeth, shorter and except for the marginally bigger tits (korean girls are generally pretty damn flat even by asian standards) Koreans are generally more attractive. However Japanese girls dress and act sluttier but a wide margin so its a wash.

You think J-birds have big tits? Jesus, things must be bad in Korea...

[korn469]

Boshko,

Are you serious about all the things you've typed? I live in America and I graduated college in December with a Communications degree and I have yet to find work. I'm moving today to a city (because I live in a fairly rural part of the states), but if that doesn't work out this sounds like something I'd enjoy doing.

Here's a couple of questions:

1) Do I need to speak anything besides english, like korean, chinese, japanese, etc? I can't though I wouldn't mind learning.

2) How hard is it to actually get hired by these places?

3) Do you need to pay for air fare to these countries?

4) Will they hire you while you still live in America, or must you travel there first?

5) What's the average number of hours you work in a given week?

6) Is it cold in Korea?

7) What are the living conditions like? I enjoy a starbuck's, a nice health club, and huge malls/super markets. I am completely provincial I guess, but would I be able to find those things in most of the places they have teachers?

8) You said you could save up around 1,000 dollars a month if you tried, so what's the average pay like?

Hmmm I can't think of anything else for the moment, but it does sound like something exciting to do. I'd appreciate it if you could answer my questions, and throw in anything else you could think of.

[Provost Harrison]

Originally posted by Boshko

Well its been done in Seoul.

Tower Palace III (100% residential IIRC):

There could do to be more constructions in London like that, there are always complaints about how little property and land there is but such a high demand...

[mindseye]

Great post, Boshko, very informative!

A few notes from my experience ...

This type of work need not be considered only suitable for the freshly-graduated. Here in China I encounter teachers of all ages (including retired). I'm 45, and have met very many teachers older than me.

Being a little older can be a BIG advantage. In Asian culture, an older teacher is desirable because they have more of an air of authority. Also, being an adult with western business experience means you are a prime candidate for CORPORATE work, which usually pays the best.

There are some distinct trade-offs involved in working for schools. In China, universities and schools usually pay much less, but they usually provide housing and airfare (and maybe even food and other perks). This can be a nice scenario for those who only plan to live here for a year or less, and don't speak the local language.

Also, living in school-provided housing usually means strict guest policies (they must sign in/out, maybe no overnight guests), and often poor maintenance (DaShi's toilet experience is not uncommon). Also, teaching at schools may require course design, making and grading tests, correcting homework, and the like.

Going with a private business generally means higher pay, but caveat emptor applies to nowhere more than China, where contracts have little meaning. You must do your research, and I strongly suggest asking for references, ideally phone contacts for people who have worked there and returned back to your country. Short of that, you should at least check feedback in places like Dave's ESL cafe. Most of the horror stories I have head about teaching in China involve young people who just played "roulette" and signed up for a job knowing virtually nothing about it.

Most of the long-term teachers I know are, like me, freelancers, taking gigs at various places. IMO this is the best route. There is little or no work outside the classroom. You call your own shots. Don't like teaching children? Don't like Sunday morning classes? Fine. The pay is higher than any kind of contract work, you can work for as many places as you want, or combine teaching with other kinds of work (I've done a little voice acting and editing). You live where you want to, and you feel more like you have a real job and a residence, instead of being some sort of indentured servant who lives on the grounds and must obey your employer's will or risk having your visa yanked. Also, school work usually requires an ESL certificate (although in China simply printing up your own is probably good enough - hey, play by the local rules ). However, freelaancers of course receive no benefits. If there is a week-long holiday (three/year in China) you lose a week's pay.

Visa requirements in China just changed again, now they are much more liberal, so school sponsorship is no longer much of a benefit. It's now much easier to come here on your own and freelance on a business visa.

In the China market, North American English is widely considered the "dialect" of choice. But since the demand is so high, Kiwis and Ozzies can easily get work here. There are droves of Australians in China, and as long as they don't start talking about their "trouble and strife" or hitting the "frog and toad" finding work is no problem. Carribeans, East Euros, South Africans - if you can make a shaky claim to being a "native" speaker, you're in. In big cities skin color is less and less of a barrier (although overseas Chinese still face obstacles).

As for money, it varies quite a bit depending on what kind of gig you're working and where you are in China (cost of living varies enormously).

Although I'm a freelancer, I do all of my work for a single private training center. Since I'm reliable, take my work seriously, and have experience as an American IT professional, I pretty much get as many hours as I want. I teach "spoken English" (more like conversation coaching), IELTS preparation (test many Chinese take prior to studying in Commonwealth countries), and Business English.

I typically work about 20 hours per week, but that's a little more than it sounds due to transportation time (many classes are only 2 hours) and the fact that teaching is a high-energy job (like chairing back-to-back meetings). However, since there is little work outside the classroom, I don't mind.

I live in a very nice middle class apartment in expensive Shanghai. I don't save as much as some other teachers, since I opt for a more comfortable lifestyle. You could split a decent apartment for half what I pay, so you can easily save much more depending on your lifestyle choices. Also, teachers who really like to work can earn a good deal more than I do.

You don't need to speak Chinese, although the more you know, obviously the easier your life will be. I know feelancers who speak minimal Chinese (in this case a girlfriend/boyfriend is indispensible).

I genuinely enjoy my work, the most rewarding job I have ever had. It seems like a miracle to wake up and not dread having to go toil in a cubicle for eight or ten hours while marking the hours before that brief weekend. I have fun with my classes, and often find my work energizing (as opposed to energy-draining back home). I meet and work with a wide variety of people, from middle school students to senior corporate management. And I really enjoy having a flexible, ever-changing schedule.

If you're at all interested in teaching in Asia, it's a fairly low-risk endeavor if you do a little research and preparation, and can easliy be downright lucrative if you are even minimally responsible. You can also do it to subsidize a major Asian vacation.

[mindseye]

Some of the other teachers in Asia have described their digs, in case anyone's interested, I'll add mine.

I live in a modern middle-class Shanghai apartment building not far from the center of downtown. The building has 24 stories, and is about 3 years old. It's a Chinese apartment buiding, not an expat compound.

The apt has 2 bedrooms, a big living room/dining room, balconey, and average-sized (for Asia) kitchen and bath. The size is about 120 m2 (my pocket translator says that's ~ 1,300 sq ft).

When I moved in, I became the first person to live in this unit, so everything was new. Nice hardwood floors, large bay windows with granite-topped window seats, nice floor and ceiling trim. The bathroom is full-on western style with modern shower. Kitchen has a built-in range-top gas stove (few ovens in China). Washing machine is in the bathroom, per Chinese custom. Clothes are dried outside on the balconey. My place even has a large closet, rather unusual in these parts. A/C-heat comes from wall-mounted units, as is typical in southern China (northern China has central heating for residences). The place was pre-wired for cable (broadband internet & tv).

Rent is 4,000 rmb/mo (~US$480/mo). My local friends are appalled that I "waste" so much money renting what they consider a family-sized apt.

[mindseye]

One slice of the view from my bedroom window ...

[Bugs ****ing Bunny]

Remember the target audience, mindseye! What's the man-action like?

[Alexander's Horse]

married man......

[Ted Striker]

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[Timexwatch]

Just a side note on the "fingers in the butt thing"...

It's called Kancho, and apparently it's a silly game that Japanese kids in order to surprise the **** out of eachother. You take your two index fingers, put them together like a wedge and then sneak up on the target.


It is not, however, something you want to try with your 20 year old Japanese girlfriend.

Believe me, I know.