At just 30 years old, Aleese Lightyear walked away from a high-paying career in reality TV production to pursue a completely different path: teaching English as a second language in China.
Despite earning approximately $100,000 annually — but only working eight months out of the year — Lightyear found herself struggling financially. “I was living paycheck to paycheck, which was incredibly frustrating,” she shares with CNBC Make It. “The last few years I spent in New York City were among the most stressful of my life.”
Working grueling 70-hour weeks for nearly a decade had taken its toll. “In my 20s, I felt like I was aging rapidly — like I was already 50,” she recalls. “I was exhausted and knew I needed a change.”
That change began with a simple online search. Typing “How do I make money and travel the world?” into Google, Lightyear stumbled upon a top search result about teaching English abroad. Intrigued, she reached out to a colleague who had previously taught in South Korea and began researching how she could teach overseas — even without any prior experience.
For the remainder of that year, she took on various freelance gigs to make ends meet. However, working as a freelancer meant she had no access to benefits, retirement savings, or health insurance. “On the surface, making six figures sounds amazing,” she says, “but New York City is one of the most expensive places in the world. That $100,000 disappeared quickly. I wasn’t putting anything aside for savings, retirement, or insurance. Living paycheck to paycheck was awful — truly one of the hardest phases of my life.”
Her desire for a fresh start eventually led her to Chengdu, China. There, she now lives in a fully furnished three-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment that comes with a balcony and in-unit laundry. Thanks to a rental stipend, her monthly housing cost is just $278.
Her other monthly expenses are equally modest: around 75 for groceries; 150 for dining out. That brings her total monthly spending to about $568, not including water and gas — which her landlord generously prepaid before she moved in.
In addition to teaching, Lightyear has built a side hustle as a content creator with an active YouTube channel. This extra income enables her to save up to $1,000 each month.
“While I haven’t saved enough to buy a home in the U.S. yet, I’ve managed to put a significant dent in my student loans,” she says. “I’m also hopeful that I can eventually buy a small beach house in Mexico. Fingers crossed!”
Recently, Lightyear renewed her lease in Chengdu and plans to stay for at least another year. The 35-year-old, who originally hails from Michigan, intends to return home after that — though she’s still unsure where she’ll ultimately settle.
Though she feels ready to leave China, she admits she’s uncertain if any other country could offer the same level of excitement and personal growth. “China is probably the most challenging place to live and travel as a non-native,” she reflects. “So I know that moving anywhere else will likely feel easier — but I worry that it might also feel… boring. Here, I’m challenged every single day. In another country, I suspect those challenges wouldn’t last long.”
