In her late 20s, Aleese Lightyear labored in actuality TV manufacturing and lived in New York Metropolis, which she thought was her dream.
“On the top of my profession in New York, I used to be in all probability making $100,000 a yr [and] working eight months out of the yr, which on paper sounds nice, however New York Metropolis is among the world’s most costly cities, in order that $100,000 went extraordinarily quick,” Lightyear tells CNBC Make It.
“I used to be spending all of my cash going out and shopping for garments in order that I might be fashionable and really feel like I used to be dwelling within the ‘Intercourse and the Metropolis’ New York Metropolis dream.”
As her thirtieth birthday approached, Lightyear realized she was nonetheless working 70 to 80 hours per week, however did not have any retirement financial savings. And since she was a freelancer, she did not have advantages or medical health insurance.
Aleese Lightyear left New York Metropolis and moved to Beijing in 2019.
Alesse Lightyear
“I ought to have been saving for these issues. I used to be dwelling examine to examine, which sucked. My previous few years dwelling and dealing in New York Metropolis have been a number of the most irritating years of my life,” she says.
“I got here up with this concept that I needed to go away New York as a result of I used to be bored with working 70 hours per week for ten years. Being in my 20s, I felt like a 50-year-old girl.”
Sooner or later, Lightyear awakened and searched, “How do I generate income and journey the world?” The primary consequence was about instructing English. After talking with a coworker who had taught in South Korea, Lightyear started researching what it will entail to show abroad with no prior expertise.
“I sort of put that on pause as a result of I simply wasn’t certain if that was proper for me. It took me about two years to make the choice that I needed to change into a trainer,” she says. “Google instructed me I simply wanted a TEFL certificates to show English to overseas language learners, so I enrolled.”
Lightyear accomplished a 13-week program to earn her Educating English as a International Language (TEFL) certification, initially setting her sights on South America. She shortly modified course, nevertheless, deciding that if she was going to go away her life in New York behind, she would go so far as potential.
“If I’ll transfer all the way in which internationally, I higher go to the furthest nation that I do know completely nothing about and have a full journey, and China simply appeared like pure journey, enjoyable, pleasure, and nice cash,” Lightyear says.
“I am somebody who has traveled so much however I might by no means been to Asia earlier than, so I did not actually know what to anticipate and to be sincere, my first few days have been simply an enormous blur as a result of there was a lot tradition shock.”
Lightyear spent years working in actuality TV manufacturing in New York.
Alesse Lightyear
Lightyear, 31 on the time, made her official transfer to Beijing, China in 2019 — and she or he hasn’t regarded again. She lived within the Chinese language capital for 4 years earlier than transferring to Chengdu, the place she is a trainer at a college. Lightyear works 18 hours per week, 4 days per week and has a yearly wage of about $30,000 USD.
“$30,000 a yr is poverty in America however in China, I am dwelling giant,” she says.
Her typical work week is fully completely different than it was in New York. In China, she works Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, providing two to a few courses a day. A few of her advantages embody free medical health insurance, a journey stipend, a lease stipend, a flight allowance and two months of paid summer time and winter trip.
Lightyear took a pay reduce when she left her job in Beijing for one in Chengdu. However her life in Beijing had began to really feel too much like her time in NYC, so she has no regrets.
“I did not transfer all the way in which internationally to work as a lot as I did in New York,” she says.
“My present work-life steadiness is a dream. I can have time to take action many various hobbies, to take the time to really be taught the language and to do no matter I would like once I need, and that feels superb. I simply really feel so fortunate and comfortable to have the ability to have a lot time to myself.”
Lightyear says she spends about $75 USD on groceries every month.
Marc Aziz Ressang for CNBC Make It
In Chengdu, Lightyear lives in a pre-furnished three-bedroom, one-bathroom condominium with a balcony and laundry room. Due to the lease stipend she will get, Lightyear solely has to pay $278 a month for her lodging.
Lightyear dietary supplements her earnings as a trainer with content material creation and an lively YouTube channel. Each of these issues enable her to avoid wasting as much as $1,000 a month. It is one thing she was by no means capable of do dwelling within the U.S.
Lightyear dietary supplements her trainer’s wage with content material creation.
Marc Aziz Ressang for CNBC Make It
Now that she’s been dwelling in China for over 5 years, Lightyear says when she visits the U.S., she experiences reverse tradition shock. She’s virtually at all times having to elucidate to pals, household and strangers why her life now’s so a lot better there than it was earlier than.
“For the standard American, there may be loads of confusion and misinformation about what life is actually like in China, however I really feel utterly protected as a lady, as a lady of coloration, being impartial, doing something. I really feel very relaxed on this nation,” she says.
Although she feels comfy in China, Lightyear says that as a result of the nation is so homogeneous, as an individual of coloration she “stands proud like a sore thumb,” and it does hassle her at instances.
“I in all probability can not go an hour being exterior with out somebody pointing at me and saying, in Chinese language, ‘there is a black particular person, look, there is a foreigner,” she says. “If I’ll a touristy spot, the quantity of people that take photographs of me whereas I am not wanting or will ask me to take photographs, then subsequent factor I do know, there is a line of people that wish to take photographs with me.”
Lightyear says her self-confidence has skyrocketed since dwelling in China.
Marc Aziz Ressang for CNBC Make It
Regardless of these uncomfortable moments and the time it is taken to regulate to Chinese language tradition, Lightyear says her self-confidence has skyrocketed.
“I nonetheless face loads of challenges [and] there are such a lot of issues I nonetheless don’t know about, and within the very starting, that was the toughest half,” she says. “You already know the saying that if you may make it in New York, you may make it wherever? Nicely, throw that away and apply it to China. If you may make it in China, you may really make it wherever. I really feel fearless and like there’s nothing I am unable to do.”
Conversions from Chinese language Yuan to USD have been completed utilizing the OANDA conversion price of 1 Chinese language Yuan to 0.14 USD on July 3, 2025. All quantities are rounded to the closest greenback.
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