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Korean Job Discussion Forums
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think_balance
Joined: 23 Jun 2008
Location: San Jose, CA
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 Posted: Sat Jul 06, 2013 4:54 pm Post subject: Transitioning from Japan to Korea |
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Hello all.
This *is* a Korea related post. 
I've just been accepted to JET, but knowing that the job market in Japan is tight, and not being certain that I'll be able to stay on in Japan indefinitely, I wanted to have things in order to job hunt in Korea (as I'd like to live and work there was well).
How hard is it to transition from a job in Japan to one in Korea? I know that there's a bit more paperwork and it has to be certified, etc. Is it possible for someone from the U.S. - who's living in Japan - to find a job in Korea and prepare all the paperwork w/o having to return to the U.S.? If so, what items should I bring with me to Japan?
Also, I have an MA TESOL and experience teaching ESL at the university level. If I look for work in Korea, should I go for EPIK / GEPIK? Or would it be likely that I could find a University level position there? |
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Swampfox10mm
Joined: 24 Mar 2011
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| Posted: Sun Jul 07, 2013 12:08 am Post subject: |
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| You can try for a univ. job, but I would plan to say you are around for interviews. Then fly in for it. |
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Gorf
Joined: 25 Jun 2011
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| Posted: Sun Jul 07, 2013 1:24 pm Post subject: |
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I say don't bother, by the time you're done with JET you should be able to get a job that's better than almost anything you'll find in Korea, and you won't have to (important part) live in Korea.
Basically, Japan is better. Yeah, I said it. |
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think_balance
Joined: 23 Jun 2008
Location: San Jose, CA
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| Posted: Sun Jul 07, 2013 1:32 pm Post subject: |
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| Gorf wrote: |
I say don't bother, by the time you're done with JET you should be able to get a job that's better than almost anything you'll find in Korea, and you won't have to (important part) live in Korea.
Basically, Japan is better. Yeah, I said it. |
I hope you're right.
Also...in Japan, is it AT ALL possible to find a house with... you know... INSULATION??? |
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peachKitten713
Joined: 13 May 2013
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| Posted: Sun Jul 07, 2013 4:31 pm Post subject: |
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Haha ok not trying to hijack this thread, but I have the exact same question as the OP, except the opposite: I am wondering about teaching in Korea, and then hopping over to Japan for a job without having to go back to my home country first. Costs, document/visa issues/job hunting, etc. I'd want to be in Tokyo, if that matters. Thanks~
And to the OP, good luck with transitioning. From my experience, it's easier to find jobs in Korea than in Japan (or at least start up costs are a lot cheaper). I was thinking about the JET Program, but I already had experience in Korea and wasn't too keen on living in the country-side again. Plus, as I said, start-up costs aren't as high in Korea, and my funds were seriously lacking haha. So I decided to shoot for Seoul for a year and then try to hop over to Tokyo. |
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Scorpion
Joined: 15 Apr 2012
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| Posted: Sun Jul 07, 2013 6:02 pm Post subject: |
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Moving from Japan to Korea is akin to moving from Beverly Hills to the Bronx. Why do it?
Honestly dude, after living in a clean country like Japan you will be sorely disappointed by the filth of Korea. |
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wishfullthinkng
Joined: 05 Mar 2010
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| Posted: Sun Jul 07, 2013 6:32 pm Post subject: |
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op, don't listen to the people who say stupid things like scorpion and other haters. those types of posters inexplicably love to post on this board yet live and work in korea and hate it. why someone would live in a country they despise so much makes no sense what-so-ever and would fall into the category of complete ridiculousness. 
anyways the point is you will never know until you come here and find out for yourself. i for one enjoy japan but i enjoy korea more. just my personal preference. |
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Scorpion
Joined: 15 Apr 2012
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| Posted: Sun Jul 07, 2013 6:56 pm Post subject: |
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| wishfullthinkng wrote: |
op, don't listen to the people who say stupid things like scorpion and other haters. those types of posters inexplicably love to post on this board yet live and work in korea and hate it. why someone would live in a country they despise so much makes no sense what-so-ever and would fall into the category of complete ridiculousness.
anyways the point is you will never know until you come here and find out for yourself. i for one enjoy japan but i enjoy korea more. just my personal preference. |
I have visited Japan no fewer than nine times over the years. I know of what I speak. But if the OP wants to take advice on Korea from a guy called "wishfulthinking" he is free to do so. But to pretend that, when compared to Japan, Korea is not a filthy country is...how did you put it again.... oh yeah, now I remember, ..."complete ridiculousness."
OP, Ignore the apologists on this forum, especially ones with user names like wishfulthinking.
But he is right about one thing. Come to Korea and see for yourself.  |
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maximmm
Joined: 01 Feb 2008
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| Posted: Sun Jul 07, 2013 7:10 pm Post subject: |
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| Scorpion wrote: |
| wishfullthinkng wrote: |
op, don't listen to the people who say stupid things like scorpion and other haters. those types of posters inexplicably love to post on this board yet live and work in korea and hate it. why someone would live in a country they despise so much makes no sense what-so-ever and would fall into the category of complete ridiculousness.
anyways the point is you will never know until you come here and find out for yourself. i for one enjoy japan but i enjoy korea more. just my personal preference. |
I have visited Japan no fewer than nine times over the years. I know of what I speak. But if the OP wants to take advice on Korea from a guy called "wishfulthinking" he is free to do so. But to pretend that, when compared to Japan, Korea is not a filthy country is...how did you put it again.... oh yeah, now I remember, ..."complete ridiculousness."
