I spoke to Suits about this before I came to China and I agree with what he told me and I'll build on it.
A lot of English teachers become English teachers because they don't have a plan and they continue to live without a plan. Some English teachers are businessmen and approach teaching with a business mindset and end up making a shitload of money. I know a guy out here who makes over $100,000 a year because he is highly-credentialed and very serious. He runs a small English school in SZ and kills it.
Some guys use English teaching to get their foot in the door (and a visa) and then branch out into other things. But guys have to come here with a goal. You can't live in China forever on 2,500 dollars a month. You'll need more money as you get older. I know of a guy who came here to teach English and now runs a few websites and does internet marketing while still teaching students on the side and makes good income. But these guys had plans.
then you have guys who spend 10 years teaching the same shit over and over again and cap out at about 2,500 dollars a month. I know way too many guys like this and many of them are very bitter, but they have only themselves to blame. Imagine if they had spent 2 hours a day learning a new skill and then doing something with that. But most of those guys spend their evenings drinking and fucking 5s and then wake up at 40.
I'm not speaking like I'm better than anyone, but I do feel sorta like "whatever" when some 40 year old is bemoaning his station in China. No one fucked him over, he fucked himself over.
If you don't have a plan, I wouldn't suggest teaching English because you could just work some shit job back in USA and have more money and deal with less nonsense.
But I do think the English teacher route is viable for serious guys who can teach well. I know a few guys here who charge $100/hr and teach kids and they're doing way better than many other expats.
Me? I got here with a teaching job. Loved teaching but I found a job as a copywriter for a Chinese company and jumped ship. I've had so many expats tell me that you gotta have an exit plan for China because you never know when China will tell you "no visa renewal, sorry!" So I'm monetizing the skillset I learned in America so that if I get kicked out, I have something I can do back home or in another country. I got lucky, though.
It's all about how you do it.
A lot of English teachers become English teachers because they don't have a plan and they continue to live without a plan. Some English teachers are businessmen and approach teaching with a business mindset and end up making a shitload of money. I know a guy out here who makes over $100,000 a year because he is highly-credentialed and very serious. He runs a small English school in SZ and kills it.
Some guys use English teaching to get their foot in the door (and a visa) and then branch out into other things. But guys have to come here with a goal. You can't live in China forever on 2,500 dollars a month. You'll need more money as you get older. I know of a guy who came here to teach English and now runs a few websites and does internet marketing while still teaching students on the side and makes good income. But these guys had plans.
then you have guys who spend 10 years teaching the same shit over and over again and cap out at about 2,500 dollars a month. I know way too many guys like this and many of them are very bitter, but they have only themselves to blame. Imagine if they had spent 2 hours a day learning a new skill and then doing something with that. But most of those guys spend their evenings drinking and fucking 5s and then wake up at 40.
I'm not speaking like I'm better than anyone, but I do feel sorta like "whatever" when some 40 year old is bemoaning his station in China. No one fucked him over, he fucked himself over.
If you don't have a plan, I wouldn't suggest teaching English because you could just work some shit job back in USA and have more money and deal with less nonsense.
But I do think the English teacher route is viable for serious guys who can teach well. I know a few guys here who charge $100/hr and teach kids and they're doing way better than many other expats.
Me? I got here with a teaching job. Loved teaching but I found a job as a copywriter for a Chinese company and jumped ship. I've had so many expats tell me that you gotta have an exit plan for China because you never know when China will tell you "no visa renewal, sorry!" So I'm monetizing the skillset I learned in America so that if I get kicked out, I have something I can do back home or in another country. I got lucky, though.
It's all about how you do it.
I will be checking my PMs weekly, so you can catch me there. I will not be posting.