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ttompatz
Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea
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J.Q.A.
Joined: 09 Feb 2017
Location: Seoul
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 Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2017 5:00 pm Post subject: |
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| BlueFish wrote: |
I was originally looking into teaching in other countries, but Korea pays very well. It is certainly an incentive for choosing Korea over another country.
I currently live in New York City. Is the consensus that Seoul's weather isn't any worse than NY's? I saw other posts on this forum complaining about the rainy season, the humidity (which then causes mold) and the winter. Who to believe??
ttompatz: Is the foreigner help center still around? Where is it?
Everyone should be treated with common decency and courtesy. That is what makes reading about other people's stories so disturbing. There are more bad stories than good ones on this forum. Am I throwing myself to the wolves?
[b]J.Q.A.: You seem to have a less than favorable opinion of Korea. Do you think the money is worth the potential grief and aggravation?[/b]
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It all depends on you, your school and what you are willing and not willing to put up with. Just remember...wages have not increased in 10 years.
Some people don't mind and love it. But, many of those types of folks either walked into a lucky situation or are simply beta-humans, especially the dudes that at end up with Korean women. I mean, not ALL the guys are whimmpy looking beta-males, but most are. The irony of that is, Korean women are, in my opinion, the worst in this part of Asia....empty shells covered in make up, with no sex appeal or worldly knowledge. How can you be from planet earth and not know who Paul McCartney is?
Though, despite it all...one thing is for sure. You are not considered a teacher here. You are considered "below", "beneath", etc. This is interesting because Korea has yet to do anything for the world, really. But it takes a stance as if everyone below them is inferior. |
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tophatcat
Joined: 09 Aug 2006
Location: under the hat
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| Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2017 10:32 pm Post subject: |
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I am an Alpha Male.
Married to A Korean. She's aware of who Paul M is.
I walked into an OK situation and turned it into something better.
Knowing what I know, I would not come to Korea now for a 2.0 salary.
There are good and bad schools in Korea.
Is it worth the risk? Maybe. Maybe not. |
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tophatcat
Joined: 09 Aug 2006
Location: under the hat
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| Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2017 12:26 am Post subject: |
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| But yes, many beta-males here. |
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J.Q.A.
Joined: 09 Feb 2017
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2017 3:42 am Post subject: |
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| tophatcat wrote: |
I am an Alpha Male.
Married to A Korean. She's aware of who Paul M is.
I walked into an OK situation and turned it into something better.
Knowing what I know, I would not come to Korea now for a 2.0 salary.
There are good and bad schools in Korea.
Is it worth the risk? Maybe. Maybe not. |
There are always diamonds in the rough. |
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nicwr2002
Joined: 17 Aug 2011
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| Posted: Thu Jun 29, 2017 2:37 am Post subject: Re: Warning: Excessive Reading May Cause Second Thoughts |
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| BlueFish wrote: |
I've been reading and researching and now I'm not so sure about all this.
Yellow Dust Season
Typhoon Season
Oppressive humidity
Extremely cold winters caused by Siberian weather systems
Potentially abusive work environments
Keep reading and you start to wonder why anyone would want to do this. Negative reviews/posts greatly outnumber the good ones. Is this the result of people being more likely to write about the negative than the positive? Is Korea really that bad? |
1. Yellow dust is bad, but that's nothing compared to the year round air pollution that will make you sick. It's just 10x worse during yellow dust season.
2. Typhoon season is nothing to worry about. I've been here 6 years and there was only 1 notable typhoon that only did damages to the signs on buildings. I live in the southwestern area by the way, that storm never made it to Seoul.
3. The humidity is similar to the South of the USA. So, its not THAT bad. I guess it's bad if you are used to driving around in your air conditioned car and not having to walk around outside much.
4. To those of us who don't live in the north, yea the winters here are cold. Just like summer, if you aren't used to walking around for long periods of time outside in the cold, then it will seem like it is 10x colder than your hometown. For Americans, we are just use to being nice and cozy in our cars.
5. It really depends on where you end up working. My first job wasn't that bad. We just had a misunderstanding and we didn't understand each other's culture that well. As far as the respect issue goes, even Koreans aren't treated with respect at those certain academies. They aren't singling you out as a foreigner, they just treat all employees like that. You work under them, so they feel superior to you. Now, not every place is like that of course. You have to do real research well and read those contracts carefully.
6. In my case, I'm tired of places not wanting to pay into the 4 insurances that are required by law. Now that I do drive, I hate the driving culture here....Everyone likes to go as fast as they can to the next red light instead of just relaxing and coasting up to it. If you are turning left on a two lane road and someone behind you is wanting to turn right, they will honk at you to move up into the intersection so they can go. Technically that ends up putting you in violation of the traffic laws by going over the stop line. However, a lot of drivers don't care and will keep laying on the horn until you finally move. |
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BlueFish
Joined: 23 May 2017
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| Posted: Thu Jun 29, 2017 6:32 am Post subject: |
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| So typhoons aren't too common, thanks for the info. How bad is the rainy season? Is it constant rain? Is it occasional spurts of downpours? |
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nicwr2002
Joined: 17 Aug 2011
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| Posted: Thu Jun 29, 2017 10:40 pm Post subject: |
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| BlueFish wrote: |
| So typhoons aren't too common, thanks for the info. How bad is the rainy season? Is it constant rain? Is it occasional spurts of downpours? |
It depends on the year. 2016 and I think 2013, I can't remember, it would rain off and on for like a week. That's towards the climax, but the other days it would just be like summer showers. This year, however, there is a drought, so it hasn't rained that much. |
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tophatcat
Joined: 09 Aug 2006
Location: under the hat
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| Posted: Fri Jun 30, 2017 4:36 am Post subject: |
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| BlueFish wrote: |
| So typhoons aren't too common, thanks for the info. How bad is the rainy season? Is it constant rain? Is it occasional spurts of downpours? |
At first I read typhoons as tycoons. |
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Coltronator
Joined: 04 Dec 2013
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| Posted: Sat Jul 01, 2017 6:54 pm Post subject: |
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| Korea only had one cold week in 7 years. It was like January or Feb 2011? I actually had to wear a winter coat that week. |
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tophatcat
Joined: 09 Aug 2006
Location: under the hat
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| Posted: Sun Jul 02, 2017 6:15 am Post subject: |
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Seoul's average mean temperature in January (-5 C) to (-2.5 C).
This is mild compared to Minnesota.
This is cold compared to some places. |
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J.Q.A.
Joined: 09 Feb 2017
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Mon Jul 03, 2017 4:15 am Post subject: |
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| tophatcat wrote: |
Seoul's average mean temperature in January (-5 C) to (-2.5 C).
This is mild compared to Minnesota.
This is cold compared to some places. |
What is the average HIGH temperature?
I bet it is between 33-35 degrees F.
It does not matter because nobody knows how to properly use A/C (for both heating and cooling). In the subway today...no A/C...for a LONG time. Then the fans came on...and people, in the midst of their reeking of garlic, kimchi and soju coming out their pours, started complaining it was cold.
It has to me...not them.
Then again, Thai's know how to use A/C and know the difference between cool and cold... |
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