Job Discussion Forums

[confuzed]

I thought I would start a thread on how many people are going to be teaching in Asia this year. Maybe these statistics can help me understand why I miss this place after I couldn't wait to get out last year. After all,
I am confuzed...

I'll start off with myself. I started in Korea and for the first month it was ok. Then all of the sudden I woke up and said to myself. "What the hell am I doing in the middle of Korea?"

Then I went off to school and from the minute I got out of the Taxi I felt like I landed on Mars again. Next thing I knew I was back home logging onto my e-mails. I looked out the window and said "Can anybody hear me?" Talk about lost.

Had I understood what people were saying I would have felt more at ease with the whole situation. It's being in the unknown that made me resteless. Trust me I know it's going to happen again if I decide to go back.

I'm trying to find a way to curb that restleness. Sure I can join a club etc.. and etc... but when i'm back in four walls again, and there are weeks like that club or no club. It really feels like jail.

I also felt like a nerd. Here I am going to school to teach people I can hardly talk to. They can be telling me to go F@!#$ myself and I would still be standing there with a smile. I doubt that Koreans would do that but surely they are making fun of our clothes and our hair etc... Koreans don't have that problem because they all look the same.

You stick some Gel and frizz it...in a different direction and that's pretty much where it ends. All these hotties I could be cruising and I feel like an idiot because the Korean Marilyn Monroe doesn't know how to say "yes" in English. I just can't understand what it is about Korea that I miss. Is it because I'm being constantly challenged? Or is it because i'm a fool? I just want to help people learn what I've been taught. I don't know maybe I really am a fool.

I must say I felt very fuzzy.

[supervisor133]

Sounds like culture shock to me. If not knowing the language bothered you that much then you really have two options for next time :
a) commit yourself to learning the language
or
b) don't consider heading back to a country that will fill you with headaches due to language problems.

That said, I often find that it takes about three months for me to settle into a new country and about that long to establish bonds with people. That can be one of the toughest aspects of working overseas - suddenly you're without all the great friends you had back in your home country. I'm the type that will always encourage others to head off into the unknown but it also helps to know your limits. If you don't think living in a foreign country is for you then perhaps travelling would be a better option. That way when one country drives you up the wall you just move on to the next!

And I may get flamed for saying this, but do think very carefully about taking jobs in another country. I'm sure you did, but now at least you have some experience to inform your decision if you choose to do it again. While some schools may be less than perfect in terms of conditions, you may find yourself in a job at a "good" school and they actually invest money in your being there (assuming they've paid for visas, accomodation etc). I know I'd be pretty pissed off if I employed someone that then turned tail because they weren't sure it was for them.

Anyhow, best of luck! I'd recommend giving it another shot, perhaps in a different country, if you're up for it.

[confuzed]

I'm not one to waste people's time, and the money they invest for me to be there isn't my problem. Business is business, I don't count their pocket like I wouldn't want them to count mine and I surely have no sympathy for a Country that is known for taking advantage of foreigners. It seems to be a vicious circle out there. As long as their Government excepts taxes from hogwons and down right con men for recruiters, I don't give a damn. All I care about is being treated fairly, with dignity and respect once I arrive...a fair shake is not much to ask for.

If I have to come to a point where I can't take it anymore there is a good reason and from then on they can go *beep* themselves. I don't weigh how much money is worth the hassle. I'm not going to say "well he was rude so that should be another 50 bucks". My head doesn't work that way. You can't put a price tag on dignity. So again if I find i'm being taken advantage of, or taken for an idiot. I don't care how much they spend. I'm out the door.

As for your other statement about changing Countries, I think that's where it's at. Changing Countries all the time though kind of contradicts your earlier statement about taking jobs and wasting people's time. You can't keep moving around, and It's very hard sometimes to just pick up and go. That's why when I take a job I think about it very closely before I decide to take that move, this way I don't leave myself at anyone's mercy. I always put away enough money, so that if I find myself in a situation with a boss that's not going "according to plan" I can rise to the occasion hence being my middle finger, and say sianora.

[supervisor133]

[confuzed]

If I wanted to just travel I would do that. I happen to be a teacher, and love what I do. Travelling is secondary. If it wasn't for that, South Korea would be the last place on earth that I would go. It just so happens that South Korea has one of the best packages available for teachers. It happens to be one of the few places you can earn a decent living teaching.

South America
Europe
Africa and Southeast Asia

These are the best places to teach, and they all pay the same.

Zero.

So if you want to just "travel" and blow all your money by all means...but to be quit honest you don't sound like much of a teacher to me.

[supervisor133]

[confuzed]