File :-(, x, )
Anonymous
Hey Guys,

I just got out of the Peace Corps a few months ago, and Im itching to get my ass back out on the globe. Im going to teach english in Asia, I have decided, but Im having trouble making my mind up about where exactly to go.

Option one is Korea. I already have a job offer there that sounds pretty decent, though Ive seen vids on the internets that make the think it might be pretty grueling. They pay the most there, but it also seems from what Ive read that they have a very closed-off culture.

Option 2 is Japan. Its seems like it would be a lot harder to get a job there unless I do the JET program. I just got out of the American version of JET (the peace corps) and so that kind of makes my stomach churn to think of more programs and community work. Japan is the coolest country in the world though, and it would be cool to see it. I wonder how different from Korea or China it would really be to me though? Im probably not going to be able to afford a gothic lolita girlfriend while Im there so it would just be more pagoda style roofs, asian people, and the occasional Buddha statue. Its more expensive than korea too... TV and movies would be much better there, but that seems like silly thing to base a decision on.

Option 3 is China... The country that will serve my future the best, and which I am most interested in on face. The jobs pay shit there though, and I have sinking suspicion I would be the victim of some kind of a crime while I was there. Still there's so much to see and do there I know I could eke out a good time... provided things are super cheap there and making half of what I would in Korea ends up not mattering.

I figure you guys must have some insight on this quandary. Im sure there's plenty I dont know about. Let the opinion wars begin!!!

-Traveler
>> Anonymous
Oh yeah, and what about the girls too...
>> Anonymous
>>37171
Japanese girls will be all over you because you're foreign, but secretly they will also loathe you because you're foreign. Thus is Japan. Also, they will cheat on you and expect you to buy them endless trinkets.

You won't have a chance with a Chinese girl. After killing all their women in the womb, all the men are desperately searching for females to copulate with, so Chinese girls are able to be very selective. There'll be someone richer, more handsome, and better in bed than you after any moderately attractive or likable woman.

Korean girls are generally nice. They're on average not as pretty as a Chinese or Japanese girl, but that's a matter of taste.
>> Anonymous
All of those places are pretty much safe bets in the Asian world. Why not take some risk and try a country in Southeast Asia?

Anyways, Japan would be the closest to home, but probably the more expensive choice as you noted. Theres plenty of programs besides JET, but I heard they are more rigid and one of them ended up going bust. I'd say JET is the best choice for Japan. If expense is a problem, I'd just go with Korea.

I have a personal bias against China for its communism and pollution, but it wouldn't be a bad idea for your career if you also pick up some Chinese.

I was thinking about doing the Peace Corps thing for some experience, but I'm not altruistic enough to forgo pay. How was it?
>> Anonymous
Do you have any language experience? Learning on the go is always possible, but much harder with those three countries. there's always some fag in these threads who is like "I USE ROSETTA AND I'M NOW FLUENT IN KOREAN AND WESTERN ARMENIAN I GUESS I'M JUST GOOD AT LANGUAGES XD", but you'll want book study. You said China would be the best for your future, but keep in mind this: some people study Chinese at an organized level and fail, how can you become fluent with just passing experience? Thus, I'd go with whatever country you like more. You say ignorant shit like
>Japan is the coolest country in the world
, so I'd probably go with japan. Not trying to be an opinionated fag, but if your thought process is like that, the lifestyle of teachers in China (and from what I hear, Korea) is probably not for you.
>> Anonymous
Canadian here. What are the Peace Corps? Do you get paid?
>> Anonymous
>>37170The jobs pay shit there though
Cost of living in China is negligible. A couple thousand dollars could last you six months. As long as you're making at least 6,000 RMB (and it's not hard to get jobs that pay double that, though the hours are longer, and you can get 150-300 RMB/hour with private students if you want) you'll live like a king.

>You won't have a chance with a Chinese girl
Utter bullshit. As long as you're white and under the age of maybe 30, you can pull gorgeous girls with literally no effort (and I'm an English teacher. I know what "literally" means and I mean it). Major cities are a little harder, but a little harder than trivial is not much.
Korea is supposedly somewhat similar. Japan is supposedly somewhat difficult. Never been to either of those places.

>>37178have a personal bias against China for its communism
Chinese people have a bias against China for its "communism" too. Also, protip: China is not a communist country anymore. The Party calls itself that, but it doesn't really function that way anymore, though it's still pretty oppressive to its citizens.
Something that really pisses Chinese folk off about the bullshit surrounding the Olympics is the inability of ignorant foreigners to recognise the distinction between the Chinese government and the Chinese people.
>> Anonymous
>>37192
I swear, over the past week, /trv/ - English Teachers in China

Not that I'm complaining, hopefully my junior year abroad goes well and I'll be able to get back after graduation.
>> Anonymous
>>37194
no, it's just this one guy reposting the same stuff again and again.

we get it, you can fuck chinese girls if you smile at them, congratulations.
>> Anonymous
>>37192
>>37192
>>37192
the last part is somewhat familiar, though I can't quite place it
>> Anonymous
How is living in Shanghai? The company I work for has a branch office in Shanghai and they have shown interest in transferring me there for a few months to train our new staff there.
>> Anonymous
Heads-up for Korea, you will need to have a very well sculpted personality to put up with the characters there. The food is very much a departure from anything Anglo and is heavily vinegar/red pepper/soy based, which some find unpleasant. The written language is easier to learn but comes with a lot of grammatical rules.

