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Michael Allan Charles

Where to Teach, Where to Teach?

5/27/2016

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 The purpose of the above slides are to give some colour to Asia and to emphasize one thing....kids are kids. You cannot go wrong teaching anywhere in South East Asia because you will enjoy the classroom work and the children very much. You will have to make your decision about where you want to teach based on criteria like cost of living, what you like to do on weekends, type of accommodation, infrastructure and ease of getting from one place to the next, transportation and so on. Since I have worked all over South East Asia either as a principal or a consultant, I think I can answer most of your questions. If I do not answer any question in this blog, please write and ask. I do appreciate the comments and letters very much and I am very appreciative of those who already  bought and read my novel It All Started in Mandalay to get some insight into what is it really like to work in Asia. If you have not read the book you really should!

Cost of Living
The most expensive place to live is probably Singapore and the cheapest Cambodia, but that is like comparing apples to oranges. They call Singapore "Asia Light" because if you are just starting out a teaching career in Asia and you do not want much of a change from what you are used to, Singapore is not a bad place to be. You will get the most money for teaching, but beware that it will cost you the most money to live.What you want to do is figure out how many minutes or hours you have to teach to buy whatever it is you like to eat or drink, like a bottle of beer or a nice juicy red tomato. That is, essentially, what we call cost of living. Note that if you are paying more than 25% of your net salary on accommodation, you know you are living in a place with a high cost of living. When I say net salary, be sure to know whether the school pays your taxes or you do. t could mean a lot of money in your pocket if you get or can negotiate the right answer. 

Cambodia is a developing country, so although you will make a relatively small amount of money in salary, it will probably be tax free and I doubt you will pay taxes. The school usually takes care of this in their own way and it is their business how they want to handle it. However, if you are looking for fancy shopping and air conditioned buses, give Cambodia a miss. Personally, I really dislike the air conditioned buses in Singapore because they were way too cold and whenever you walked passed a department store on Orchard Road I was always caught with a blast of cold air which I hated. However, when you are searching for an air conditioned restaurant in Phnom Penh, you might appreciate that blast of cold air. 

If you live in a main centre in China, like Beijing or Shanghai, it will cost you dearly for accommodation, as will Bangkok or Ho Chi Minh, but if you choose to live in a rural area, you will make less money but your money will go a lot further. If fact, you will live so cheaply you will for sure bring money home or at least have lots to spend on week-ends for travel. 

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Travel
Of course you are not going to South East Asia to stay in one place and prepare lessons every weekend. You want to get out and see the country and a lot of that will take place on a plane, unless, of course, you live in China where there are 300 kilometer an hour trains that are so much faster to use that airports. 

However, if you do want to travel a lot, live in a place like Bangkok or Kuala Lumpur  as opposed to Phnom Penh or Hanoi, because Bangkok is an airline hub like Chicago or Atlanta and it is easy to get a plane to anywhere. If you live somewhere like Mandalay in Myanmar you will always be taking a bus to somewhere to get a plane to somewhere else before you can even begin to think about where you want to really go. 

Talking about buses, there are some really great buses like Phnom Penh to Ho Chi Minh ( as long as you use the right bus line) but there are also some really awful routes you should be aware of that will seem like the longest ride of your life. Most of the travel in South East Asia is by bus and you will be very happy when you pay for you ticket. No matter where you live, the cost will delight you since it will be so cheap. 


Renting a car is probably out of the question. I rented an old clunker in Phuket and the first day I hit another car parked on the side of the road. You know, when you are used to travelling on one side of the road and suddenly drive on the other side, it is very hard to judge distances. Most teachers buy or rent a motor-scooter but since I have not done that I have very little to say about it. All I can comment on is my observations on Monday mornings when teachers come limping into school with broken ankles and other assorted pieces of bandage attached to different parts of their bodies. 

I think I will do more of this "comparison shopping" in my next blog. This is probably enough now to get you thinking and I will add more in the next few daysl

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How Do you Choose a School?

