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Clockout
Joined: 23 Feb 2009
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 Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2009 8:39 pm Post subject: |
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| Fox wrote: |
| TheUrbanMyth wrote: |
Depends. They will have expenses that most people here don't have. Much higher taxes...something like 40+% taxes in Canada for top end earners. A family and kids. A 20-30 year mortage. A car. I know a family of 4 that makes over $50,000 a year. I still end up with more disposable income then they do.
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Yes, making double means little if you have to spend it all.
In Korea, I eat out very regularly, I buy anything that catches my eye (and utterly binged on video game expenditures in particular), I had laser eye surgery performed, and I've still managed to put away about $1000 a month. And I pathologically avoid doing extra camps and refuse to do privates as well; someone who indulged in either (or both), and lived a bit more frugally than I do could probably easily put away $1300-1500 a month.
Most people in America would have a hard time doing that, even working much harder than I do. |
I never get tired of reading these absurb saving estimates. |
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CA-NA-DA-ABC
Joined: 20 Jun 2006
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| Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2009 8:40 pm Post subject: |
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| the grass is always greener on the other side, isn't it? |
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Julius
Joined: 27 Jul 2006
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| Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2009 8:42 pm Post subject: Re: Don't take teaching in Korea for granted |
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| poeticjustice wrote: |
-Everyone my age who went to university or moved to the city works at a shitty minimum wage job, has practically lost their will to live and aren't nearly as fun to talk to as they had been before I left. It feels like going to the local bar in a coal mining town after the mine was closed. |
What also bugs me is how they also show little curiosity in your international experience or ignore it completely. Either they regard it as too mind-boggling and scary to comprehend, or they view it as wasted time (you could've been paying a mortgage and closing in on a management position in that time!).
So glad I made the break when I was younger. |
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DWAEJIMORIGUKBAP
Joined: 28 May 2009
Location: Electron cloud
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| Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2009 8:46 pm Post subject: |
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I actually understand the quote about not understanding what everyone says around you...
It all depends on your personality... for me when I'm on the way to work, walking to a friend's house or shopping alone I don't want to be innundated by the banalities of other people's lives or be reminded of some of the sadder parts of my culture (they exist here too) such as what happend on Big Brother last night or whatever.
Here's it's much easier to zone out, abstract, and be in your own bubble when you're not with your mates. And if you like that sort of thing, it's cool. |
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poeticjustice
Joined: 28 Feb 2009
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| Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2009 8:49 pm Post subject: Re: Don't take teaching in Korea for granted |
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| Julius wrote: |
| poeticjustice wrote: |
-Everyone my age who went to university or moved to the city works at a shitty minimum wage job, has practically lost their will to live and aren't nearly as fun to talk to as they had been before I left. It feels like going to the local bar in a coal mining town after the mine was closed. |
What also bugs me is how they also show little curiosity in your international experience or ignore it completely. Either they regard it as too mind-boggling and scary to comprehend, or they view it as wasted time (you could've been paying a mortgage and closing in on a management position in that time!).
So glad I made the break when I was younger. |
Exactly.
After they know I was overseas, they don't really care what I was doing or what experiences I had. Not that I'm self-centered, but I was really curious as to why I was more interested in them than they were in me when they've been doing the same job since the time I left and I travelled all over Asia.
The most I get from relatives are:
-South or North Korea?
-I bet the culture sure is different (between the lines: "don't tell me about it, I don't want to know. Other cultures intimidate/bother me.") |
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Clockout
Joined: 23 Feb 2009
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| Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2009 8:49 pm Post subject: Re: Don't take teaching in Korea for granted |
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| Julius wrote: |
| poeticjustice wrote: |
-Everyone my age who went to university or moved to the city works at a shitty minimum wage job, has practically lost their will to live and aren't nearly as fun to talk to as they had been before I left. It feels like going to the local bar in a coal mining town after the mine was closed. |
What also bugs me is how they also show little curiosity in your international experience or ignore it completely. Either they regard it as too mind-boggling and scary to comprehend, or they view it as wasted time (you could've been paying a mortgage and closing in on a management position in that time!).
So glad I made the break when I was younger. |
I wouldn't expect anyone to care about my life in Korea. People that try to force their international experience on their friends when they go home are pretty insufferable. If people ask, that's cool. If not, that's cool too. |
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Fox
Joined: 04 Mar 2009
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| Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2009 8:57 pm Post subject: |
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| Clockout wrote: |
| Fox wrote: |
| TheUrbanMyth wrote: |
Depends. They will have expenses that most people here don't have. Much higher taxes...something like 40+% taxes in Canada for top end earners. A family and kids. A 20-30 year mortage. A car. I know a family of 4 that makes over $50,000 a year. I still end up with more disposable income then they do.
