[chokosaki]

I guess I'm sort of an exception here in China.

With the school I teach at I have been promoted to teaching manager and I have been given a two year contract. I make a great living (by local standards) and have most of my necessities paid for (housing, some bills, visa, insurance). I also have the option of signing up for another two year contract when my current one expires. If I sign up for the next two years I will get a substantial raise plus a bonus of an entire month's salary.

I know this is sort of an exception but I made it very clear from the beginning that I was interested in staying long term (I am living in my wife's hometown in a wealthy part of China).

In answer to your question, I think I do make enough money in ESL. I get to save enough every month and I'm not living in poverty or anything. With how much turmoil the world's economy is in right now and with how many people are jobless...I feel lucky. I really enjoy my work and honestly can't see myself doing anything else!

Now, I do want to add that I'm living comfortably in China. The cost of living is quite low. From what I read about SK sounds fantastic but I don't think I could convince my wife to make that transition. Plus, I really do enjoy my school (high tech smart boards, 12 teaching hours a week, great people).

As far as making a career out of ESL....try to move up the ladder if you can. Don't just aspire to being a teacher if you want to make a career out of this. A lot of schools would love to have an experienced FT training their other teachers. At least, that's how China is. Schools (and parents) want everything to have that foreign imprint on it. Think about becoming a manager or starting your own school. I don't think being paid by your classes is good for job security. Also, being a private tutor is also not usually good for job security (tho, this can really depend on the city, country, and price).