One of my goals in life is to become what PlayerSupreme refers to as a “Real Man.” It is my objective to not have to take orders from a corporate hierarchy, to not have to rely on others (at least not in the since of a job) to support my life. Working under others, jumping when they say jump, and being spoken down to by others is emasculating. Add the recent wave of humidity here in Guangzhou and I just want to hit the gym, then go back home with the air conditioner on for the whole day.
Of course, I cannot realistically stay home when I want to since I rely on a job to pay the bills, to eat, and even to stay in China legally. While I am indeed grateful for my comparatively lofty position, one can see how employment is a distant kin of slavery, and how drudging in the employ of others can be emasculating.
Despite these complaints, teaching in Asia is one step towards becoming the Real Man that I want to be. Financial security is an important aspect of manhood and can be a boon in entrepreneurship. Looking over my financial records, while I made more monthly in America, I spent much more when it came to utilities, rent, and day-to-day living. Taxes also took a big chunk out of my money.
Tax is something that I have failed to escape here in the Far East, especially given that my real estate agent somehow cannot get my fapiao to me, but even then, I am able to save much more each pay period. Since I am living overseas for most of the year, I will not have to pay taxes to the IRS provided that I make under 100,000-some USD. Making the deal even sweeter, I was able to write off my plane ticket as a moving expense for work. Reducing my taxes alone has allowed me to save a substantial amount of money.
When I left the United States of America, I was dealing with quite a bit of debt due to failed business endeavors (mainly the foolhardy decision to join an insurance pyramid scheme, or “multi-level marketing” company). Had I stayed, I probably would have been a slave to debt until the third quarter, but living frugally in China, I have been able to pay off all of my debt within the first quarter of the year. Now, I can focus on building income and making (hopefully more calculated) investments in financial markets and business endeavors.
As you can see, living abroad can allow you to lift financial burdens from your life while still building an income and stacking savings. If you can manage to set aside a little bit of money to make the jump overseas, you might want to give it a try. Teaching in a foreign country can help us to improve our finances while seeing the world, and hopefully building a side hustle as well!