View previous topic :: View next topic |
Author |
Message |
recessiontime
Joined: 21 Jun 2010 Location: Got avatar privileges nyahahaha
|
Posted: Sun Jan 06, 2013 9:02 pm Post subject: Has moving away from Korea worked out for you? |
|
|
Left Canada, to teach in Korea for about 8 months with EPIK. I didn't quite finish my contract and did a runner, got permanent residency in Australia, and have been making bank ever since.
Despite the recession I've been able to get a good career job. I was wondering if other people have had similar experiences? |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Leon
Joined: 31 May 2010
|
Posted: Sun Jan 06, 2013 9:16 pm Post subject: |
|
|
After Korea I went to Australia. I was also able to get a professional job, but didn't like Australia. Everything closes by 5, everything costs way too much, and there was nothing really interesting about the place. I am back in Korea because I married my korean girl friend and it's easier to get the visa here. I'm working a 6 hour Hagwon job and telecommuting to the Australian job, so it's working out great financially. After this year it's back to America with enough money to not be too concerned about the recession. |
|
Back to top |
|
|
dongjak
Joined: 30 Oct 2010
|
Posted: Mon Jan 07, 2013 12:24 am Post subject: |
|
|
Not to change the subject, but it is difficult for an American to get a working visa to Australia? I'm not qualified for any of the jobs that are on the skilled occupation list. I'd be curious to hear about people's experiences, through PM is fine if you don't want to derail the topic of this thread.
Also, I haven't made it back home but three friends who have left are now working in their field and are happy back in the US. It took them less than a month to line up jobs. |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Leon
Joined: 31 May 2010
|
Posted: Mon Jan 07, 2013 12:32 am Post subject: |
|
|
dongjak wrote: |
Not to change the subject, but it is difficult for an American to get a working visa to Australia? I'm not qualified for any of the jobs that are on the skilled occupation list. I'd be curious to hear about people's experiences, through PM is fine if you don't want to derail the topic of this thread.
Also, I haven't made it back home but three friends who have left are now working in their field and are happy back in the US. It took them less than a month to line up jobs. |
If you're under 30 you can get a working holiday visa, but unless you're lucky, or like picking fruit or other manual work, I wouldn't really recommend it. It's much more expensive than the U.S., and not correspondingly more interesting enough to make it worth it. |
|
Back to top |
|
|
dongjak
Joined: 30 Oct 2010
|
Posted: Mon Jan 07, 2013 12:41 am Post subject: |
|
|
Oh yeah, not the working holiday visa deal, something more professional. But thanks for the info. |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Captain Corea
Joined: 28 Feb 2005 Location: Seoul
|
Posted: Mon Jan 07, 2013 12:45 am Post subject: Re: Has moving away from Korea worked out for you? |
|
|
recessiontime wrote: |
Left Canada, to teach in Korea for about 8 months with EPIK. I didn't quite finish my contract and did a runner, got permanent residency in Australia, and have been making bank ever since.
Despite the recession I've been able to get a good career job. I was wondering if other people have had similar experiences? |
I didn't know Aus had a recession. |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Leon
Joined: 31 May 2010
|
Posted: Mon Jan 07, 2013 12:46 am Post subject: |
|
|
dongjak wrote: |
Oh yeah, not the working holiday visa deal, something more professional. But thanks for the info. |
If you're American, not on the skilled occupation list, than I don't think you really have any options. You could potentially get a company to sponsor you, but unless you have some rare skill or something I don't see why they would. |
|
Back to top |
|
|
recessiontime
Joined: 21 Jun 2010 Location: Got avatar privileges nyahahaha
|
Posted: Mon Jan 07, 2013 3:10 am Post subject: |
|
|
I meant the worldwide recession or global economic downturn. You are right that a recession is pretty non-existant. I will go further and state that I believe the American dream is still alive and well here in Australia. If I had gone back to Canada.... it would of been bad for me. |
|
Back to top |
|
|
maitaidads
Joined: 08 Oct 2012
|
Posted: Mon Jan 07, 2013 7:40 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Left Korea after three years, decided to move to my favorite city, and got an interview while on the road. The job came through (they actually really liked my Korean work experience ::, so I'm working for a massive corporation in the advertising department with good pay, great benefits, and lots of room to move up. Cut out the soju and cigarettes. Miss the kids and women though. |
|
Back to top |
|
|
fosterman
Joined: 16 Nov 2011
|
Posted: Mon Jan 07, 2013 7:49 pm Post subject: |
|
|
why would anyone want to give up working 9 hours in a kindy hakwon with a free 10 pyung apartment?
give that up to go live in another country? NOWAY
you guys must be crazy! this is the best job EVER!! |
|
Back to top |
|
|
earthquakez
Joined: 10 Nov 2010
|
Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2013 1:28 am Post subject: Re: Has moving away from Korea worked out for you? |
|
|
recessiontime wrote: |
Left Canada, to teach in Korea for about 8 months with EPIK. I didn't quite finish my contract and did a runner, got permanent residency in Australia, and have been making bank ever since.
