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Living and Teaching in China
Teaching in China: Do I Want To Do This?
Do you 'agree' or 'disagree' with these statements about yourself?
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| If you 'agreed' with most
of the above statements, you would probably have a blast teaching in China. Now ask yourself about these questions:
If you 'agreed' with most of these statements, you want to stay away from China, unless you go first class and stay in a hotel. |
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| Teaching and living in China is an incredible experience. Having spent your life as an anonymous average person in your home country, you suddenly become the center of attention. Because you are an 'American' you become qualified for jobs you could never get back home. People want to talk to you. They want to know your opinion about everything. They want to be your friend. You may be interviewed on T.V. or appear in a commercial. You might be invited to take part in an athletic competition, even though you've never played the sport. You will be labeled as a 'Foreign Expert.' |  |
| As a teacher in China, you
will meet lots of new people. You will have hundreds of students under your tutelage.
Other students from your campus and other schools will befriend you. You'll meet people on
the street and at 'English Corners.' You may get to know the guard at the gate of your
apartment, shopkeepers and vendors. You'll be able to travel to exotic locations, explore
pursuits like martial arts, Beijing opera, Chinese traditional medicine, and calligraphy. After living in China you will be a much more interesting person. At parties and job interviews you will always have something to talk about. Of course, if you're interested in a career in Asia, experience living in China is a must. If you're a photographer, you'll find many interesting subjects. Maybe you can write a book, make a film, or start a web site based on your experience! Sound good, so far? Well, let's talk about the down side. First of all, you're not going to get rich. Your salary will probably be somewhere in the range of US$200-300 per month (higher salaries are sometimes possible). You may make more if you have an advanced degree. (For more on this subject, see "Money Matters"). You will be able to live comfortably and even save money on this unless you eat at restaurants or blow money on trips to Hong Kong. But financially, you will come home with little to show for your labor. There are many Chinese who will do their best to make sure you leave as much of your salary in China as possible. I arrived home with something like $10 in my pocket. |
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| Living conditions will be spartan (although they're improving rapidly). Your kitchen might be primitive. You might not have hot water whenever you want it. Your water might be brown sometimes or smell like sulphur. Your selection of T.V. programming and other entertainment may be quite limited, depending on where you are (However, cable TV is common now, and you will probably be able to catch American shows dubbed in Chinese). There are now 40 McDonalds in Beijing, but you will probably have to get used to a different diet. Get used to rice porridge, dumplings, tofu, sweet potatoes. Food will be cheap, but you will have to work harder to get it and prepare it. |
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| You will have to adjust to a
completely different culture. This is fun, but it also gets to be stressful. The
'inscrutable Chinaman' is a cliche' but it's true. It's very difficult for us to
understand Chinese thinking and vice versa. Many foreigners end up embittered, cynical,
with a complex love/hate relationship with China after spending a few years there. There's a lot of dirt and little grass. Air and water pollution are bad. You will be dirty much of the time. If you hyperventilate about pink hamburger or tomatoes with chemical residue (as is the fad in America--now that we've conquered hunger and most diseases we have to have something to worry about!) you might want to avoid China. Then there are the risks of traveling and getting good health care. Generally, China is pretty safe, but things happen. But, then again, things happen in Western countries, too. And life is short, anyway. |
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| Teaching in China Do I Want To Do This? General Principle No. 1 How Can I Get a Job? How Much Money Will I Make? How Did My Students Get Here? After My Students Graduate What's a Waiban? |
Living in China Travel Accommodations Food Getting Around Town Health and Medicine |
| China Pro Shop What to bring, getting married, taking kids and pets, schools, internet, religion, health, etc. China Links Links to all the info you couldn't find here China Books Read before you go |
China Photo Gallery See what China's like China: A Decade of Change Where has China been and where is it going? Glimpses of China Online slide show--sights and sounds of China |
Back to Living and Teaching in China main page
Fred Gale
Lumabner@aol.com