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Korean Job Discussion Forums "The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Teachers from Around the World!"
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FDNY
Joined: 27 Sep 2010
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Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2012 9:01 pm Post subject: |
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As a foreigner it is really subjective to say you are "successful" here. It is not very difficult to have more money and a better lifestyle than your average Joe Blow Korean. However, compare your life to many, many people in western countries who have a yard, detached house, boat, scenery, clean air, job perks, maternity leave, flex hours, personal days, parks, uncrowded beaches, hiking, mountains, canoes, summer camps, etc., etc., etc.
The MOST you can hope for here is that you can save enough for a concrete box and maybe have enough money when you are old to live on. Just maybe you may have some friends who have not left and hopefully you live near civilization so you can have a glass of decent beer and a natter before you are invalided and never get out. The above is of course only possible if you NEVER get seriously sick or have an accident where you can't work. If you do. Game over. You're finished. |
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PRagic
Joined: 24 Feb 2006
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Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2012 9:30 pm Post subject: |
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Without an abrupt sideline to this thread, you'll really want to seriously consider 'retiring' with only 500K, even in S.E. Asia. Don't forget that as you get older, you can get walluped with medical expenses. Sure, you can buy insurance, but don't expect it to cover the lot. And inflation can swing hard against you if you have a flatlined income in a developing country.
And someone on the board said that they were saving somewhere like Vietnam given the extremely high interest rates? Be VERY careful. Those rates are for local currencies, and you don't have total reconvertablility should you then want to move your money OUT of the country later. For foreign funds, the rates are on par with the rest of the world. Just got back from there. You can get around it, much as those on mainland China get around their currency controls (or Koreans for that matter, too!). Just sayin...be careful.
Now, back to the 'successful' theme. Feel the love.... |
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No_hite_pls
Joined: 05 Mar 2007 Location: Don't hate me because I'm right
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Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2012 9:38 pm Post subject: |
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FDNY wrote: |
As a foreigner it is really subjective to say you are "successful" here. It is not very difficult to have more money and a better lifestyle than your average Joe Blow Korean. However, compare your life to many, many people in western countries who have a yard, detached house, oabt, scenery, clean air, job perks, maternity leave, flex hours, personal days, parks, uncrowded beaches, hiking, mountains, canoes, summer camps, etc., etc., etc.
The MOST you can hope for here is that you can save enough for a concrete box and maybe have enough money when you are old to live on. Just maybe you may have some friends who have not left and hopefully you live near civilization so you can have a glass of decent beer and a natter before you are invalided and never get out. The above is of course only possible if you NEVER get seriously sick or have an accident where you can't work. If you do. Game over. You're finished. |
While there is some truth to your post, but for most part it is spin and truly ethno-centric. Here is the negatives of living back home;
having yard cutting it every weekend, a yard is pain in the arse to many many people and a financial drain
detached house if have a detached house You will have to drive everywhere,
scenery This truly subjective, where I live it's truly beautiful to me
clean air There are places in Korea where you have a have clean air but for the most part the west is much cleaner (your're right for the most part about this one)
boat Why can't you have boat here? Anyway I don't like boats so not having one is not a problem
job perks some of us have great job perks
maternity leave My wife's maternity is better here than in America. I know that doesn't say much
flex hours many jobs here offer this too
hiking, mountains, have you ever been to Korea? or left Seoul? The hiking here is superb to me and I lived in B.C.
parks there are parks here too, not as nice as the US's national parks though IMO but better than ones in many other countries
uncrowded beaches buy a car and you'll find beautiful uncrowded beaches here in Korea
Last edited by No_hite_pls on Thu Nov 01, 2012 4:46 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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FDNY
Joined: 27 Sep 2010
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Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2012 9:58 pm Post subject: |
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No_hite_pls wrote: |
While there is some truth to your post, for most part it is spin and truly ethno-centric. Here is the negatives of living back home;
having yard cutting it every weekend, a yard is pain in arse to many many people and a financial drain
detached house if have a detached house You will have to drive everywhere,
scenery This truly subjective, where I live it's truly beautiful to me
clean air There are places in Korea where you have a have clean air but for the most part the west is much cleaner (your're right for the most part about this one)
boat Why can't you have boat here? Anyway I don't boats so not having is not problem
job perks some of us have great job perks
maternity leave My wife's maternity is better here than in America. I know that doesn't say much
flex hours many jobs here offer this too
hiking, mountains, have you ever been to Korea? or left Seoul? The hiking here is superb to me and I lived in B.C.
parks there are parks here too, not as nice as the US's national parks though IMO
uncrowded beaches buy a car and you'll find beautiful uncrowded beaches here in Korea |
Maybe I'm remembering things with rose colored glasses. That is definitely possible. I'm also from BC. You must be joking about the hiking right? You ever been to the Queen Charlottes, Long Beach or Cape Scott? Also I don't know where you live in Korea, but every morning I'm greeted with spit, pollution, puke and garbage. (For people who are so hysterically nationalistic, they sure treat their country badly.) If you live in the country, where it may be cleaner, then you are foregoing women, decent bars and shopping. You have flex hours with teaching? That must be interesting.
