Job Discussion Forums

[jibbs]

I'm not the most qualified to respond due to my short amount of time here so far, but it seems to me many or most people are finding work within a week of trying, that is visting schools. At least the few people I've talked to, who came here within the past 2-3 months, seemed to have found work quickly. Not sure they are finding great jobs, but at least there are a few jobs to be had. Lots of part-time and lots of teacher turnover no doubt keeps a pretty steady flow of work available for the sincere job seeker. Of course finding just 8-12 hours a week at a given school doesn't really cut it, so that makes the search a bit more involved, as many places have the same schedules, especially that evening time between 5 and 9. You may need to do mornings and evenings. Afternoons seem hard to come by. Then again i haven't done that much actual searching. This is just my impression, which could be a bit off base.

I'd be curious to know how many people are working at 2 or 3 or even more places; how many are doing private tutoring; and how many are working 6 or even 7 days a week; and what the averages of these things and numbers of hours are. Guess not an easy set of questions to answer.

[Dr Disco]

I have been in Korea for about 5 months now, and so far so good. I've managed to pay off a few bills, eliminate my credit card debt, travel within the country, and I just got back from Cambodia. I've also reserved a flight to HCMC for the Lunar New year and to Japan for Christmas. None of this could have been accomplished without taking the job in Korea, as I was broke when I arrived.

As it is now, I seem to be able to send back about 1/2 of what I make each month. I'm a bit introverted, so I don't go out on the town often, and that saves money. I also eat at home a lot and am studying the language. The only thing that I've spent a lot of cash on here has been traveling. Korea is a good place to come and save some money (for the most part). On the flipside it seems insanely nationalistic and xenephobic (as another poster pointed out). It also seems to have a lot of the conservative attributes of western society, which I don't find altogether appealing. The weather is starting to change, and I've been told that the heating system where I work is %#*@.

I only have 7 months to go in my contract, and I'm hoping to save up enough cash so that I can go find work in SE Asia and live there for a while. As much as I like Korea, I find that a lot of my co-workers (myself included) spend a lot of our time planning our next getaway. As another poster pointed out, I don't think a lot of teachers in SE Asia do that....or am I wrong?

[SOULTRAVELLER]

Gordon's picture is of Lake Louise in the Rocky mountains, near Calgary Alberta, Canada. If you're ever in the area, definately go because it's one of the most beautiful places on Earth. There is also a killer ski hill there.