Teaching English in Asia

[zboy1]

I have recently submitted applications for teaching positions in S. Korea and China. I want to ask anyone here with experience in teaching English, is the job difficult and what can I expect of the whole experience? Is the pay good and can you live a comfortable life overseas teaching English? Which country do you think is better, China or Korea or some other part of Asia? Supposedly, the companies I have applied for provide housing, and medical care, as well as paid airline tickets. It's a one year contract. Is it possible to renew for some additional years after the 1 year contract expires.

I do worry about paying some of my bills off as I have about 17,000 dollars in debt from obtaining my college degree and 2000 dollars in credit card debt. Will I be able to pay off some of my loans and debt, while I'm living overseas? Any feedback would be appreciated.

[Taco]

The job can be difficult when you first start but gets easier, this job favors people that love to talk. You can save $1000 a month in Korea and $500 a month in China. Make sure you get two references(by e-mail) from other teachers at the school you apply to before you sign the contract(very important), lots of bad schools out there. Make sure you have lots of lesson plans and activites ready so you hit ground running in case they ask you to start teaching the day after you arrive, this happens sometimes if their really desparate. Also, kids are easier to teach than adults.

[Winston]

If you're interested in teaching English in Thailand, someone recommended this site:

http://www.ajarn.com

[Jacaré]

You may also want to visit davescafe.com for anything English teaching related. All the best.

[momopi]

I do worry about paying some of my bills off as I have about 17,000 dollars in debt from obtaining my college degree and 2000 dollars in credit card debt. Will I be able to pay off some of my loans and debt, while I'm living overseas? Any feedback would be appreciated.

The CC debts are likely to have the highest interest rate, so those should be paid off first. Fortunately it's only $2k so it won't be too painful.

As for the $17k in student loans, you might want to look into Federal student loan consolidation and debt relief/forgiveness. I'd estimate that your monthly payment is around $180?

[polya]

I do worry about paying some of my bills off as I have about 17,000 dollars in debt from obtaining my college degree and 2000 dollars in credit card debt. Will I be able to pay off some of my loans and debt, while I'm living overseas? Any feedback would be appreciated.

The CC debts are likely to have the highest interest rate, so those should be paid off first. Fortunately it's only $2k so it won't be too painful.

As for the $17k in student loans, you might want to look into Federal student loan consolidation and debt relief/forgiveness. I'd estimate that your monthly payment is around $180?

Forget about paying your debts. You'll need every dollar to live overseas. You can go bankrupt when you get home.