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Yes, making double means little if you have to spend it all.
In Korea, I eat out very regularly, I buy anything that catches my eye (and utterly binged on video game expenditures in particular), I had laser eye surgery performed, and I've still managed to put away about $1000 a month. And I pathologically avoid doing extra camps and refuse to do privates as well; someone who indulged in either (or both), and lived a bit more frugally than I do could probably easily put away $1300-1500 a month.
Most people in America would have a hard time doing that, even working much harder than I do. |
I never get tired of reading these absurb saving estimates. |
It's not an estimate, it's a factual amount.
I've been here one year. At the end of this month, I'll have roughly 15.5 million won in my 농협 account. The currency rate right now is about 1270 won to the dollar. 15.5 million won / 1270 won per dollar / 12 months = $1017 saved a month. And that doesn't take into account pension, which I will get back when I leave Korea, along with the money my employer put in.
And that's going off of the current exchange rate. Because I'm staying for at least 2 more years, I can afford to wait for a more favorable exchange rate before switching to dollars.
Last edited by Fox on Tue Aug 18, 2009 8:59 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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schwa
Joined: 18 Jan 2003
Location: Yap
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| Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2009 8:58 pm Post subject: |
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| hockeyguy109 wrote: |
Understanding what everyone says is a bad thing?
That statement scares the hell out of me. |
I'm with the OP on that point.
Fairly drives me nuts to be privy to every banality spoken within earshot. I can make out enough Korean, if I try, to know that everyday conversation here is as vacuous as it is back home. But if I dont make the effort its just background sound, like birds or cicadas, leaving me to my own uninterrupted thoughts.
Serenity even in a crowd. I appreciate that. |
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Clockout
Joined: 23 Feb 2009
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| Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2009 9:03 pm Post subject: |
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| Fox wrote: |
| Clockout wrote: |
| Fox wrote: |
| TheUrbanMyth wrote: |
Depends. They will have expenses that most people here don't have. Much higher taxes...something like 40+% taxes in Canada for top end earners. A family and kids. A 20-30 year mortage. A car. I know a family of 4 that makes over $50,000 a year. I still end up with more disposable income then they do.
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Yes, making double means little if you have to spend it all.
In Korea, I eat out very regularly, I buy anything that catches my eye (and utterly binged on video game expenditures in particular), I had laser eye surgery performed, and I've still managed to put away about $1000 a month. And I pathologically avoid doing extra camps and refuse to do privates as well; someone who indulged in either (or both), and lived a bit more frugally than I do could probably easily put away $1300-1500 a month.
Most people in America would have a hard time doing that, even working much harder than I do. |
I never get tired of reading these absurb saving estimates. |
It's not an estimate, it's a factual amount.
I've been here one year. At the end of this month, I'll have roughly 15.5 million won in my 농협 account. The currency rate right now is about 1270 won to the dollar. 15.5 million won / 1270 won per dollar / 12 months = $1017 saved a month. And that doesn't take into account pension, which I will get back when I leave Korea, along with the money my employer put in. |
What is your salary if you don't mind?
I'm really impressed if that is all true. Did you have any fun this year? |
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nathanrutledge
Joined: 01 May 2008
Location: Marakesh
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| Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2009 9:10 pm Post subject: |
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It is what you make of it. I just spent 3 weeks in the US and loved every minute of it. I went to Yellowstone with my father, went to the zoo with my mother (which is still as fun as it was when I was 5), and saw my friends. Watching the politics of my city (and the country) bugged me, but so does watching the politics here. I dislike so many things there and here. It's not that the cancel out, its more that I just don't let them bother me any more.
I agree with you about the friends in crap jobs, the fat people, the fact that we can't call them fat, etc, but I'll put up with all of that to sit in the park, breathing clean air and seeing a blue sky. And at the same time, I'll put up with the hazy view and that terrible smell on line 3 at rush hour (why is it only that line???) to have the ability to go out any night of the week and take public transit home.
Long story short, it is what you make of it. |
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E_athlete
Joined: 09 Jun 2009
Location: Korea sparkling
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| Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2009 9:15 pm Post subject: |
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| Fox wrote: |
| Clockout wrote: |
| Fox wrote: |
| TheUrbanMyth wrote: |
Depends. They will have expenses that most people here don't have. Much higher taxes...something like 40+% taxes in Canada for top end earners. A family and kids. A 20-30 year mortage. A car. I know a family of 4 that makes over $50,000 a year. I still end up with more disposable income then they do.
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Yes, making double means little if you have to spend it all.
