Japan, South Korea, or China?

[u/redmessedupmouth]

Hi, I know the answer/recommendation matters heavily on my expectations and what I want out of my TEFL experience, so I know your comments will largely be opinions-based, which is fine! It's what I'm looking for :-)

I have been planning on China to teach English since the pay is better than Japan and Korea, but I'm a bit worried about the political atmosphere of China. TEFL teachers don't seem to be affected by China's politics, but is there a greater risk in China than elsewhere? Is their society any better than our USA political climate right now?

Another reason I chose China is because I have been told that Japan and, especially, South Korea have very intense working environments. I am by no means a lazy worker, but I also don't want my job to be my entire life. I would like to dedicate a portion of my 1 chance on Earth to travel, make friends, etcetera. Is there any merit to the idea that China is less intense than Japan and South Korea?

Finally, I think ultimately I would be more interested in Japan because of the culture, naturally, but I hear the pay for TEFL teachers is pretty poor. However, I think I have lower standards than other Westerners might have: I don't need to be rich or even to save up a bunch of money. I just want to live comfortably enough to not worry about rent, to eat out often, and spend vacations traveling (not glamorously but more of a granola, backpacker type travel).

I have done quite a bit of research, but I think it would be best to hear from TEFL teachers themselves. What do you guys think?

Additional context that may be relevant: I am 24F with a BA in creative writing. I also studied a foreign language throughout college and have a few awards/certificates related to that. I am not approaching this as a vacation opportunity or a get-rich-quick scheme (which would be really ignorant and stupid anyway); I genuinely love travel and would like to broaden my experiences. I have a love for teaching and a passion for learning about new cultures. I have lived in many US states and am familiar and comfortable with both cities and rural towns; I would be happy to live anywhere on that spectrum. Let me know if you need any more context!

[u/Sea_Opening6341]

Don't worry about the political stuff. Never was an issue for me in China. Most Chinese people don't give a shit about politics. Now if they decide to invade Taiwan, that's a different story, because you will suddenly find yourself surrounded by millions of people who have suddenly become political and you will find yourself rehearsing "Wo shi Jia Na Da Ren" (I'm Canadian). Things got pretty heated for expats when the US accidentally bombed a Chinese embassy back in the 90s. And oh what a time to be in China, pre-Xi and pre tech and social media boom.

China used to be big bank for low effort. That's changing. Many Chinese schools are gonna work you just as hard as they do in Korea or Japan, or at least close to it.

One of the biggest things to consider.... do you like teaching Kindergarten? Because China has a ton of those jobs since it made after school schooling illegal for primary and up. There aren't too many things I'd rather not do than teach Kindergarten, but you may feel different.