Struggling to decide if the move would be right for me?

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Rjohnson
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Struggling to decide if the move would be right for me?

Post by Rjohnson »

Hi! As you can tell I'm not an expat yet, I'm still trying to decide weather I should bite the bullet! I have a long term partner here in the UK which is why I'm struggling to decide which option would be best as I don't have any real desire at all to end that relationship however I'm unhappy in England. Was just hoping someone could shed some light on to a few questions I have?

Just a quick overview, I went to Cambodia on holiday and loved it. I would be looking to teach English initially. I have no formal qualifications in this yet however would obtain some TEFL or certificates beforehand. In a perfect world I would go freelance after gaining experience. My main reasons for wanting to move are cost of living, having the freedom to travel to other areas in Asia, basically a less stressful life and a little freedom. I'm tired of paying extortionate rent, making car payments, paying a fortune to enjoy life outside of work bla bla bla. So basically I feel like I could make the decision (or at least get closer) based on the answers on the questions below if anyone would be kind enough? I'm a 25 year old male if that makes a difference, would probably look to live in PP.

1) In terms of a permanent English teaching role how easy is it to find (a reliable) one if qualified?
2) How easy/cheap is it to take weekend breaks/holidays to nearby countries i.e. Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia etc. Are there many public holidays to take advantage of?
3) What is the working week like? I'm not sure if I'm mis-reading the info I've found but is 48 hours the normal working week?
4) In general what is the cost of living like? Do expats tend to have much disposable income after bills?
5) How is the quality of life for expats? Are most people generally happy living in Cambodia? Any specific pros and cons I should be aware of?

Many thanks in advance. Please note I'm in no way under any preconceptions and I literally have no idea about the expat life there so happy to be filled in on anything relevant.
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Re: Struggling to decide if the move would be right for me?

Post by SinnSisamouth »

why are u unhappy in the uk?
u can blame things but if it is u that makes u unhappy you will be like that no matter where u live.
i am on these blocked lists;
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Re: Struggling to decide if the move would be right for me?

Post by taabarang »

Herr Sinnlos hat gesprochen.
As my old Cajun bait seller used to say, "I opes you luck.
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Re: Struggling to decide if the move would be right for me?

Post by PSD-Kiwi »

To the OP, go through the old posts, there are so many similar threads which will answer your questions.
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Re: Struggling to decide if the move would be right for me?

Post by epidemiks »

Living here as a teacher is great. You don't need to worry about car payments, mortgages, and buying nice things, because you won't earn enough money to buy anything.

I'm not a teacher, but:

1. TEFL is not qualified. Work can be had at around the same pay point with or without TEFL. CELTA + degree will get you much better. Freelancing here is not really a thing.

2. Bus to HCMC and back is ~$30, Flights to KL, Bangkok ~ $50-150. Further afield and you're looking at 300+. There's more public holidays than paid days some months, but I've not heard of anyone doing 48 hour weeks. 20 classroom hours (the paid hours) is probably closer to the norm, plus the other 20 (the unpaid hours) you'll need to do to prepare and mark.

4. Cost of living is whatever you want it to be. Ideally less than your income. The kind of teaching gigs you're looking at will net maybe ~1000/m. Refer to my first paragraph.

5. Youtube: no joke howard. If you can bear more than a few minutes, you'll see that people trying to solve/fix/find themselves by moving to a poor country and learning from the kindly smiling poor folk don't enjoy their time here. There's plenty that are unhappy here, few are smart enough to leave.
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Re: Struggling to decide if the move would be right for me?

Post by Username Taken »

All of what he ^^^ said, and then,

"I would be looking to teach English initially. I have no formal qualifications in this"

So, why would you want to do that 'initially'?
Why do people seem to think that their only options are teaching and teaching?
What do you already do? Perhaps you have special skills or interests that would give you a better life than teaching.


"Do expats tend to have much disposable income"

What a strange question. Do you think all of us expats are the same? Doing the same work, hanging out in the same bars every night? etc.
I know expats that earn less than 1K a month, I also know some earning 20K a month. Whether they have disposable income or not, I have no idea.
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Re: Struggling to decide if the move would be right for me?

Post by Jamie_Lambo »

Rjohnson wrote: Tue Mar 14, 2017 7:59 pm Hi! As you can tell I'm not an expat yet, I'm still trying to decide weather I should bite the bullet! I have a long term partner here in the UK which is why I'm struggling to decide which option would be best as I don't have any real desire at all to end that relationship however I'm unhappy in England. Was just hoping someone could shed some light on to a few questions I have?

Just a quick overview, I went to Cambodia on holiday and loved it. I would be looking to teach English initially. I have no formal qualifications in this yet however would obtain some TEFL or certificates beforehand. In a perfect world I would go freelance after gaining experience. My main reasons for wanting to move are cost of living, having the freedom to travel to other areas in Asia, basically a less stressful life and a little freedom. I'm tired of paying extortionate rent, making car payments, paying a fortune to enjoy life outside of work bla bla bla. So basically I feel like I could make the decision (or at least get closer) based on the answers on the questions below if anyone would be kind enough? I'm a 25 year old male if that makes a difference, would probably look to live in PP.