In Korea, I eat out very regularly, I buy anything that catches my eye (and utterly binged on video game expenditures in particular), I had laser eye surgery performed, and I've still managed to put away about $1000 a month. And I pathologically avoid doing extra camps and refuse to do privates as well; someone who indulged in either (or both), and lived a bit more frugally than I do could probably easily put away $1300-1500 a month.
Most people in America would have a hard time doing that, even working much harder than I do. |
I never get tired of reading these absurb saving estimates. |
It's not an estimate, it's a factual amount.
I've been here one year. At the end of this month, I'll have roughly 15.5 million won in my 농협 account. The currency rate right now is about 1270 won to the dollar. 15.5 million won / 1270 won per dollar / 12 months = $1017 saved a month. And that doesn't take into account pension, which I will get back when I leave Korea, along with the money my employer put in.
And that's going off of the current exchange rate. Because I'm staying for at least 2 more years, I can afford to wait for a more favorable exchange rate before switching to dollars. |
Fox is likely telling the truth. I know another guy that saved 15m in one year. I also plan to save up 15m before I leave this place at the end of the year. |
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Fox
Joined: 04 Mar 2009
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| Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2009 9:21 pm Post subject: |
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| Clockout wrote: |
| Fox wrote: |
| Clockout wrote: |
| Fox wrote: |
| TheUrbanMyth wrote: |
Depends. They will have expenses that most people here don't have. Much higher taxes...something like 40+% taxes in Canada for top end earners. A family and kids. A 20-30 year mortage. A car. I know a family of 4 that makes over $50,000 a year. I still end up with more disposable income then they do.
|
Yes, making double means little if you have to spend it all.
In Korea, I eat out very regularly, I buy anything that catches my eye (and utterly binged on video game expenditures in particular), I had laser eye surgery performed, and I've still managed to put away about $1000 a month. And I pathologically avoid doing extra camps and refuse to do privates as well; someone who indulged in either (or both), and lived a bit more frugally than I do could probably easily put away $1300-1500 a month.
Most people in America would have a hard time doing that, even working much harder than I do. |
I never get tired of reading these absurb saving estimates. |
It's not an estimate, it's a factual amount.
I've been here one year. At the end of this month, I'll have roughly 15.5 million won in my 농협 account. The currency rate right now is about 1270 won to the dollar. 15.5 million won / 1270 won per dollar / 12 months = $1017 saved a month. And that doesn't take into account pension, which I will get back when I leave Korea, along with the money my employer put in. |
What is your salary if you don't mind?
I'm really impressed if that is all true. Did you have any fun this year? |
My salary is only 2.2 million a month, with a yearly bonus of one additional month's salary. I had plenty of fun. It's simply not particularly expensive to have fun in Korea, between everything being so cheap and the fact that Korean friends and co-workers often try to stop you from paying for things.
This year, I plan on saving more, especially since I'll probably forego visiting America with my transportation allowance and pocket it instead (I really like that change in the EPIK contract). |
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princess
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: soul of Asia
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| Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2009 9:24 pm Post subject: |
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| greasypeanut wrote: |
i think it just depends on where u live back in the states. try moving to a nicer area....like southern california  most of the cons u mentioned in ur post dont apply to it. oooo how i miss it, but korea is nice too. |
Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't California an utter wasteland of IOUs now? |
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princess
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: soul of Asia
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| Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2009 9:29 pm Post subject: |
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| nathanrutledge wrote: |
It is what you make of it. I just spent 3 weeks in the US and loved every minute of it. I went to Yellowstone with my father, went to the zoo with my mother (which is still as fun as it was when I was 5), and saw my friends. Watching the politics of my city (and the country) bugged me, but so does watching the politics here. I dislike so many things there and here. It's not that the cancel out, its more that I just don't let them bother me any more.
I agree with you about the friends in crap jobs, the fat people, the fact that we can't call them fat, etc, but I'll put up with all of that to sit in the park, breathing clean air and seeing a blue sky. And at the same time, I'll put up with the hazy view and that terrible smell on line 3 at rush hour (why is it only that line???) to have the ability to go out any night of the week and take public transit home.
Long story short, it is what you make of it. |
As I've been old before, living somewhere and visiting somewhere are totally different. Last year, that is what a jealous coworker here in Korea told me after I got back from one week in Singapore. And another one said, Gosh, Singapore, Singapore, that's all you talk about now. People are jealous and they don't want to hear it, darn it!  |
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OnTheOtherSide
Joined: 29 Feb 2008
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| Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2009 9:43 pm Post subject: |
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Living in the USA is pretty nice.
Working in the USA and trying to pay bills and make rent totally sucks.
The USA is good if you're rich, otherwise, thumbs down.
Working in Korea is living on Easy Street. You just have to avoid falling too far off the deep end. |
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