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Korean Job Discussion Forums
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NilesQ
Joined: 27 Nov 2006
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 Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2013 6:52 am Post subject: |
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We seem to be seeing a theme here; move back to a place with a hot economy and get into a high demand job = relative financial success upon return.
If I couldn't get a decent job/career in my hometown before I went to Korea (the reason many, not all, of us come to Korea), then why would I think that after X years of being away from that place, having done a job that doesn't provide directly marketable experience to most employers that I'd be any better off job wise upon my return? |
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Evanzinho
Joined: 10 Apr 2008
Location: California
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| Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2013 9:14 am Post subject: |
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| NilesQ wrote: |
If I couldn't get a decent job/career in my hometown before I went to Korea (the reason many, not all, of us come to Korea), then why would I think that after X years of being away from that place, having done a job that doesn't provide directly marketable experience to most employers that I'd be any better off job wise upon my return? |
Good point. That is why I asked on the first page about entreprenuership and if anyone had started their own business after coming back from Korea.
Teaching in Korea gives us an oppotunity, if one has discipline, to save an extraordinary amount of money; I saved a little over $20k just in my last year there, and that was without doing privates. Yet, people on here seem to be coming back home to regular office jobs in the corporate world.
If I wanted to do something like that, I would have just gotten an entry-level office job right out of college and then worked my way on up. You don't need to spend time overseas if all you want to be is an office drone. |
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silkhighway
Joined: 24 Oct 2010
Location: Canada
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| Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2013 3:10 pm Post subject: |
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Not to be a Debbie Downer, but 20K is not a lot of money anymore. Unless you have connections or people you can rely on, it will probably cost you at least 5-10K just to get set up with the bare minimum when you move back.
If you're looking for a theme of people who went home and didn't return to Korea, it would be persistence. It's easy to go back to living in a bubble in Korea where you can put off reality. |
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Evanzinho
Joined: 10 Apr 2008
Location: California
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| Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2013 4:11 pm Post subject: |
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| silkhighway wrote: |
| Not to be a Debbie Downer, but 20K is not a lot of money anymore. |
I agree completely, that's why I stayed in Korea for three years. |
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northway
Joined: 05 Jul 2010
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| Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2013 5:24 pm Post subject: |
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| silkhighway wrote: |
Not to be a Debbie Downer, but 20K is not a lot of money anymore. Unless you have connections or people you can rely on, it will probably cost you at least 5-10K just to get set up with the bare minimum when you move back.
If you're looking for a theme of people who went home and didn't return to Korea, it would be persistence. It's easy to go back to living in a bubble in Korea where you can put off reality. |
I was lucky enough to have both people to rely on and one excellent connection, but the latter part of your post is still very true. I do miss teaching, as it was a lot more fun than my current job, but long-term, I just couldn't see myself teaching. Reminding myself that I wish to avoid that bubble serves as a great motivator. |
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allovertheplace
Joined: 02 Aug 2009
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| Posted: Mon Jan 28, 2013 7:46 pm Post subject: |
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My time in Korea was awesome. I was 22, it was my first job and foreign experience. I will remember it fondly for the rest of my life. However, it can never be recaptured. I left because I was just trying to relive my first 6 months in Korea for several years. It's done. Time to move on. Glad I did.[/quote]
Great line. EXACTLY my sentiments. |
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I'm With You
Joined: 01 Sep 2011
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| Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2013 12:52 am Post subject: |
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| allovertheplace wrote: |
| My time in Korea was awesome. I was 22, it was my first job and foreign experience. I will remember it fondly for the rest of my life. However, it can never be recaptured. I left because I was just trying to relive my first 6 months in Korea for several years. It's done. Time to move on. Glad I did. |
Great line. EXACTLY my sentiments. |
Yeah, that's a good line. I think it's true, also. You can never re-experience that first year, though. It's impossible.
Still, the expat lifestyle can be addicting. |
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swashbuckler
Joined: 20 Nov 2010
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| Posted: Thu May 09, 2013 2:34 am Post subject: |
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| I'm With You wrote: |
| Died By Bear wrote: |
By far the best thing about living and working back home for me is that I don't feel angry all the time because I can't control most situations like in Korea.
There are tons of things that I miss though, good things about Korea and Japan. They're good to visit, but to depend on them for a paycheck? Forget it. |
I agree with your first point. Even after years of living here it's easy to come unglued dealing with stuff like that.
But when I do, I just start thinking about my bank account and my heart rate starts to go down. I'm earning ~$75,000 a year now teaching 12 hours a week at a university and privates. I'mm working 8 months a year. The other 4 months are mine for the most part during the winter and summer vacations, minus some meetings and other events.
But to go back home to a 9-5 job? With a real boss?
Forget it. |
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And I'm pulling in 10 grand a month with illegal privates in which all I have to do is sit down and have a conversation while getting paid 80,00 per hour, owning my own hagwon, publishing a series of TOEIC books, appearing on EBS, and of course my 8 hour a week uni job in which I always put in the absolute minimum amount of effort required while living in a 30 pyeong apt five minutes from campus. I continue my privates over skype with I'm traveling during my 5 months a year of paid vacation in Thailand.
I'm sure glad I never decided to have children or get a job will real responsibilities that doesn't expire every year!
I love the internet! |
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