NationStates Jolt Archive

I saw someone mention that they held a US passport but lived abroad. Plus there has been a lot of talk from some posters about going to Canada, etc due to the election. As I'm getting ready to go overseas to teach ESL, I was wondering if there are any expatriates posting to the forum. If so, where ya at, how long ya been there, what are you doing where you're at, etc.

And, no, I'm not going because of the election. It's just time for something new in my life and I've aways wanted to get out and see some other parts of this big old wide world. This is a way to do it and make a decent living at the same time.

I saw someone mention that they held a US passport but lived abroad. Plus there has been a lot of talk from some posters about going to Canada, etc due to the election. As I'm getting ready to go overseas to teach ESL, I was wondering if there are any expatriates posting to the forum. If so, where ya at, how long ya been there, what are you doing where you're at, etc.

And, no, I'm not going because of the election. It's just time for something new in my life and I've aways wanted to get out and see some other parts of this big old wide world. This is a way to do it and make a decent living at the same time.
Good thinking. It'll give you some really great insights if you let it. I'm not an expat, but just thought I'd offer that. :)

Good thinking. It'll give you some really great insights if you let it. I'm not an expat, but just thought I'd offer that. :)


No doubt! Just going somewhere for a vacation doesn't provide the same experiences living in a diferent culture for a year can bring. Going to Korea first (hopefully) and China after that. Talk about culture shock! Bring it on!

A lot of my friends that I went to high school with have ex-pated. Those of us left behind have not had the money to follow them. Unfortunately I can't really answer any questions about them really that would be of any use. They are talented and intellegent people who decided that they couldn't associate themselves with the US in good conscience, so since they have relatively rare skills they took them elsewhere. Since for the most part anyone can do what I do right now I'm stuck.

There are two others 'left behind' who are waiting to get out from under the student loans before they jump ship. One is thinking about starting a fund that conservatives can pay into to allow ex-pats to leave. (it's pretty expensive) He thinks that the 'love it or leave its' (which is the most unamerican sentiment in existance...but since that is the prevailing wind it underlines why I'd want to) are fired up enough to start putting up some money so we could. I'm slowly becoming convinced that it might work.

No doubt! Just going somewhere for a vacation doesn't provide the same experiences living in a diferent culture for a year can bring. Going to Korea first (hopefully) and China after that. Talk about culture shock! Bring it on!
If you'd like some advice ... try to immerse yourself in the culture as completely as possible, learn the language if you can. I have several friends in China. The country is so large and diverse that it's actually several different cultures, but Korea is more homogenous.

If you'd like some advice ... try to immerse yourself in the culture as completely as possible, learn the language if you can. I have several friends in China. The country is so large and diverse that it's actually several different cultures, but Korea is more homogenous.

Yep, that's the plan. Especially in China. Mind you, I plan on doing this for at least the next seven years and spending time in several diferent countries (including India, the middle east, and Europe - you can make some good money in Saudi or the UAE and get great bene's). But China holds a great allure for me. Learning their language, customs, etc. through massive immersion will serve me quite well when my wandering days come to an end and I return to the good ol' US of A. Especially if China becomes the economic powerhouse everyone keeps saying it will.

Thanks for the advice!

I saw someone mention that they held a US passport but lived abroad. Plus there has been a lot of talk from some posters about going to Canada, etc due to the election. As I'm getting ready to go overseas to teach ESL, I was wondering if there are any expatriates posting to the forum. If so, where ya at, how long ya been there, what are you doing where you're at, etc.

And, no, I'm not going because of the election. It's just time for something new in my life and I've aways wanted to get out and see some other parts of this big old wide world. This is a way to do it and make a decent living at the same time.


I'm a US expat (13 1/2 years), and an ESL teacher in Japan. It's a good life for some and hell for others.

Any specific questions?

Do you mean just US expats or expats in general?

If it's the latter then I'm a UK expat currently doing the whole TEFL thing in China (1 1/2 years so far). If you want any info on China then let me know. I can't offer too much advice on Korea except that from the Koreans I've met and what little I've heard it seems the most traditional of the East Asian countries. Also if you don't like spicy food you may have problems. Oh yeah, and it's one of the ugliest languages on the planet, IMHO. Sounds like a Russian gargling. Seems a decent enough place to live, though.

