Historical mind bending torched

Hello,

So I am still working Part III of my series of choosing a ESL teaching job abroad (Korea). In the meantime just wanted to mention how today is the day when the Olympic torch passes through San Francisco.

I have to say the weather outside today looks really nice for the relay. However there is a storm brewing elsewhere that may cause a ruckus. Of course, we all know what that is, why it is the protestors.

On the frontpage of the San Francisco Chronicle today the Torch protest is top news. I have been kind of shamefully too busy to pay attention and digest properly why people are protesting the Beijing Olympics. But from what I understand it has to do with China's treatment of Tibetans both in the past, present and future. From my perspective I feel that these protestors are using the Olympics as a way to gain support for their cause.

I think it is a just cause and that these people should use the lime-light for the purpose of finally getting some justice.

I work with a Chinese American 40 something and two 60 yr-old Phillipino women. The buzz between them about this protest is that they are for it, but they contend to stay in their cubicles and type away their lives. Basically hearing the 40 something chatter away about Tibet and what-not is better office chatter than her usual "my-children-blah blah blah, and did you know that soy can kill you!?"

Anyways I wish I had brought my camera to work because I could have taken some snapshots during my lunch break. Ah well!

I would like to add that I think it will be more interesting and perhaps more educational for me to see protests going on in Korea. Which, by the way has its own history of protests. I too was kind of shamefully suprised when I learned that other countries protest wrong-doing. Of course this was just another moment in my life when I became less ignorant.

;)

Joy

Getting the Job (Part 2 - Choose your country -Examine Japan)

Part II: Japan

The fact of the matter is that I know more about Japan than I do China and especially Korea. I learned about anime and sushi while in high school and soon fell in love with the country. But I consider that this interest in Japan was more like a tunnel that led to my fondness of all the other Asian countries. In essence I would say that it is a challenge to compare these three countries against one another without ending up praising one over the other. Yet, Japan will always stick out to me as a country where the girls are over the top girly.

This ends up causing me to despise my White American roots. In fact, throughout my whole love affair with Asia I often wondered what American traditions I have to hold onto?

Anyways, back to what we are here for.
Japan may just be a bunch of islands out there in the Pacific but it is jam packed with a history of geisha's and courtesans and a people who praise cleanliness and order pretty well. When I was living in the dorms I lived with a Japanese roommate. She was in her 30's and was engaged to some guy in Japan. It started off okay but we ran into a lot of cultural differences. Mainly cleanliness and having guests over in the room.

But Japan will always remain as a special place, for it was this country that introduced me to the treasures of Asia.

So why am I not working there?
Japan does offer consistently good programs for teaching English. I believe that many expats choose Japan as their destination of choice.

The reason for my steering clear of Japan wasn't due to my distaste of the country, rather I found that the recruiting companies to be too competitive and also made you go through a very extensive application process.

Take for example the JET Program which when you take a peek at their website looks like a fun and organized program. But lets get to the details shall we?

• You have to go through an application time line. Meaning you have to apply at a certain time and go there at a certain time.

Unfortunately I can't find out about how much they pay you. Basically you end up with entry level salary if you don't have the skills.

The website Teach English Worldwide shows us a comparison of the countries.

"Japan has the most established economy and English teaching industry in the region. The extremely high wages it can offer makes the English job market there very competitive. Because of this competitiveness, you need to pay attention to school hiring cycles - the best times to arrive are late March or August. The cost of living in Japan is also very high, which you should take this into account when comparing salaries with other countries.

South Korea has a very developed TESOL market and it is easier to find work here than in Japan. The pay is generally lower than in Japan, but still substantial. Teaching English to children and adolescents is the most common type of position in South Korea.

As China’s economic and political clout has grown, so has its TESOL market. In the past, most English teaching jobs were part of the public school system. With free market reforms stimulating rapid economic growth in certain parts of China, there are now a huge number of private language schools – some of which are prepared to pay respectable wages to native English speakers. Nevertheless, salaries, working conditions, and living conditions are still quite variable throughout the country, so do your research before committing to a job or moving to an area to look for work."

Looking at this comparison it sure sounds like Japan will bring in the dough. Maybe Korea and Japan are tied with each other on best paying. But I still think Korea is best, maybe because it offers to me a culture I am still learning about. Or maybe, just maybe....

Find out why Korea is my choice for teaching English abroad in Part 3 of this series!

Getting the Job (Part 1 - Choose your country - Examine China)

This is the start of my series Getting an expat teaching Job.

First off I think the most important aspect of this adventure is to consider closely which country you would like to go live and teach English in. This is an important factor because it will not only determine what your daily life will be like, but also the amount of salary you will earn along with the type of benefits you will receive.

I am going to examine three countries in particular; China, Japan and Korea. Let me say for the record that I am not an expert on this and can only give you my opinion, which is related to my research. Within this examination I will try to cover what I believe are important factors for choosing your home away from home.