Despite the recession I've been able to get a good career job. I was wondering if other people have had similar experiences? |
Good luck to you for landing a great gig. I lived in Australia for a while and I love it there - easy to move between groups of people and make friends, lack of stuffiness, social mobility, housing you can actually live in with privacy and don't feel like an animal caged in between neighbours that you hear everything going on with, etc.
But damn, the job opportunities for many people there suck. It seemed to be mostly service industry stuff for those who left school w/out going to university, and those who did and had graduated but couldn't get any job they'd actually tried to prepare for. Heaps of jobs like working in the post office seem to be reserved for middle age people and then mostly women.
I'm thinking like in the UK, the unemployment problem is masked by easy access to the welfare system. Australia's is similar and more generous in some ways so it hides the real problem of not many job openings for young/younger people.
Back home I saw much younger people working in the post office, in offices, etc. Australia also globalised by selling its further-higher ed system to international students w/out being too fussy about abilities, but the job opps also seem to have gone for Australians to work in colleges and universities unless they're long established (so many older people, much much fewer younger people except for receptionists) or have contacts.
Do you mind telling us what area you work in and how you got your job? |
|
Back to top |
|
|
earthquakez
Joined: 10 Nov 2010
|
Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2013 1:32 am Post subject: |
|
|
maitaidads wrote: |
Left Korea after three years, decided to move to my favorite city, and got an interview while on the road. The job came through (they actually really liked my Korean work experience ::, so I'm working for a massive corporation in the advertising department with good pay, great benefits, and lots of room to move up. Cut out the soju and cigarettes. Miss the kids and women though. |
Are you American? Again good luck to you for landing a great gig. In the UK Brit employers couldn't give 1 pence about experience working in Korea, my Australian friends tell me it's worse in Australia. Even when they have the background for a job and did it when they lived in their home country. |
|
Back to top |
|
|
FDNY
Joined: 27 Sep 2010
|
Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2013 3:36 am Post subject: |
|
|
I moved back to Boston this year and am doing fine. I studied medicine while I was in Korea and I just got board certified here. I am now a thoracic surgeon in Boston General Hospital. With my hospital salary and private consultations I am making just over US$600,000 a year. I brought my bisexual KGF here with two of her bisexual girlfriends. I got my KGF an apartment and I am renting a loft for her "friends", plus I bought an upscale townhouse for myself. However, I don't know if I will be using the townhouse much. Driving here is also much better. Got a 2014 Dodge Viper that I burn the hell out of every morning with the two bisexual K-gals making out in the passenger seat. So, has it worked out? Yeah, but I miss Korea. |
|
Back to top |
|
|
I'm With You
Joined: 01 Sep 2011
|
Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2013 5:06 am Post subject: |
|
|
recessiontime wrote: |
I meant the worldwide recession or global economic downturn. You are right that a recession is pretty non-existant. I will go further and state that I believe the American dream is still alive and well here in Australia. If I had gone back to Canada.... it would of been bad for me. |
What kind of career did you get established in Australia? How did you get Permanent Residency?
I've read that there are lots of jobs in mining but overall the country is very expensive with high taxation. |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Evanzinho
Joined: 10 Apr 2008 Location: California
|
Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2013 9:30 am Post subject: |
|
|
earthquakez wrote: |
Are you American? Again good luck to you for landing a great gig. In the UK Brit employers couldn't give 1 pence about experience working in Korea, my Australian friends tell me it's worse in Australia. Even when they have the background for a job and did it when they lived in their home country. |
I agree with this, employers here in America don't really care about EFL teaching experience in Korea, although it's not necessarily a detriment either.
A lot of positive experiences mentioned on this thread, but kind of short on specifics.
Also, I'm surprised there's not more entreprenuership mentioned on here. Didn't anyone come back from Korea with enough money to work for themselves, or start a business? |
|
Back to top |
|
|
|