Job Discussion Forums

[Scruffy]

Hello,

I've been reading through the various threads around here and would like to ask some questions specific to my situation. I would really appreciate some guidance.

1. I'm just back from nearly four months in Korea. While my work situation there was better than that of other foreigners I knew, it was still extremely disappointing. Against the advice of some friends, I opted to work in a Korean language academy for my first year of overseas teaching. I'll spare you my complaints, which sadly are typical of many people's experience there, but the jist of things is that I ended my contract and wouldn't dare consider using that school as a reference. My question: would it be best if I didn't include Korea on my CV?

2. From all I've read on this board and the Korea board, even the more challenging experience in Japan is bound to be better than what qualifies as a 'decent' language school in Korea. Of course, there aren't any gaurantees, but I'm feeling encouraged and am certain I'll have no problems completing a one-year contract. (If anything, Korea is good for toughening you up.) To be safe, though, what are some important questions I should ask when interviewing?

3. I'm beginning my masters via distance learning. Is my degree-in-progress worth mentioning? I don't have a certificate, but I do have several years of volunteer teaching in the States.

4. I'm only interested in accepting a position with a school that has a furnished apartment ready for me to move in to. I would be arriving with $1000 US, which falls way short of the average recommendation of $4000-$5000. But with an apartment waiting for me, would this be enough to float me through my first month?

5. Do you find a heavy emphasis on the dollar amount that each child represents in a language school? Or have you experienced a healthy balance between a desire to generate funds for the school and quality teaching?

Thank you so much for reading this. I came back from Korea feeling extremely discouraged and downtrodden. But I'm not giving up on my genuine desire to jumpstart a new career in ESL. I'm 36 and especially welcome PMs from older women who have embarked on their own journeys involving a career change to teaching.

Kind regards,

Scruffy (my stuffed dog's name; weren't too many choices, I'm afraid)

[Glenski]

[Scruffy]

Thanks for your reply. I'm available immediately. About my $1000 that I'd be bringing with me, in Korea you don't need much at all, but even with a provided apartment, are there expenses other than food and transportation that I'll need to consider? It's difficult for me to imagine what those expenses might be. From the FAQ pages I learned what I can expect if I'm going to Japan without a job or place to stay, but with a waiting apartment doesn't that negate most of those expenses?

I won't mention the masters in progress. That's good advice. There's really no point. And I'll have to think about mentioning Korea. I get the impression that the Japanese would understand my experience in Korea because of Korea's reputation, but I don't want to make an issue of it or create doubt as to whether or not I'm capable of completing a contract. That's perhaps my primary concern.

About airfare, it seems most jobs offer some sort of reimbursement, but few if any pay for it upfront. From what I found the Internt, airfare for a one-way ticket is running around $1000. Korea let me enter on a one-way; hopefully Japan will, too.

Thanks again.

[Linp45]

I totally know the problems with Korea, the dodgy agents who either lie or guess the schedules; the completely inadequate school management; the prone to be baby-sitting style of the lessons and so on. The cities there are pretty ugly, hastily designed and often very dirty.

I worked in Japan for a good few years and intend to return soon, but I'd never go back to Korea in a million years. I wonder a great deal when Koreans in Japan claim that Japan and Korea are nearly the same. I have to remark how completely unlike each other they are to which they reply well maybe its because we're both Asian countries - I just find that strange.

I see no similarities between Korea and Japan at all. Korea has the feeling of a cheap and wrinkled old Asian *beep* dripping in fake gold - skimmed milk dressed as cream. Japan on the other hand towers far beyond anything Korea has to offer in terms of its culture, envionment and people. Japan feels younger, fresher and more vibrant and has a culturally purer and reserved class as opposed to Korea which has been tainted nearly to its 'water-table' by America (aka 'The West').

Economically minded people who go to Korea because the exchange rate is better than Japan really entirely miss the point.

[Scruffy]

I'm not wanting to trash Korea; there are some lovely people there and plenty of foreigners who are enjoying their experience. That said, your description of Korea was pretty darn accurate. I even used some of those same words when trying to explain to my rather disappointed family why I just couldn't stick it out.

I must confess that I was one of those 'economically minded' teachers when I opted for Korea over Japan. I have debts and am getting ready to enroll in a distance graduate program. It's a sad fact that money pretty much dictates which countries I'm willing to teach in during my initial year or three. But such is life.

I don't want people to discount Korea as a possibility for employment based on my experience, but the sad truth is that Korea is definitely not a prime choice in Asia -- unless, of course, you're wanting to save a substantial amount of money. Anyway, your post cheered me up in a rather perverse way: it's comforting knowing that others have had difficult experiences in Korea, too.

Cheers.

[Glenski]

You need to live somewhere while you look for work, because nobody goes to Korea to look for English teachers. You might be lucky and land a phone interview, but it is more likely that you will have to be here to interview. That means supporting yourself until the first paycheck (not until you get hired). Support means rent, utilities (unless you're in a gaijin house), local transportation, food, and a phone (unless you're allowed to sit on the phone at the gaijin house, but even so, you will have to leave to do some things, so get a cell phone).