1. Location (resources to outsiders, infrastructure, treatment of foreigners).



2. Salary (how much, what is deducted...)



3. Benefits (free airfare, free housing, free or partial health care, etc)
   

When I first had the desire to go live abroad my initial choice was China. However due certain conditions that affect my daily life I ended up not choosing China. However, this kind of choice for you is dependent on your necessities in life.

I. Let's Examine China:

China is an amazing country and of course that is an understatement. The country has thousands of years behind it with culturally diverse cuisine and language throughout its borders. But is China a good choice for an expat? Some questions I asked myself when considering China were:

• Does China have a good hospital system (due to I have a chronic yet stable illness)?
• We all know China is very polluted. Therefore would I like to live in a very polluted area?

It is obvious that my questions have to do with health. And without doing any research I came to the conclusion...that China is not a healthy place to live. Nor does it seem stable.

But don't take my word for it. Here a recent teacher from China explains the ups and downs and also how to best go about getting a job in China.

During my search period I looked for legitimate recruiters from China to help me get a teaching job. But most of the companies I found charged me a fee. This was not one of my goals. Also it seemed some companies did not tell you your final destination of where you would be teaching in China until you got there. So this too was a red flag for me.

Survey Says:

1. Location: While China does offer a unique culture, has a huge lot of cultural heritage sites to explore and also offers up fantastic cuisine it is also embedded within a society that is still drastically coming to age with the modern world. If this is your cup of tea than I say go for it! But I for one want a western toilet, a functioning infrastructure and a guarantee my lungs aren't going to collapse.
2. Salary: Basically I am going to quote what Smitha Murthy wrote in her blog.

" Don’t be persuaded by glib claims that the average salary of the Chinese teacher is only half of yours. Maybe true, but then the average Chinese teacher hasn’t left his country. So state your price, especially if you have a fancy degree. Inquire about your living conditions. Does your apartment have heating or an air conditioner? Small matter, but considering that I nearly froze to death in winter when the school decided to switch off the heating, you would feel cozier if you know these details. "

Therefore the salary seems like it could be a mixed bag...depending on your negotiating skills.

Here is a Chinese recruiter website that details salary, which looks like about $500 USD a month with just the basic requirements. This isn't much in my opinion and may be a generalization.

3. Benefits: From using that same website here are some details. Airfare is reimbursed, which means you will pay first then get paid back later. You get holiday pay travel expense and they say the include free housing.

Conclusion on China:

Remember I have never been to China and that working in China could be a very blissful and stress less time for all I know. However when you start looking at Korea and Japan you start to realize what a better deal these other countries become. To me it seems that getting a job in China has a lot of work to go through before you are finally given something reasonable. Of course many out there may seek the kind of adventure where they want to truly immerse themselves in a whole other political, social and cultural system, which I believe China can offer 100% all the way.

Stay tuned for PART II: Let's Examine Japan!

Survey

Hi,
Just writing to get your opinion of this blog.

1. Do you like the layout / style? (I am able to customize this blog but it does take a great deal of time to get it to look sleek.)

2. Do you like the content?

3. Is there too much or too little information spread out on the blog?

Thanks,
Joy

Bye bye iMac (Countdown day number 46)

46 Days remaining.

Today I sold my iMac. It was kind of sad to see the thing go, because it is a really nice machine and had a great widescreen. But I can't haul the thing to Korea. Plus getting some cash for it will help me pay off the debt I used to purchase it last year.Here I am willingly saying good bye to my iMac. We had some good times! Sniff--sniff.

Hehe.


I have been preparing myself more and more for going to Korea, especially mentally. I am reminding myself that everything is going to be a mystery and just roll with it.

I went to Bo Kwan's hotel yesterday and it was a nice little place tucked away near the Hilton. It felt really good to be somewhere else than my room for once. Also Bo Kwan had cable in his room and I spent a good deal watching Top Chef and Top Model, along with the Bridges of Madison .... which I saw the beginning and end to, not the middle...it looks good.

Okay well just winding down before I dive into another week of work at the insurance company. Working still kind of brings me down but I know I need the $, so I get by.

Allright take care,
Joy

Start of Journey - Countdown day 48 to lift off

Greetings,
Welcome to my new blog. My name is Joy and I am about to embark on a journey to teach English in Korea. For me this is a dream becoming a reality. I have had the idea to live abroad for quite some time now and during the past few months I worked on making it a reality. In fact my New Year's resolution was to go and live in Korea. Ever since then I have applied to teaching positions, accepted one, and now have a plane ticket to Seoul.

Since most of my readers will be friends and family you will know already my background. That the past year of my life was definitely by far the hardest, having been stricken with a genetic disease. At that time I had hard time believing that my life would regain its usual speed.

Moving my life over to Korea is an exciting and nervous endeavour. Yet at the root of this adventure is my long-time desire to experience another culture and to be a foreigner. Here in America, especially living in San Francisco, I am witness to many immigrants who come to this country seeking better fortune or a new life. I have often wondered what this global transplantation is like for these people. Now I feel confident that I am going to experience this immigration experience yet as an expat in Korea.

It is my goal to document the images, sounds, smells and experiences that I go through while becoming a foreigner.

Sincerely,
Joy