Hi, i have just finished my certification and am hoping to travel to NE Asia to teach for a year or so.

Problem is i have only been away from UK (my home country) twice, to popular holiday spots in Europe.

I have heard some horror stories about jobs in NE Asia and Culture shock. Can anyone provide me with any advice, am i crazy for wanting to go to this area to teach?

If you worry about the culture shock, then I advice you to teach in Hong Kong (China). Hong Kong was a British colony for more than 100yrs, things in there work bilingually! It is really a place where the West meets the East. The official language in the government is Chinese and English…
Children learn English and Mandarin in school but their own language is actually Cantonese.
Everything in there is in written in both English and Chinese. This includes all the road signs, bus stops, fast food menu... EVERYTHING! If you have a UK driving license, you can exchange a Hong Kong driving license, coz they drive on the same way too. The road signs are exactly the same!
They celebrate western festivals as well as Chinese festivals! But for Christmas, they don't really celebrate in home with family. Instead, they celebrate on particular streets, ie. Super crowded!!!!!!!!!!!
Also, the parents in Hong Kong are spending so much money on their children's education! For example, English, mandarin, maths, music, art and sports!
Children in Hong Kong learn from 8:30 until 3:30 in school then extra lessons (Private) from 3:30 until late night!!!! The parents are desperately wanting their children to be taught by English speaker tutors!!!!!
So English speaker tutor or teacher are always well pay!
If you want to teach adults, then you can make a very good fortune!!
By the way, if you love TV, there are loads of english channels! Including 2 free english channels (Nearly all the programmes shown by these two channels are bought from America.) Also, NO TV LICENSE in Hong Kong!

By the way, I've never heard any horror stories in working in HK. I only heard parents give their children so much pressure on learning especially english! HK is a safe place, extremely rare cases of murders , but cases of commiting to suicides are VERY high!!!!!!! Some newspapers said there are 3 people commiting to suicides every day in HK in average.....

I would avoid Japan for the next year or so. The collapse of NOVA has made ESL jobs here in short supply. The abudance of teachers has also driven down wages at the other ESL schools (employers market). If you want to make money, I would suggest Korea, tho it is the least westernized of the three. Hong Kong is the place to go if you want to experience Asia but your afraid of culture shock. Hope this helps.

There will always be pros and cons to traveling to an Asian country. It is important to know how much money you will be paid, and the cost of living. If you decide to travel to the larger cities, it will be much more expensive.

Unfortunately, everybody reacts differently to exposure to another culture. You cannot base your choice only upon stories you have heard. I would suggest to gather information about those 3 countries and then chose what would be best suited for you. In some cases, people can even face culture shock when they go back home.
I have traveled to Japan in 2008 as well as in 2009. I had a blast. 2 things helped me though: I speak the language (intermediate level at the time) and I know a lot about the japanese culture. I have also looked for places to go to just in case I would feel homesick (parks, restaurants, communities).
My second advice would be to chose a city where you can use English at least a little bit (Seoul, Tokyo, Hong Kong). It would be easier for you to built relationships if you don't speak the local language.
Also, be open! Asians will appreciate you even more if you that you respect and understand how their society works.
If you want to make money, I also agree on the fact that you should avoid Japan for a couple of years. However, I still recommend it.

I lived and worked in Korea for a year and travelled to Japan and China during that time. I found that each culture was quite different from the other, but also similar in many ways. Each culture was also quite different from my own. I didn't find any one culture more interesting, or easier to adjust to, than another. The key is to go there with an open mind, eager to learn about the local customs and traditions. There are some basic guidelines you can follow to avoid the culture shock blues:

* Learn the local language, the rules of social conduct, and history of your host country.
* Admit frankly that these stresses occur; it's not a sign of weakness to admit you feel uncomfortable or confused.
* Recognize that adjusting is hard work; view change as a challenge instead of a threat. Don't expect everything to fall into place immediately.
* Establish a routine as soon as possible. This provides stability when everything else in your life is in a state of flux.
* Make your home a place that is comfortable and reminds you of who you are.
* Develop a hobby.
* Include physical activity into your routine.
* Keep busy.
* Refrain from value judgments at first.
* Pay attention to relationships with family and colleagues.

If you are going in the hopes of saving considerable amounts of money, the average wages in each country should be considered, as well as whether or not contracts typically include airfare and/or housing. Schools in Korea typically do provide both housing and reimbursement of round-trip airfare. These benefits are not always included by employers in Japan. While airfare and housing are often included in Chinese employment contracts, the standard wage, as well as the cost of living, are much lower than in Korea.

You can find more information about living and working in Korea on our website at:http://www.oxfordseminars.com/esl-country-information/countryinfo.php?c=Korea&s=l

You can also see information about Japan at:http://www.oxfordseminars.com/esl-country-information/countryinfo.php?c=Japan&s=l

There is also information about living in China here: http://www.oxfordseminars.com/esl-country-information/countryinfo.php?c=China&s=l

Enjoy your teaching adventure, wherever it may take you!