12/4/2015

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If you look at the sites I keep telling you about, you will notice that there are now hundreds of jobs offered. There are also many job fairs you can attend so the sky is the limit, but how do you decide when you have so many choices?
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This seems to be the obvious one, but be careful. You can be easily fooled. If you are getting a lot of money at a very professional school, there are reasons for it. It is either because of the location of the school where too many expats do not want to go, or a "snobbish" school where there will be tremendous pressure to perform. 

There is noting wrong with pressure to perform, that is for sure. But do you want parents and administrators bugging you all of the time to raise grades and so on?
You can also be fooled by the salary. For example, Singapore pays tremendous salaries, but be advised that they are in Singapore dollars which is not the equivalent of USD. Also be very aware of the cost of living. As I wrote in an earlier post, how much money are you going to have to pay for a tomato vis-vis your salary in Singapore or wherever versus your home country. How many hours do you have to work for that tomato or case of beer or whatever product or service you wish to buy?

Or, to put it another way, how much money are you going to be left with in your pocket at the end of the day after you pay for your rent and food? You will be surprise how far something like $2,000 USD a month  goes in places like Cambodia or Vietnam!

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Do you want to make a lot of money and benefits and be one of the fish in a large school of over a 1000 students, or do you want to be the big fish in the pond? It really depends on your personality, but for myself, I prefer to be the big fish! I have started a lot of small schools that became big, in large part, because of me. When you start a school you do not make much money because the owners cannot afford it, but you have tremendous satisfaction seeing the school grow and prosper thanks in large part to your gifts as a teacher. Small money but great experience because you will have to do so much but the rewards, in my opinion, are great. 

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Where do you want to live? Do you want sand and surf? Go to someplace like Phuket Thailand. Do you want temples and tranquility? Go to some place like Myanmar where you might not get the conveniences of home, but home will never be like Myanmar. Talking about Myanmar, why not buy my book, IT ALL STARTED IN MANDALAY and read what teaching in Myanmar is really like. If youenjoy hustle and bustle, choose a country like Vietnam which is fast growing and making huge economic strides. Just have a look at TIEONLINE and JOYJOBS and see how much choice you really have.

If you have the choice of a few places to go but you are not sure which school or country to choose, read some of my blog comments on each country or just write me here and ask and I promise you I will give you the costs and benefits of each country so you can go prepared. 

​Good luck with your choices. The world is truly your oyster!
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Second Edition of It All Started in Mandalay

7/7/2015

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I was in Asia Books at the Terminal 21 Mall in Bangkok last week holding my book.This is the biggest and newest mall in Bangkok and this is the biggest book store in Bangkok so it was quite a thrill.  Too bad there was no one there to take a picture and since I just have a stupid phone the picture I cold have taken will just remain in my head. I got quite a charge of holding the hardback edition of something I actually wrote.  If you read this blog regularly  you will know that a second edition of It all Started in Mandalay is now out . It is much better because I added thirty pages of dialogue which gives more insight into the characters.


I really appreciate all of the wonderful comments you have made which makes me feel so rewarded.  I am now back in Canada on holiday and  If there are Torontonians reading this, I just ordered some books I will keep in the trunk of my car to be delivered to your home, especially if you live near a golf course. I would also love to come and talk to your book club or reading group. Teachers seem to love the book the best because of my references to international teaching and education but I have received lots of kind notes from other who are not teachers.
There is no country in the world that is like Myanmar as you can see from all of these pictures. . The people, the sounds, the culture, the scenes. If you have not traveled to Myanmar yet you owe it to yourself to go there and see for yourself. But if you can't go there for whatever reason, at least read my book and get a little flavour of what you might see, hear and feel. 
You can buy the book at Asia books in you live in Asia but if you live elsewhere you can certainly order on line with any of your favourite book sellers or go directly to Friesen Press by pressing the button on the right. 


Happy reading
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Book Review

2/17/2015

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Book Review
It All Started in Mandalay

I just wish I had read it before I spent several ex-patriate years in West Africa!


In addition to recommending it to members of the teaching profession working abroad, I would like to say that  Michael Allan Charles' book, "It All Started in Mandalay," should be  read by anyone  about to lead an ex-pat existence.