If it were me, I would be looking at where would benefit me long term, and as you've indicated, China wouldn't be too terrible. Just stick to the central cities, they're the most fun (they're also the hardest to get jobs in).
>> Anonymous
>>No.37178 Peace Corps is kind of a mixed bag. You get to see a corner of the earth that no one you know has ever been to, but the organization itself is basically running around like a chicken with its head cut off which often leaves people with nothing to do for 2 years. You do get a tiny amount of money, and as long as you dont live in capital cities of the country you go to you will be the richest person in town.

So if living in a pudunk in the middle of the jungle with a big wad of cash and nothing to do sounds like fun do it.

>>No.37187>Japan is the coolest country in the world
, so I'd probably go with japan. Not trying to be an opinionated fag, but if your thought process is like that, the lifestyle of teachers in China (and from what I hear, Korea) is probably not for you.

I was more stating the obvious than personal opinion. Japan seems to be in everything these days. Every show on some cable stations is Japanese (even if it royally sucks), and probably 50 percent of people I know have some uncontrollable boner for all things Japanese. Im honestly having trouble seeing as how my experience of "Wow look at all this asian stuff!" would be different in Japan because Im not a sucker with my money and I dont live in a sort of self-induced anime trance.

Oh yeah, I learned to speak 2 languages fluently, Dutch and a pidgin language they speak in Suriname, in two years while I was in the Peace Corps, and Im already fluent in Spanish... given these are all western languages, but Im really not afraid of anything in terms of talking, even Chinese.

>>No.37178
I already took a long shot with the Peace Corps. I'd rather stay away from 3rd world countries for a while I'm just kind of sick of mind boggling poverty.
_____________
So I'm not hearing much positive about Korea, other than the cash. Has anyone actually been there? That's who I'd really like to hear from.
>> Anonymous
>>37200
The same fiend is starting threads asking questions about China over and over so he can keep replying to himself, no doubt.
>> Anonymous
>>37262
Hey now, don't get all butthurt about it, I was just saying.
>> Anonymous
>>37176
LIES!
>> Anonymous
Question regarding this sort of work: what kind of career can you look forward to after doing it for like ten years? I'd love to go teach English or build wells or something, but I'm having enough trouble finding a solid job with a yearlong gap in my resume.
>> Anonymous
Well, after having done the Peace Corps I have some pretty sweet benefits. My favorite is that I will be essentially automatically accepted into certain masters programs that have lots of returned volunteers lurking in their ranks, and there's fellowships and scholarships out the wazoo waiting for me.

I plan to work overseas for a few more years and then reluctantly grow up and get my MBA through the above mentioned channels. With as much international experience as I will have, and solid business education I think I will be able to get a job eventually, but I'm not stressing. If there's one thing I know for sure its that I will survive no matter what.
>> Anonymous
>>37260
>So I'm not hearing much positive about Korea, other than the cash. Has anyone actually been there? That's who I'd really like to hear from.

I haven't actually been there but I've heard decent things about it - but then I took Korean in College. It is a bit more reserved towards foreigners but from the people I talked to the people are rather decent.

Planning on teaching in Korea myself - I guess It's mainly a measure of taste. I have a lot of love for Japanese culture but I want to teach in Korea for a number of other reasons - not the least of which being that my grandfather had a spiritual experience there and had a great level of respect for Korean culture.
>> Anonymous
Koreans are a people in a constant inferiority complex.
>> Anonymous
So in Korea I should I just act really aloof to the dudes and flirtatious like a French skunk with the ladies and I'll be the biggest badass the peninsula has seen since Douglas MacArthur?
>> Anonymous
>>37358
Speak English and look rich. Korean bitches love it.
>> Anonymous
You seem to be unconcerned about money, and most attracted to Japan. It won't make you popular on /trv/, but following your heart as faggy as it sounds, is the best way to guarantee success. I'm a Chiaboo in university, and the economics majors who took mandarin just to get a nice double major or people who heard "LOL SO MUCH EASY SEX XD" stories either drop out or fail at learning, but it's people who are just in it for the ride no strings attatched who always do the best, at least from my perspective (biased, since it'd definitely put myself in the later category). You will have a hard time learning the language anywhere you go (trust me, the " I LEARNED FRENCH IN 5 MINUTES CROWD" never believes it, so I don't blame you for thinking you'll pick it up on the fly in a month or two, so you'll want motivation. Judging from your prose alone, I'd say you want to do Japan, but are shying away from it because of the fucking weeaboos. You, unlike them, however, are motivated, determined, and have experience.

