As new teachers to overseas, the questions one needs to ask are not always obvious. And we did ask questions, but got no straight up responses from other teachers. The purpose of this was to inform first time teachers considering China, who may or may not know what to ask or look for.

Thanks for the information... sounds like Malaysia is a better bet.

Thanks for all the information. Sounds like you've been around. Where is your favorite place travel in Malaysia?

we are currently in Qingdao, which is on the coast between Beijing and Shanghai. We teach a Canadian BC curriculum, and we teach secondary.

So my partner and I have been teaching in China for a year. We thought we would share a few thoughts as no one offered honest answers for us before we went. PLEASE REMEMBER THIS IS JUST OUR PERSPECTIVE

Good Stuff:
1. Excellent eager students willing to learn, help, and participate in and out of class
2. Cheap to live
3. Taobao is an online shopping site, where you can get what you need and save. They deliver to your door.
4. The long break at Chinese New Year allows for extended travel (we went to HK, Vietnam, and Cambodia easily)
5. Easy to save money and pay off old debts

Bad Stuff:
1. Not all schools follow the Western Calendar. Our school resided inside another, and were thus dependent on their schedule. This makes it difficult to plan travel because the Ministry of education doesn't tell you there is a holiday until 3 days before... and usually makes you work on a weekend to make up for the holiday. We worked 6 weekends in a row when we arrived, and we were not explained how the holidays worked. Basically, we didn't have any holiday time until February for the New year.

2. Everyone in China has the exact same holiday time. As this is regulated by the government. Prices go up, and it is hard to book plane or train tickets without paying a large amount. Travel within China is accompanied by millions of others, and it is very expensive despite the low cost of living.

3. People are generally very nice once they know you... however, people on the street can be very rude (spitting, coughing, peeing, staring are common daily events) It would appear to be a lack of respect for others. This can be difficult and overwhelming to have to handle daily.

4. No one speaks English. We have traveled and enjoyed Hong Kong where none of things seem to occur... however China is not Hong Kong. It is difficult to get taxi's, food, clothing, and basic things. You cannot even open your own bank account or transfer money without a Chinese Local to do it for you.

5. The pollution is worse than you think. We expected a bad air quality, but until you go there... understanding how terrible and difficult it is to be outside (it causes difficulty breathing, eyes burn, headaches, skin issues, ezcema). The water quality is also low and can affect skin after a shower. check out the pollution index website and compare to your home. Almost every city in China is at dangerous (300+ppm). We were in a supposedly cleaner, nicer city on the ocean... and it was still over these unbearable levels.

Please feel free to ask us questions if you want, and we do know teachers who are going back and liked it more than we did. However, if the majority of the staff leaves each year, this should give a good indication that there are some issues, Thanks for listening.

Can anyone tell us more information on what is good and bad about living in Malaysia?

My partner and I were wondering which is better? We are currently teaching in China and want to make the move... however, getting multiple choices seems to get us stuck. We want to eventually work in Europe, but we don't have a EU passport or ancestry. I was thinking teaching in the UK may get me closer to this goal... is this true?

Also, we have been offered a job in Malaysia. I know these are very different places, so I need some insights on each.

For KL, we are each getting offered around 10000 malaysian ringgits per month. For a place near Manchester we have been offered close to 37000 pounds a year. It is really hard to understand the cost of living for each place, as I haven't been to either. Would these salaries be okay to live, travel and to save money?

What should I be asking myself to make a better choice?