1) In terms of a permanent English teaching role how easy is it to find (a reliable) one if qualified?
2) How easy/cheap is it to take weekend breaks/holidays to nearby countries i.e. Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia etc. Are there many public holidays to take advantage of?
3) What is the working week like? I'm not sure if I'm mis-reading the info I've found but is 48 hours the normal working week?
4) In general what is the cost of living like? Do expats tend to have much disposable income after bills?
5) How is the quality of life for expats? Are most people generally happy living in Cambodia? Any specific pros and cons I should be aware of?

Many thanks in advance. Please note I'm in no way under any preconceptions and I literally have no idea about the expat life there so happy to be filled in on anything relevant.
1) Lots of teaching jobs... having a TEFL doesnt make you qualified, you will probs earn the same without one
2) Living in PP would be easy enough, Busses are cheap but time consuming, Planes can be cheap, but not always
3) Dont know personally, i live here 7-8months of the year and go back to England to work for 4months in the summer
4) If youre earning $1000 per month, take away tax from your wages + Rent + Bills you will probs be left with like $5-600, after youve bought food/meals/drinks etc wont leave you a lot left at end of the month
5) If your only on a TEFL wage and dont have high standards of living, you could be happy, most young people who ive met that come over and teach normally last a couple of years

how much money would you be coming over with?
its one thing coming here on holiday and its another living here
if you got a decent wedge saved up, id say fuck it an go for it
but dont expect it to be simple and easy, it will likely not be how you thought and frustrating, especially with your plans to teach without any experience
youre still young, maybe try doing what i do for a few years and will give you a better idea about youre future plans
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Re: Struggling to decide if the move would be right for me?

Post by Bitte_Kein_Lexus »

Do you have a degree? If not, just do a TEFL and come over for a year or so. I think a CELTA would be a waste of money if you don't have a degree. Bring enough cash to enjoy yourself ($5000-8000 after you've bought a plane ticket). It'l be an extended vacation. Don't worry, you won't spend all that "cushion", but your salary alone won't be enough for any serious travelling. It'll cover your expenses easily but won't be enough for regular travelling, so best to have some cash handy. Take note: if you don't have a degree, then I wouldn't stay more than a year as anything more than that would be a bit of a dead-end. Treat it as a life experience, a holiday/way to travel around and relax for a year. Then you can regain a bit of focus and look at your future goals in the UK.
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Re: Struggling to decide if the move would be right for me?

Post by Rjohnson »

Username Taken wrote: Tue Mar 14, 2017 9:54 pm All of what he ^^^ said, and then,

"I would be looking to teach English initially. I have no formal qualifications in this"

So, why would you want to do that 'initially'?
Why do people seem to think that their only options are teaching and teaching?
What do you already do? Perhaps you have special skills or interests that would give you a better life than teaching.


"Do expats tend to have much disposable income"

What a strange question. Do you think all of us expats are the same? Doing the same work, hanging out in the same bars every night? etc.
I know expats that earn less than 1K a month, I also know some earning 20K a month. Whether they have disposable income or not, I have no idea.
Thanks for the answer.

I would want teach English because I have no other experience I'm interested in using, manual labour and standard 9-5 office stuff. I decided teaching because I thought maybe it would be more interesting and rewarding than working in an office. I don't think teaching is my only option (I have looked at others) however that's the route I would wish to take if I made the move. I'm currently in Medical Recruitment (specifically Medical Communications).

I don't think all expats are the same, no. I (obviously wrongly) assumed that given I was talking about teaching roles, people may have known I wasn't interested in hearing about the disposable incomes of expats on 20k a month. To be honest I was expecting answers like "I'm an English teacher and I have a little disposable income to be able to go out every other weekend" or "I have a friend who teaches and they don't really have any disposable income" not, "I have no idea but I'm going to assume you're an idiot who thinks all expats teach English , earn the same wage and have the same living costs"
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Re: Struggling to decide if the move would be right for me?

Post by Rjohnson »

Bitte_Kein_Lexus wrote: Tue Mar 14, 2017 11:49 pm Do you have a degree? If not, just do a TEFL and come over for a year or so. I think a CELTA would be a waste of money if you don't have a degree. Bring enough cash to enjoy yourself ($5000-8000 after you've bought a plane ticket). It'l be an extended vacation. Don't worry, you won't spend all that "cushion", but your salary alone won't be enough for any serious travelling. It'll cover your expenses easily but won't be enough for regular travelling, so best to have some cash handy. Take note: if you don't have a degree, then I wouldn't stay more than a year as anything more than that would be a bit of a dead-end. Treat it as a life experience, a holiday/way to travel around and relax for a year. Then you can regain a bit of focus and look at your future goals in the UK.
Thanks. I don't have a degree unfortunately no. But to be honest using it as you said, a life experience/way to travel would be what I want to do!
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