Teaching English Abroad Archives

4 Reasons Why Its Easier to Save Money In Asia

Saving money is one of the benefits of moving to Asia. In some countries, “the Big 3”, (housing, transportation, and food costs) are almost always cheaper than in America. This alone makes Asia a perfect place to increase your net worth, but I’m starting to realize that there maybe other reasons why I find it easy to save.

The biggest reason is that I don’t feel the constant urge to buy shit here. I can go days without buying anything.

In Atlanta ,my hometown, this was not the case. From the time I woke up, I was blasted with advertisements attempting to get me to part with hard earned cash.

This article is going to explore 4 reasons why I think its easier to ignore the noise of advertisements, and peer pressure, and save money in Asia.

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How I live in another country on my journey to Financial Independence

One of my goals in life is to become financially independent. This means that assets I own produce enough income (passively) to support my basic living expenses. I was well on my way to accomplishing that goal until 12 months ago…

I made the decision to quit my job and move across the world.

Why in the hell would I do that?

I have no clue.

If I had to answer (at least this is what I told my mom), I would say that I was at a personal “cross-roads” at my old job. I had to internally commit to a career there, or look into pivoting into something else. Shit or get off the pot.

I looked at my coworkers, mainly the ones who worked with the company for more than 5 years… and I knew it was time to get off this pot.

In the back of my mind I reached another dilemma. I wanted to keep my dream of financial Independence moving in the right direction, but I also had these dreams of travel and experiences in my 20’s.

So… I did like every other millennial does… I googled “how to travel and make money”. And there it was… staring me in the face. “Teach English in Asia and make your travel dreams come true”.

For the next three months, I became obsessed with the ESL (English as a Second Language) industry. I could quote estimated salaries from countries all over the world. I could even tell you dozens of second hand stories about other peoples experiences, good and bad.

Fast forward 6 months and I am on a flight headed to Shenzhen China. I wish I could say I never looked back, but if I did that would be a lie. I constantly find myself thinking where would I have been financially if I didn’t decide to move to Asia.

This post is to help you…, well mostly me, understand the true cost of Teaching English in Asia on your journey to financial Independence.

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The Cost of Living Abroad: Shenzhen China

I LIVE IN CHINA! I never thought those words would be coming out of my mouth. Let alone posting them on internet. Teaching English Abroad has given me the opportunity to live in another country and continue down my road to Financial Independence.

How much does it cost to live in China? Is it cheaper than the U.S.? Well… I can answer that question now: yes , but not for the reasons you may think.

To show you an example of the cost of living, I tracked my expenses for 30 days. In this post, I will show exactly how much I spent for 30 days, while living in China. I’ll go over the following expenses: HOUSING, FOOD, TRANSPORTATION, FITNESS, and MEDICAL. Continue reading “The Cost of Living Abroad: Shenzhen China”

How I Make $3000 a Month From Home!

From driving drunk people at 2AM, to picking up electric scooters, the gig economy in the United States (U.S.) is BOOMING! It isn’t even showing signs of slowing down. I’ve invested my fair share of time behind the wheel as an UBER driver. Fortunately, I quickly began to look for something more lucrative.

For the past year, I’ve been working as an online tutor with VIPKID. VIPKID is a Chinese company that gives Americans and Canadians the opportunity to teach English to Chinese Students.

This post summarizes my experiences thus far. Specifically, I will talk about how much money I’ve made, the pros, the cons, and how you can get involved with the company.

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6 Things To Look For In An ESL Contract

Six months ago I opened my computer, clicked a few links, had an online video interview, and started the process to move to China. What type of “grass” was I smoking! If you’ve ever heard the quote “you don’t know what you don’t know” then you know exactly how I feel. I wish there was a checklist that could guide me through the negotiations and contract. Recruiters & owners will say whatever you want to hear to get you on that plane and commit a year to their company.

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Can you hear me now? The new Mogul in Mobile Phone Service- Google FI

Apple, Android, Huawei, Samsung, Sprint, T-Mobile, AT&T & Verizon. The juggernauts of the mobile phone industry have been pulling the strings of our pockets for two decades. Some spend hundreds per month to operate these devices that are digital extensions of ourselves. Fortunately, in April 2015, a large data company saw an opportunity in the mobile device industry, Google. Continue reading “Can you hear me now? The new Mogul in Mobile Phone Service- Google FI”

Currency Risk (Exchange Rate Risk) & Teaching English in China

In November of 2018, I packed my bags and moved to Shenzhen, China. Unfortunately, this happened to be in the midst of blistering political drama and trade tensions between the World’s largest economies, China & the United States (US). I worried how this would affect me, my salary, and my future. I realized that I my new salary was going to be paid in ChineseRMBand I was now exposed to a new, well new to me, risk: currency risk. Continue reading “Currency Risk (Exchange Rate Risk) & Teaching English in China”