Other expenses depend on you, but a short list may include:
insurance (for emergencies if nothing else)
Internet use (if the gaijin house doesn't have it, you'll have to use Internet cafes)
photocopies
dry cleaning (for that suit you're going to wear to the interviews)
hair care (it might take 1-3 months before you are hired and paid)

Even more expenses you should consider are transportation to employers who live outside of your local area. Say you live in Tokyo but find a really good possibility in Osaka. That Tokyo subway and train pass won't cut it.

As for employers paying for airfare, I wouldn't count on it at all. Some pay a bonus at the end of the contract in a way to make up for airfare, but that means you have to wait 12 months (plus the time it took to get hired).

Oh, and if you enter as a tourist, you have to prove it by having a round-trip ticket. Come on a one-way, and you just may be shown the door before your feet even hit Japanese soil.

[Scruffy]

Maybe that's all true, but I do know of people who have found work in Japan by applying to private schools that advertise on Dave's and elsewhere. So I'm not giving up. But thanks for clarifying things for me.

[Mosley]

To the OP: I have 8 yrs experience in EFL teaching in E. Asia(5:Japan 2: S. Korea 1: China) and the best experience of the 3 countries was Japan. No comparison. I love Japan. And I might be going back to E. Asia next month for another contract(I'm in Canada now). And where am I going? Yep, you guessed it...South Korea.

You're right: the ROK is quite a s---hole compared to Japan. But the bottom line is...the bottom line. There's no way I could save coin in Japan with the few crummy contract offers I've been getting. There's no way in hell that I'm going to go an extra $3-5K in the hole in order to accept some 250,000/mo. eikaiwa deal. I'm an "old man" w/o a grad degree so that seems to be all I can get. Throw in a poor exchange rate and you get the picture. Financially, Korea wins hands down. My creditors don't give a flying fig about the wonderful experiences I had in Japan.

So, to the OP: I don't mean to discourage you but you'll have a rough time of it getting a decent gig in Japan. I think you should've tried to stick out the year on the peculiar peninsula. Yes, I know it ain't a charming place...but you would've saved some coin & had a year(w/a fulfilled contract) under your belt. My 2 cents. Good luck, in any event.

[Scruffy]

Well, good for you for prioritizing. It's no joke growing older and needing to focus on the financial side of things. I really hear you on that one. But there was no way I would have completed that contract. I'm not selling a year of my life to a crummy, poorly managed school (and that's just a rough sketch of what I dealt with there; it was awful). But that doesn't mean everyone has a similar experience. Financially Korea is an excellent option - perhaps one of the best. Just don't get excited when the job offers start pouring in (I'm preaching to the choir; I know this) and pounce on the first one. Anyway, I was happy to hear that you loved Japan. I'm determined to make this work, regardless of my low budget. Best of luck to you in Korea.

[AndyH]

Best of luck to you, scruffy. I also came to Japan from Korea, and like you, did not complete my Korean contract (I stayed for seven months). I think most eikaiwas are aware of the fact that Korean hagwans tend to have a high turnover rate, and the fact that I hadn't completed my contract didn't seem to dissuade employers from offering me a job.
If you have a furnished apartment, $1,000 you should be able to get by for the first month in Japan, but expect to live very frugally. No beer, no izakias, and not much fun.
Both Japanese eikaiwas I worked for offered new teachers loans to help them through their first month, and you might want to consider taking one if possible.
But, in the end, you'll probably do okay.

[Gordon]

Mark me down for another ex-Korean teacher. I understand your frustrations.
You will need far more than $1000 to make it in Japan. Employers do not set you up here like in Korea. Apts may be very bare. Your wages may not get paid until you've been teaching 6 weeks, depending on the time of month you start.
I would fore go the distant masters until you get settled or take a semester off. You don't have the money anyways and it will take all your energies to get adjusted here with a new job/life... I know what i am talking about, i finished a distance masters a little over a year ago and know how hard it can be under even great circumstances.

[Scruffy]

All great insights. Thank you.

About my masters, I'm not in a rush and think that's good advice about waiting until I've settled into life in Japan.

Money: One thing I liked about Korea was the food, and I like Japanese food even more. I learned to cook for myself in Korea and intend to do the same in Japan. Fortunately I'm not fond of alcohol or bars, so I'm already ahead of the game, eh! And I really enjoy simple things, like walking and exploring on foot, visiting tea houses and buying my produce in farmer's markets. Maybe I sound rather boring, but really I'm easily entertained, and because of that I feel that my first month won't be much of a problem for me. Give me a book, some tea and an interesting setting, and I'm set.

Apartment: All I'll initially need is a futon and some basic kitchen things. But one question ... how do you make a futon comfortable? Traditional futons are quite dense and thin. Any suggestions?

Loans: I'm finding that teacher loans are fairly common, so that's encouraging.

Cheers!

[Glenski]

[AndyH]

scruffy, you should definitely try to get a job with a company which will provide you with a furnished (or at least, semi-furnished) apartment. Both eikaiwas I've worked for provided a futon.
Whether or not your $1,000 is sufficient to get you through until your first payday depends a lot on where you'll be living. My first job was in a small city in Hokkaido, and $1,000 would have been okay. Now I live in Tokyo, and while I can still make it on that amount, I think it would be a greater challenge.
If you have to set yourself up in a new apartment, with no assistance from the school, no way.
$1,000 won't even get you into a place, let alone put groceries in the rezoko.

[Scruffy]

I'm already in contact with some schools and am trying to understand the housing stuff. So thanks for the continued guidance.

Cheers.