Like I said before. Everything is subjective. It just seems like Korea has some physical barriers to being a great place to live. Foremost being a super high population density and small size. My wife and I do make good money here, close to 10M combined, but it doesn't seem to go very far. If I was in BC making money like that I would be in my sailboat with a BIG bag of weed, a cooller full of beer and all female crew. |
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Who's Your Daddy?
Joined: 30 May 2010 Location: Victoria, Canada.
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Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2012 10:21 pm Post subject: |
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I'm from BC and I'll agree with FDNY (who I figured was from New York?).
In Korea I'm successful, upper middle class. I own my apartment, have a car, money in the bank, saving a lot. But I would say I have a lower quality of life than a middle class person in Canada. I save a lot of money here because I work a lot, my wage rates are pretty stagnant. Also I save a lot because there isn't much I want to do here.
And if I consider my net worth, and sell everything here and move home I'd be middle class. I wouldn't be as high in society, or considered a success back home, but my quality of life would be better.
So the baseline here is lower than back home of what is a success, and you could have an equal quality of life back home without being a success there. |
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Unposter
Joined: 04 Jun 2006
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Posted: Thu Nov 01, 2012 1:56 am Post subject: |
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I am not into the spitting contest but I just want to comment on the quality of life. The quality of life here can be real good depending on where you live and the access to information you have. There are plenty of beautiful places to go to and plenty of things to do if you know where to go. In the last couple of weeks, I have seen an amazing international fireworks show, been on a cruise of the Han River with buffet, seen a pretty good magic show, gone to an amusement park, eaten some fantastic meals and been hiking on a mountain with great scenery- and that is just the last couple of weeks.
I also don't think of my quality of life as limited to being in Korea. I find ways to get out of the country and see things and do things that my friends back home only dream about.
Now, I do understand, when I first came to Korea many moons ago, I felt deprived here. But, now that I know my way around better,have better access to information, and I have seen some amazing improvements in Korea, I have come to realize that Korea has a lot to offer and it is only going to get better in the future. I'm from the U.S., and to be honest, I am a lot more positive about the future of Korea than I do the U.S., but that is just my opinion. |
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Lazio
Joined: 15 Dec 2010
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Posted: Thu Nov 01, 2012 2:31 am Post subject: |
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PRagic wrote: |
Without an abrupt sideline to this thread, you'll really want to seriously consider 'retiring' with only 500K, even in S.E. Asia. Don't forget that as you get older, you can get walluped with medical expenses. Sure, you can buy insurance, but don't expect it to cover the lot. And inflation can swing hard against you if you have a flatlined income in a developing country. |
Healthcare is free. I�m aiming a bit higher than 500K but that could already do comfortably. A little more (still under 1 million) and I can live in somewhat luxury for the rest of my life. |
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methdxman
Joined: 14 Sep 2010
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Posted: Thu Nov 01, 2012 4:54 am Post subject: |
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Success should be defined as being happy. Happiness is probably the hardest thing to achieve in life.
Being happy can be anything... taking pleasure in the simple things of life, not worrying about the future, being healthy, being loved, loving, being content with what you have, etc. In the end no amount of money will make you truly happy.
I earn more than 130 million in KR, but I can't say I've been necessarily happy here.
For the teachers out there, live life to the fullest. Your experience abroad in KR has probably opened more doors (professional and personal) than you can probably imagine. |
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PatrickGHBusan
Joined: 24 Jun 2008 Location: Busan (1997-2008) Canada 2008 -
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Posted: Thu Nov 01, 2012 6:45 am Post subject: |
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Quote: |
I earn more than 130 million in KR |
Per year?
Per month? (works out to roughly 10.8M Won per month)
Since you arrived there and over a number of years? |
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Moondoggy
Joined: 07 Jun 2011
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wishfullthinkng
Joined: 05 Mar 2010
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Posted: Thu Nov 01, 2012 6:26 pm Post subject: |
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lol. this is a classic case of strange annoying guy making it in another country because he couldn't at home. i've seen this guy out and about and seen his crappy videos he makes. a true poster child for the shorts and sandal awkward foreigner crowd. |
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Captain Corea
Joined: 28 Feb 2005 Location: Seoul
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Posted: Thu Nov 01, 2012 7:02 pm Post subject: |
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wishfullthinkng wrote: |
lol. this is a classic case of strange annoying guy making it in another country because he couldn't at home. i've seen this guy out and about and seen his crappy videos he makes. a true poster child for the shorts and sandal awkward foreigner crowd. |
I was about to say "hey, now, maybe the guy really loves.."
But then I saw the socks and sandals comment... and it sunk in. |
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Underwaterbob
Joined: 08 Jan 2005 Location: In Cognito
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Posted: Thu Nov 01, 2012 8:01 pm Post subject: |
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I'm happy doing what I'm doing. That's success to me. |
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FDNY
Joined: 27 Sep 2010
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Moondoggy
Joined: 07 Jun 2011
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Posted: Thu Nov 01, 2012 9:50 pm Post subject: |
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wishfullthinkng wrote: |
lol. this is a classic case of strange annoying guy making it in another country because he couldn't at home. i've seen this guy out and about and seen his crappy videos he makes. a true poster child for the shorts and sandal awkward foreigner crowd. |
right, this guy may be just another circus monkey seeking publicity in an asian country.
@FDNY ->
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ks.html |
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