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ToughDiamond
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07 Jul 2021, 12:36 am

DoniiMann wrote:
I lived in a share house situation for six years. Mostly Goths and Gamers. It made the rent very affordable. I never found out that I was on the spectrum until many years later, and one of the originals who set up that group has found out that he's spectrum more recently than did I.

As I look back on it, I think share housing can suit us very well. We each had our own room, common interests, but plenty of scope to stick to ourselves. Just need to be polite. We had basic rules and routines for bills and washing dishes. A shared common room, but mostly we pursued our own interests in our own rooms.

At one time there were six of us. Rent divided between six can be very affordable.

Yes it can be affordable. Back in the late 1970s in England I lived in a shared house with 4 others, at a rent of £4 each, which was extremely cheap even in those days. It was quite a run-down house, but snug and dry inside apart from the cellar. I got on well with the others, generally speaking, and was very happy there most of the time. Shortly after I left, the landlord passed the house on to a rather more ruthless and clever man who refurbished it and priced the remaining tenants out of the place, but it was good while it lasted, and goes to show that not every home is expensive to live in.



Texasmoneyman300
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07 Jul 2021, 2:38 am

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I'm just tired of the exploitative economic system that keeps me living paycheck-to-paycheck as a practical economic slave. I'm tired of the culture of apathy towards others and "pull yourself up by the bootstraps". I'm tired of the capitalism and commercialism everywhere. I'm tired of the overpriced inadequate healthcare system. And I'm tired of not being able to go to work or shopping without worrying about a random lunatic showing up with a gun. And besides, my whole family lives abroad so I have no attachments or roots here anyway.

I've been thinking about traveling abroad to teach English for years. I got my TESOL certificate all the way back in 2014. But I never mustered the courage to actually do it. There are just too many things that can go wrong.

I have severe depression and anxiety issues, and I'm prone to emotional breakdowns from time to time. In a foreign country, I'd be completely dependent on my employer to maintain my legal residence status. I will not have any kind of disability benefits or protections in that situation, and it won't take long for my employer to terminate our contract once they notice my very noticeable psychological issues. Best case scenario is that they'll let me stay out the duration of my contract but won't renew once it ends. And if I lose my job I'll also lose my visa.

Even worse, finding psychiatric treatment is extremely difficult and unreliable in many countries. If I can find a psychiatrist, there are no laws to prevent them from sharing my medical information with my employer. I need medication to manage my anxiety and depression, but these meds are unavailable or even illegal in many parts of the world.

So as much as I want to escape from this country, I just feel trapped by my mental health problems. And I'm not getting any younger in the meantime.

Do you have any ideas on how to get out of living paycheck to paycheck?I would try to live a minimimalistic lifestyle avoid bad debt and invest in the stock market to change the paycheck to paycheck thing.



Dear_one
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07 Jul 2021, 6:19 am

Texasmoneyman300 wrote:
Do you have any ideas on how to get out of living paycheck to paycheck?I would try to live a minimimalistic lifestyle avoid bad debt and invest in the stock market to change the paycheck to paycheck thing.


Reducing expenses worked very well for me, but I refuse even bank interest, because every dollar invested makes it harder for the average worker to break free. Capitalism is the kiss of death to everything good and fair.



Nades
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07 Jul 2021, 7:08 am

Dear_one wrote:
Texasmoneyman300 wrote:
Do you have any ideas on how to get out of living paycheck to paycheck?I would try to live a minimimalistic lifestyle avoid bad debt and invest in the stock market to change the paycheck to paycheck thing.


Reducing expenses worked very well for me, but I refuse even bank interest, because every dollar invested makes it harder for the average worker to break free. Capitalism is the kiss of death to everything good and fair.


Investment is what employs people.



dorkseid
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07 Jul 2021, 7:09 am

I feel like this thread has been derailed. I started this topic to discuss traveling and working abroad, not shared housing, investing, or living off the grid. I'm really trying to figure this out, so I'd appreciate keeping it on topic. Thanks.



kraftiekortie
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07 Jul 2021, 7:41 am

These might not be "exactly" related to the topic----but there is at least a peripheral relationship. There was no intent to "derail" the thread.

As others are saying, being a teacher of "English as a second language" would probably be very useful in a foreign country----especially one which values English very much. The Chinese, for example, are known to be very keen on practicing their English skills.



ToughDiamond
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07 Jul 2021, 8:01 am

kraftiekortie wrote:
These might not be "exactly" related to the topic----but there is at least a peripheral relationship. There was no intent to "derail" the thread.

Somewhat tangential replies kind of go with the turf with ASD. And at least you got 37 replies. I think my record is 8.



kraftiekortie
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07 Jul 2021, 9:55 am

I don't start too many threads....and when I do start them, I tend to get very few replies.



auntblabby
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07 Jul 2021, 10:12 am

only a few people grok mine.



ToughDiamond
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07 Jul 2021, 11:07 am

And now we're derailing the thread with a tangent about how many replies we get to our threads. I'm going to shut up before I do any more damage.



dorkseid
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07 Jul 2021, 1:21 pm

I don't think anyone ever intends to derail topics. Someone mentions something that is tangential but related, but that starts people off on that tangent. It's perfectly understandable. I'm not upset or anything. I'm just trying to get back on topic. I'm looking for information and advice about relocating and working abroad.

I'm concerned about the mental health awareness and the availability of psychiatric care in other countries. I'm also concerned about social life there.

I'm interested in learning about opportunities in Southeast Asia and Eastern Europe. I know Arabic and I'm open to considering places like Kuwait or UAE, but with many reservations. I've heard that South America doesn't typically pay well enough to keep up on my student loans.

Someone said China is not good for mental health treatment. I'm interested in Japan, but it's very difficult to get there. Almost all of the job posts require applicants to already be in Japan.



Dear_one
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07 Jul 2021, 1:30 pm

I had a friend who really tore up his life to go teach English in Taiwan. He was back in a month due to the air pollution.



kraftiekortie
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07 Jul 2021, 1:45 pm

You're probably right about China, actually. They're not exactly enlightened when it comes to psychiatric conditions.

Kuwait wouldn't be a bad idea----if you could take the summer desert heat. It's a relatively enlightened society.

UAE: similar to Kuwait----but it might be more "money-driven."



Persephone29
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07 Jul 2021, 2:03 pm

I think that sounds like a solid plan. I have a friend teacher friend who moved to Germany to teach English. She left because of Trump and decided to just stay on, it's working well for her.

The current economic system has been good to my family, on both sides. Neither of which were/are well to do, just the average American. I'll stay because Capitalism is what I prefer, but understand and support totally those who do not like it and wish to leave. It's smart to leave something you do not like, or does not work for you.

Best of luck in your travels!!


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dorkseid
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07 Jul 2021, 2:42 pm

Dear_one wrote:
I had a friend who really tore up his life to go teach English in Taiwan. He was back in a month due to the air pollution.


These are the kinds of things I'd like to know beforehand. People often don't think about things like air pollution when talking about living in Asia.

Persephone29 wrote:
I think that sounds like a solid plan. I have a friend teacher friend who moved to Germany to teach English. She left because of Trump and decided to just stay on, it's working well for her.


From what I've heard, it is extremely difficult for Americans to get jobs teaching English in EU countries. EU countries require employers to show that they could not find a qualified EU citizen before they'll grant a work visa to an Americans.



kraftiekortie
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07 Jul 2021, 4:28 pm

I would say that's true for the EU.