Oh and Daistallia: I was in Kansai about a year ago (I was visiting a friend who lived outside Kobe). One question that's been bugging me: is Osaka the goth capital of Japan or are there that many people wearing black and eyeliner in all big Japanese cities? It was startling (in a good way) after all the homogenity of China.

Oh and Daistallia: I was in Kansai about a year ago (I was visiting a friend who lived outside Kobe). One question that's been bugging me black and eyeliner in all big Japanese cities? It was startling (in a good way) after all the homogenity of China. is Osaka the goth capital of Japan or are there that many people wearing or are there that many people wearing black and eyeliner in all big Japanese cities? It was startling (in a good way) after all the homogenity of China.

Nope. The loli-goth (Japanese adaptation of goth culture) capital would be Tokyo. But Ame-mura (in downtown Osaka) probably runs a close second

Elegant Gothic Lolita (http://www.morbidoutlook.com/fashion/articles/2002_07_gothiclolita.html) is a good article on the J-goth scene.

http://www.morbidoutlook.com/fashion/articles/images/2002_07_gothiclolita_mp.jpg


An interesting note: Kansai people, especially Osaka girls, tend to dress to stand out, where as Kanto people dress to fit in.

I'm a US expat (13 1/2 years), and an ESL teacher in Japan. It's a good life for some and hell for others.

Any specific questions?

(Copied from your thread: Japan Q&A)
I'm working on my TEFL diploma at the moment and am planning on heading overseas to teach ESL (already have a BA degree but not in education). I know a number of companies are available to help place teachers in Japan, but do you know if this is a good way to go or should I try to establish my own contract?

Also, from what I've read, you only make about break-even teaching ESL in Japan (as opposed to Korea or China for example). Is this true? Does having previous ESL experience abroad help earn a higher pay rate? Would having taught in Korea/China be a benefit or a detrement when I try to find work in Japan?

Lots more questions, but enough for now.

Do you mean just US expats or expats in general?

If it's the latter then I'm a UK expat currently doing the whole TEFL thing in China (1 1/2 years so far). If you want any info on China then let me know. I can't offer too much advice on Korea except that from the Koreans I've met and what little I've heard it seems the most traditional of the East Asian countries. Also if you don't like spicy food you may have problems. Oh yeah, and it's one of the ugliest languages on the planet, IMHO. Sounds like a Russian gargling. Seems a decent enough place to live, though.


No national bias here - All Expats!

China is one of my big four places to do the ESL thing at. Any words of wisdom for advice/suggestions/warnings will be helpful. Here's a few questions off the top of my head:

Where are you located?
How's the weather?
How's the water?
Are you making enough to live well and save some of your salary?
If so, how much does it cost to live there and how much towards savings?
(roughly)?
Did you have any ability with Mandarin before and have you learned any (more) while in country?
Did you go with a placement agency or negotiate your own contract?
AS you are posting on NS, you obviously have access to the Internet. How (un)common is this.

I'm sure there's more, but that's enougth for now.

Much thanks!

To all expats:
I'd like to hear from any expats out there. Feel free to TG me at my nation or email me at msoper2000@aol.com

damn, nobody posts to a thread for a few hours and it slips right down to the bottom. Just trying to keep it fresh so Daistallia 2014 and Stripe-lovers can post their responses.

One time only kind of thing - promise :D

No national bias here - All Expats!

China is one of my big four places to do the ESL thing at. Any words of wisdom for advice/suggestions/warnings will be helpful. Here's a few questions off the top of my head:

Where are you located?

Dalian, Liaoning Province. In DongBei (the North East), on the tip of a small peninsula a few hundred miles from the N. Korean border. It's a port city (largest seaport in China) with a lot of international trade. The economy is more based on finance than most Chinese cities and there's a lot less heavy industry, meaning less polution. It's sometimes called the Hong Kong of North China but it really isn't, apart from the fact that it's a bit pricier then elsewhere in the region. It's clean, has nice parks and green hills and has it's fair share of modern conveniences (though a lot less than Beijing or Shanghai and nowhere near Hong Kong). All in all it's a decent place to live.

