The International Schools Review Forum

I will probably take heat for this, but the location is more important to me than the school. Given that, what are some good places for the bachelor IT? I am looking for the following:

-Rich unrestrictive culture(aka not the Middle East)

-Good nightlife/social options

-Low cost of living w/decent savings potential

-Preferably nice weather but that's not a deal breaker...

I have been a single male in 4 different locations.

Thailand - Social life great, low pay, did not save
Amsterdam - Social life great, decent pay but did not save
Dubai - Social life great, good pay, saved a lot
Venezuela - Social life both fun and difficult, high pay, saved a ton

Everyone has their priorities. I'd say these are the two that come to mind.

China

Taiwan

Korea

Columbia - A fellow I met is working in Bogota and he is having a great time.

Philippines - I've had friends do well there.

Again, the issue is that the social scene can get very expensive and erode one's savings just about anywhere you go.

For a single guy? I would disagree with China - disgusting place and very restrictive. No one speaks English and the pollution is awful. Crap weather as well. Korea can be great depending on where you are.

I would say anywhere in Southeast Asia would be pretty good, depending on the salary. Japan as well.

I am a single guy and have thoroughly enjoyed my four years in Russia.

Some great suggestions so far. Crgallen, tell me more about Russia. What do you like about it? Which city are you in? I have heard good things but that it also pretty expensive.

[quote="durianfan"]For a single guy? I would disagree with China - disgusting place and very restrictive. No one speaks English and the pollution is awful. Crap weather as well. Korea can be great depending on where you are.

I would say anywhere in Southeast Asia would be pretty good, depending on the salary. Japan as well.[/quote]
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Ummm. Have you ever actually lived/worked in China? If you have, it must have been out in the boonies somewhere. Yes, the pollution is awful but for what the OP was asking about, China does have some things to offer.

On a day to day basis, in what way does China restrict you (other than making it more difficult, but not impossible to check your facebook)? In most large cities you can easily/cheaply drink, eat out, go to clubs, shop and yes, there will be a fairly large group of Chinese young ladies who will be interested in dating a single western man.

Numbers being what they are, there will also be a significant group of western ladies looking for/open to dating an eligible single western man.
As for English being spoken, Beijing/Shanghai have around the same number of English speakers as we've found in Japan and parts of Europe.

Just wanted to share our experiences.

What about single expat guys wanting to meet single expat women from North America, UK, Australia, New Zealand?

[quote="WonderingWhat"]What about single expat guys wanting to meet single expat women from North America, UK, Australia, New Zealand?[/quote]

Why on earth would you want to do that?! The whole point of becoming an IT is to dodge those feminist wastelands...:P

On a day to day basis, in what way does China restrict you

1. Internet. It's not just facebook that's blocked. Google is as well, as well as all its counterparts. Certain news sites, blogspot, youtube, and hundreds of others. It's easy to get around this with a VPN but this usually makes surfing quite slow, in a country where the internet is slow enough already.

2. Banking. Wiring money can take up to 3 hours. Even changing money is a pain, and foreigners are only allowed to change $500 per day (The Chinese can change up to $50,000 per day).

3. Taxis. There's a taxi shortage in almost every city, as the government controls how many taxis are on the road. Expect to wait and to fight over taxis in the middle of the street at times.

4. Heating. If you live up north, the government controls what time of the year your heating gets turned on, and you have no control over the temperature.

5. Travel. Want to take the train to Beijing or Shanghai? You cannot purchase tickets until 5 days before you leave, and just hope that they haven't sold out. The only exception to this rule is big holiday periods such as Chinese New Year, when you can purchase them 10 days before.


Oh and yes - I lived in Northeastern China for 2 years. Shanghai and Beijing are definitely the places to be, but even the latter has horrible pollution.

1. I found the speed of the internet to be frustrating, but the VPN never made it slower, in fact it often was faster or allowed me on the internet when the regular internet wouldn't even let me on at all.

2. Money changing was easy once you find the tea shops. They will change as much money as you want (300000 kwai was no problem... No it wasn't mine)
Transferring small amounts via western union was adequate, cheaper and faster for me. All transfers had to be made in us dollars.

3. Taxis are generally easy in Beijing where I lived for 3 years. In hot spots late you might have to walk a bit. Some times a lot a bit!!

Heat sucks in winter! No other way to describe it. I never travelled.

Social life in Beijing was awesome... Tons of expats from everywhere and plenty of Chinese who speak English.

Relationships are available and easy to get into no matter your persuasion.

Good cheap massages if you know where to go. Crazy hair cuts. CHEAP clothes! All kinds of food options.

SMOG is horrendous, and trying to write a scooter down the street will make you CRY CRY CRY!!!!

Singles I knew LOVED it!

I would suggest that Central/S. America might be your first choices. Asian schools generally tend to expect you to work a lot.
Schools in Europe should also be on your list. Especially E. Europe and the Med. region.
Best of luck.

I second the Eastern Europe suggestion- Russia, Ukraine, Romania, Poland, etc. Many of my single male friends have raved about their social lives plus there are a few decent, well-paying schools in this region.

[quote="durianfan"]On a day to day basis, in what way does China restrict you

1. Internet. It's not just facebook that's blocked. Google is as well, as well as all its counterparts. Certain news sites, blogspot, youtube, and hundreds of others. It's easy to get around this with a VPN but this usually makes surfing quite slow, in a country where the internet is slow enough already.

2. Banking. Wiring money can take up to 3 hours. Even changing money is a pain, and foreigners are only allowed to change $500 per day (The Chinese can change up to $50,000 per day).

3. Taxis. There's a taxi shortage in almost every city, as the government controls how many taxis are on the road. Expect to wait and to fight over taxis in the middle of the street at times.

4. Heating. If you live up north, the government controls what time of the year your heating gets turned on, and you have no control over the temperature.

5. Travel. Want to take the train to Beijing or Shanghai? You cannot purchase tickets until 5 days before you leave, and just hope that they haven't sold out. The only exception to this rule is big holiday periods such as Chinese New Year, when you can purchase them 10 days before.


Oh and yes - I lived in Northeastern China for 2 years. Shanghai and Beijing are definitely the places to be, but even the latter has horrible pollution.[/quote]
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Thanks for the clarification. Personally, none of those issues were all that significant for us. Our school assisted with transferring money to the states and we really didn't need to exchange money all too often (but the few times we did, it wasn't a 3 hour chore).

We had a really nice apartment with good internet (a VPN took care of the Great Firewall) and we never had an issue with not having enough heat. The a/c could have been a bit cooler but it wasn't a big deal except a few days in the summer.

We traveled to Xian by night train and stayed downtown and had a very nice trip. The ticket restrictions were not a big deal.

Taxis were generally not a problem in Beijing. On a rainy Monday it could take an extra 20 minutes or so to get a taxi but it was just an annoyance. Our 2nd year we arranged with a driver to pick us up in the mornings and paid by the week so it was one less thing to worry about.

Anyways, just a different experience.

[quote="PacificSurf313-Kinder"]I have been a single male in 4 different locations.

Thailand - Social life great, low pay, did not save
Amsterdam - Social life great, decent pay but did not save
Dubai - Social life great, good pay, saved a lot
Venezuela - Social life both fun and difficult, high pay, saved a ton[/quote]

How is Dubai a great social life? I ask because when I graduate, I will look at all options. If you need, I can supply an email for discreetness. That Venezuela thing sounds too good to be true, particularly with the economic sabotage resulting in high inflation.