Korean Job Discussion Forums

[FDNY]

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.

[PRagic]

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....

[No_hite_pls]

[FDNY]

[Who's Your Daddy?]

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.

[Unposter]

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.

[Lazio]

[methdxman]

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.

[PatrickGHBusan]

[Moondoggy]

Highly successful American ESL teacher in Korea. Michael A.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAv7fePH1GU&feature=plcp

[wishfullthinkng]

[Captain Corea]

[Underwaterbob]

I'm happy doing what I'm doing. That's success to me.

[FDNY]

If you are looking for success and happiness, Korea is not the best place to be.

http://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org/countries/korea/

[Moondoggy]