How's the weather?

Bloody hot in summer and bloody cold in winter, like most of China. Except being in the north it's a bit less bloody hot in summer and a bit more bloody cold in winter. It's sunny around 90% of the time, which is nice, though it also has Siberian winds, which is less nice. Mostly though the weather is very pleasant, though you really need AC in summer and to wrap up warm outdoors in winter.

From what I've heard Kunming, and Yunan in general, is the only place with a really moderate climate in China.

How's the water?

Technically fine though the pipes are old and a bit rusty so you really need to boil it before you drink it. The Chinese have something of a fetish for boiled water, apparently it cures every disease known to man, and you can find boiling water tanks in almost every public place. It's actually quite handy if you take one of the ubiqitous tea flasks with you when travelling, you can have a near endless supply of hot green tea (with most green tea a few leaves are good for at least 5 refils of water).

Are you making enough to live well and save some of your salary?

Not exactly but I'm not the most thrifty of people. I get enough to live comfortably, or to save a fair amount if I economise. But then I'm on a pretty low wage for a foreign teacher since I'm at a government university. They do treat their teachers very well, however. A good rule of thumb in China is that the higher the wage the worse the treatment.

If so, how much does it cost to live there and how much towards savings?
(roughly)?

In Dalian you can live well on 2000 RMB a month (about US$ 240). It's abit more in Beijing and Shanghai and a bit less pretty much everywhere else, except maybe Guangzhou and Shenzhen. Wages of up to 8000 a month are not unheard of, and that's not including extra work (standard rate is 100 RMB per hour). I met a guy from Alaska in Beijing airport who was returing home with $14000 after one year, though you do have to work your backside off to save that much. It's also worth noting that you can have a lot of problems converting RMB to $, technically you can only convert as much as you came in with. If you want to convert more you'll have to either chance the black market, hope you can change it when you get back or cultivate some guanxi (connections). I taught a class of government officials last year so converting when I went back this summer wasn't too big a problem.

Did you have any ability with Mandarin before and have you learned any (more) while in country?

I had only very basic survival stuff before I left and haven't progressed much, TBH. I'm just very, very lazy. If you're comitted to it, though, you can make a lot of progress in a year.

Did you go with a placement agency or negotiate your own contract?

I went through the British Council, which meant low fees (50 pounds), training beforehand and more clout than most agencies when it comes to handling disputes (thankfully not a problem for me so far). Government or near-government agencies are the best if possible (maybe the Peace Corps in the US). Failing that I'd suggest negotiating your own contract. Be sure to try to check out the reputation of any universities or schools you are thinking of applying to beforehand, though. See if you can get in contact with another expat based in the city. There are a lot of places who will be only too happy to rip you off. Suggesting you're considering talking to the city/province education secretary should stop any shenanigans, though.

AS you are posting on NS, you obviously have access to the Internet. How (un)common is this.

Very common indeed. Broadband and dialup are both freely avaliable, and very affordable (at most $20 a month) and net cafes are everywhere. Some sites are blocked, some foreign government sites and news agencies as well as geocities, tripod and blogspot for some reason, but there's ways around this. Not sure whether it's activally monitored or not. Let's check...

Hu Jintao is a fucktard.

I'm sure there's more, but that's enougth for now.

No problem feel free to ask more.

Much thanks!


Oh and the most important thing is... wait a sec, there's someone at the door................

(Copied from your thread: Japan Q&A)
I'm working on my TEFL diploma at the moment and am planning on heading overseas to teach ESL (already have a BA degree but not in education). I know a number of companies are available to help place teachers in Japan, but do you know if this is a good way to go or should I try to establish my own contract?

Also, from what I've read, you only make about break-even teaching ESL in Japan (as opposed to Korea or China for example). Is this true? Does having previous ESL experience abroad help earn a higher pay rate? Would having taught in Korea/China be a benefit or a detrement when I try to find work in Japan?

Lots more questions, but enough for now.

Money issues will depend on where in Japan you live and your lifestyle. You can save quite a bit here. Work experience in China or Korea generally doesn't hurt.