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In Reply to: RE: In a Hong Kong Apartment no less posted by Johno on March 12, 2021 at 01:36:08
When I first moved here I was VERY tempted by a second-hand Canterbury - they sounded so clean and clear in the near-field. But when I first got here I was so broke it wasn't funny.
I was $60,000 in student loans and other debt (2011) and I didn't know that the deposit was so crazy high. The rent was $1500 but here you need to give two and half months rent in deposit - the half is an agent fee you don't get back! So I had to come up with over $5,000 in cash. Plus I had to pay for the flight to Hong Kong (to be reimbursed but not for several months).
I had to have my employer give me an advance to be paid back over 6 months. By the time I had the money and enough for a bigger apartment of course the Canterbury's were gone. Still, no regrets. And very happy and lucky I moved here. No way would I own any of this audio stuff or paid off the student loans on a Canadian teacher salary. I am happy Hong Kong kept up with inflation.
Follow Ups:
I have a few friends in AUD that taught in HK & mainland China International schools. They enjoyed the experience and found it lucrative $. But that was 5 + years ago and with the current CCP leadership it makes me wonder, but hey that's for a different forum and time, all the best
Johno
The International schools pay pretty well. I am in the Public School System which pays even better than the International schools. BUT we get less vacation time and the experience isn't as transferrable as teachers in International Schools.
I also taught in China in 2008/9 school year at a Canadian-run school (within a larger Chinese school so we shared resources like the PE equipment). The principal was Canadian and all teachers needed a Canadian teaching certificate. I had a headphone-based system then.
I always advise people to put down the newspapers and turn off the TV news and go see places for themselves - it's rarely what you expect and the reality is often quite different than what the talking heads babble about.
It's funny, but I defend China to Westerners and defend America to Asians who think America is a violent Mad Max apocalypse of gun-crazy killers. So you have to trot out the statistics telling them that no you are very unlikely to be shot. Stereotypes go both ways.
That said - my job is not guaranteed as it might be in a Canadian Union. I am on two-year contracts and if the Chinese government decides it no longer wants "westerners" influencing their kids in western culture - we'll be booted.
If so - I'll probably make the move to an International School and try for Singapore or Dubai. 12 years ago they were paying $60,000 US a year tax-free and provided free flights, utilities, a car, and an apartment. For a teacher that is a pretty great deal - but it's in Dubai so people get a little fearful. I bet they have crazy Stereo Equimpement there though. The best of the best I am sure.
My brother had some weird stories about his stint in Qatar. He was not military.
Too much is never enough
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