OP, Ignore the apologists on this forum, especially ones with user names like wishfulthinking.
But he is right about one thing. Come to Korea and see for yourself. |
Alas, one could make a general statement that in comparison to Japan and Singapore every other country out there is quite filthy. It's true, but it doesn't mean much, since lack of filth, as you call it, does not make a country great - unless you are afflicted with mysophobia, which I wonder if that's the case with scorpion. |
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think_balance
Joined: 23 Jun 2008
Location: San Jose, CA
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| Posted: Sun Jul 07, 2013 7:28 pm Post subject: |
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Sooooo...
What documents should I bring with me to Japan in order to look for work in Korea - should the need arise? Or, will I have to return home to the US to take care of background checks, etc.? |
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Scorpion
Joined: 15 Apr 2012
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| Posted: Sun Jul 07, 2013 7:55 pm Post subject: |
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| maximmm wrote: |
| Alas, one could make a general statement that in comparison to Japan and Singapore every other country out there is quite filthy. It's true, but it doesn't mean much, since lack of filth, as you call it, does not make a country great - unless you are afflicted with mysophobia, which I wonder if that's the case with scorpion. |
Nope. My objection is with the ugliness of millions of piles of garbage strewn across the country. It's ugly! These piles of garbage are not just an eyesore, they also stink. So it's not just an affront to the eye, but the nose. When you add the stink of the sewers during the summer the Korean sensory experience can be a very unpleasant one indeed. Whatever Korea's merits might be, it is not a clean country. And yes, compared to Japan it can even be categorized as filthy.
Last edited by Scorpion on Sun Jul 07, 2013 7:56 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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midnightpariah
Joined: 15 Mar 2010
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| Posted: Sun Jul 07, 2013 7:56 pm Post subject: |
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| think_balance wrote: |
Sooooo...
What documents should I bring with me to Japan in order to look for work in Korea - should the need arise? Or, will I have to return home to the US to take care of background checks, etc.? |
It is really difficult and expensive to try and get documents for Korea while in Japan. You need an FBI background check with appostle. You can print the form and fingerprint yourself, but the FBI might not accept them if you don't do it properly. I lived in Japan for 3 years, but wanted to try Korea. I went back to the US and stayed with family while I got my visa worked out. It was much easier.
As for the differences between the two countries:
1. Japan is definitely cleaner.
2. The Japanese more polite.
3. Koreans are more helpful and willing to go out of their way if you need something. Most Japanese are painfully shy and may want to help, but are too uncomfortable to do so.
4. Korea is cheaper. I wasn't able to save much money in Japan, but have saved lots here.
5. Japanese food is better unless you are fond of spicy foods, then Korean is better.
6. There is more to see in Japan, but Korea has a better night life.
These are my own personal experiences and aren't 100% true of everywhere in Korea/Japan. I like both countries and would recommend them both. |
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Smithington
Joined: 14 Dec 2011
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| Posted: Sun Jul 07, 2013 8:22 pm Post subject: |
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| midnightpariah wrote: |
| Japan is definitely cleaner. |
Why do some people here have difficulty acknowledging this simple truth? Sure Korea is cheaper, and it's easier to save here, but that's not to say the place is clean. You will never find a thread on this forum titled, "Wow! Korea is really clean." I've never seen it, and I never will. But there are plenty of threads along the lines of, "Why are Koreans so happy to live surrounded by garbage?" Threads like this get started because one cannot escape the omnipresent piles of rubbish in Korea. Within three seconds of stepping out of virtually any building you will encounter piles of garbage. Then another one every ten steps throughout the day. Korea is not a clean country, and it's garbage collection system borders on the third world. That is not to say one cannot save here, or that the nightlife is lacking. The women are also pretty and Itaewon is a hoot. But it is not a clean country. And one does not need to be a "hater" to acknowledge that fact. |
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Janny
Joined: 02 Jul 2008
Location: all over the place
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| Posted: Sun Jul 07, 2013 10:40 pm Post subject: |
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omg. The notion that you would want to move from Japan to Korea, not the other way around, is very strange to me.
Never heard that before, maybe. It's always the other way around.
You get paid more in Korea (and the other perks) for a reason! Consider it. Also...why does Korea have it's very own Discussion Forum, whereas all other ESL countries (maybe China does but..? not my point) don't. The discussion for other countries is nil. Hmmm
Not a helpful or positive reply, but definitely my intense opinion on the matter. (Taught in Korea 8 years, visited Japan a couple times; Canadian) |
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think_balance
Joined: 23 Jun 2008
Location: San Jose, CA
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| Posted: Sun Jul 07, 2013 10:49 pm Post subject: |
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| Janny wrote: |
omg. The notion that you would want to move from Japan to Korea, not the other way around, is very strange to me.
Never heard that before, maybe. It's always the other way around.
You get paid more in Korea (and the other perks) for a reason! Consider it. Also...why does Korea have it's very own Discussion Forum, whereas all other ESL countries (maybe China does but..? not my point) don't. The discussion for other countries is nil. Hmmm
Not a helpful or positive reply, but definitely my intense opinion on the matter. (Taught in Korea 8 years, visited Japan a couple times; Canadian) |
I just want to be prepared in case I can't find a job in Japan post JET. However, perhaps I should focus more on post JET work than having a plan B. |
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