This book shows, in a delightful way, how  navigating the intricacies of a foreign culture as a temporary or long-term resident is a major factor in ensuring subsequent happiness/minimising misfortune. 

Michael's observational skills are matched only by his ability to recount what he has seen and understood so well.


You can read this review and others on Amazon and I thank you Gideon for writing this. Hey, why not read the book for yourself and tell me and other readers what you think! You can get the book at Amazon, Kobo, Friesen Press etc. so you have no excuse  not to read it and by reading it you will make my day and hopefully yours!

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If you live in Asia you can buy the book at Asiabooks.
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Can Paul ever find happiness?

10/14/2014

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There were about 400 guests at the Chinese Wedding in Mandalay
 and Caleb and Paul were literally sitting at the head table as honoured guests. Paul felt like there were 800 eyes watching him. He felt conspicuous at the best of times, and this was hardly one of those!
Everyone but the dog was getting toasted, and Paul was getting
drunker by the minute. Somehow Caleb did not seem to be affected,
but Paul was in danger of embarrassing himself once again. Everyone
had a small bowl put in front of them and when the different courses
came out, the guests simply put the food into the bowl, ate that
course, then used the same bowl all night for subsequent courses.
Paul was not that hungry, especially seeing eyeballs and all of the
other “delicacies” he considered inedible. As the honoured guest, he
was given the greatest delicacies of all, which were placed in his bowl
even before any of the elders, such as the father of the bride, were
served. He felt that everyone was watching him eat.
He was sure he was not supposed to eat the bones, but the bowl
was incredibly small and the portions just kept coming and coming.
He had no idea what he was supposed to do with the damn bones,
and getting drunker and drunker he was having a difficult time figuring
it out. Finally, he just started to throw the bones  underneath the table
and hope no one saw him!

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Paul, an American, came to Mandalay at the age of forty to find a woman. He was told by a friend of his that all Myanmar women were gorgeous, which turned out to be true, but unbeknownst to him, his friend was gay and  obviously never tried to take any woman out.  Paul ended up teaching with Ha Thuy and Rosa in Mandalay but never went out with a Myanmar woman since no self respecting woman would ever consider going out with a stranger their family had not known for generations, Would Paul ever find a woman and would his affinity for alcohol keep him alive long enough to marry one if he was lucky enough to find one?

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If you want to find out if Paul ever met any woman, or one woman in particular, I am afraid you are going to have to buy the book and read the story. Please write and let me know how you enjoyed the story and especially the character Paul who many find to be the most sympathetic character simply because he was so pathetic!

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Getting a Job in Myanmar

9/19/2014

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I worked for this wonderful man named Argus Ang in Myanmar. He runs two international schools in Myanmar, one in Mandalay and one in Yangon and a number of language centres throughout south east Asia. If you are a certified teacher, apply for a job at one of the international schools and if not certified you can work in one of his language schools. To find out more go to the RVi website at http://www.rvcentre.com.sg/index.html and press under the academy button to read about the schools. I did some work in both and you will be amazed working with Myanmar kids. 
To apply for a job go to http://www.rvcentre.com.sg/career.html and tell them "Michael sent you"   I spoke with Argus and he is looking forward to hearing from you. He hires a number of teachers and English speaking teachers are always welcomed. 
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The Back Story

9/11/2014

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Have you ever had a yen to ride an elephant in Chang Mai Thailand or visit an ancient Temple in Myanmar on a Sunday afternoon? As a principal and consultant living and working in Asia in the past eight years I have worked in most countries in South-East Asia and I can assure you it is the most fun you can have with your clothes on. 

It is a great opportunity for retired teachers who are not ready to really "retire" or teachers just graduated who are having a hard time getting into the job market in their home countries. There are literally thousands of job overseas and in the next few postings I plan to share stories with you that are not already in my book "It All Started In Mandalay" to share with you how much fun it can be. 

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I also want readers to write in with their own stories which will enrich this blog. I also hope to become a market place for schools to advertise jobs and for teachers to find jobs. We can also give you advice as to which situations might be better for you if you are just entering the teaching field. I will tell you a little about myself in the next blog post. 

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    Michael Allan Charles is the first time author of It All Started In Mandalay

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