TL;DR I can tell you want to try your hand in japan, do it faggot.
>> zak broman !3GqYIJ3Obs
how hard is it to obtain a job teaching english in hong kong?
>> Anonymous
Yeah dude, you're right... fuck all those anime fags that make me feel silly when I think about living in Japan. I can live there and not be a fag like that. Plus I really dont have to worry about money at this point, I have some negligible debt from my undergrad degree and I dont have to worry about saving for grad school... Fuck Im going to japan see you losers later.
>> Anonymous
A large portion of people who live in Korea for over a year end up leaving, and hating Korea and Koreans. Many Koreans are xenophobic, racist and belligerent. You can read all the lovely stories online of Westerners being blamed for crimes, beaten up by a mob, attacked for "stealing our women" or generally just hated. Of course, this is just many Koreans, not all Koreans, but you have to live alongside them too. Fun fact about Korea: in a national poll, the most loved foreign country was the United States of America. The most hated foreign country was the United States of America.

On the other hand, I have two female friends who have taught English in Korea and loved it thoroughly, so maybe males get the brunt of it.
>> Anonymous
>>37392

Weeaboos give anyone seriously studying Japanese a bad rap. I can't stand them. There's a few determined ones at the university level, but not many.

Still they really do us all a huge disservice. I know I shouldn't but often times I"m ashamed to be studying it, but I know I'm not a weeaboo, so that's good.

I've actually had my friends insinuate that I was and I flipped out on them. I knew they were joking but still. I don't think they've actually met one in real life.

If Japan is the way you want to go, go to Japan.
>> Anonymous
>>37409
>I'm not a weeaboo

What the hell are you doing on 4chan then, faggot?

Leave.
>> sage sage
     File :-(, x)
>>37420
>>37409
Both of you go back to /a/ or /jp/,since your shitty kind hangs over there.

Pic fucking related,fags.
>> Anonymous
Black People:Niggers::people interested in Japan::weeaboos
>> Anonymous
JET != Peace Corps, and I suggest you do more research if you persist in this wrong belief.
>> Anonymous
Im basing the JET/ Peace Corps equivalence on the only person I know that has done Jet, who I met in the Peace Corps... She said there was community leadership involved, which at this point makes me think about cloning myself so I can vomit into my own mouth and die.
>> Anonymous
>>37192
>though it's still pretty oppressive to its citizens
I admitted my bias, but I was referring to the government and not the citizens. And I'm part Chinese.

>>37298
Can you pick where you want to go? I'm intrigued, since I don't feel like I have enough experience to be accepted into the masters program I'm aiming for.
>> Anonymous
>>37170

>>Korea
Horrible food, pretty bad living conditions, horrible people. See how much they say they'll pay you? Trust me, that won't be enough.

Also the place smells funny.

>>Japan
Tolerable living conditions if you don't mind forking out a lot for it. You'll be making a lot less than in Korea (due to higher costs and shit) but at least you won't be suffering.

Stuff in Japan isn't as expensive as people make it out to be, it's really only the prices for housing that're nutty. I'm there on business all the time and you can eat for under $5 a day (I frequently stuff myself with chicken mayo onigiri from the convenience marts).

>>China
Dude, no.
>> Anonymous
>>37466
Well, I mean, every JET situation is different, but oftentimes, it is what you make it. I'd reckon that there was community leadership in her case because that's what she wanted, because she sought out that sort of shit to do with her time. I'm on JET, and I don't do anything like that. Closest thing to "community involvement" i've done is (1) handing out tissues at the mall one day to promote seatbelt use, while dressed as a cop, along with the local police mascot, and (2) was involved with a charity musical. In the first case, it was a one-day thing, which I was approached about and agreed to do, and in the second case, that was my choice. If I hadn't wanted to do that shit, I didn't have to.
>> Anonymous
JET's are faggots.
>> Anonymous
>>37298
You can pick your continent, but that's about it. When I say "podunk" though, I should say "gathering of straw huts inhabited by people with bones in their noses which is only accessible by canoe/propeller airplane/mule train." It doesnt matter what continent you go to, this is the kind of situation you'll be in... even if its in the former Soviet Union... except I guess minus the bones and plus a bunch of islamic stuff.
>> Anonymous
>>37379
Not all that hard, but they'll require a degree.

>>37482And I'm part Chinese.
So? I'm part Welsh but I'm not even sure where Wales is, let alone know shit about its people or government.
>> Anonymous
>>37563
>I'm not even sure where Wales is

Obvious Amerifag. You aren't Welsh btw.
>> Anonymous
>>37563
I was making the point that why would I be bashing on the Chinese people if I were part Chinese.
>> Anonymous
>>37563

Wales is northwest of mainland Europe, it is in the southeastern part of the biggest of the British isles, it is in the middle of the British isle group (ok, southern middle) but is PART of the largest of the islands. This island group is on the eastern side of the Atlantic Ocean.
>> Anonymous
>>37563
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wales

hope that helps