Job Discussion Forums

[forest1979]

Can all those people banging on about the beauty of life and money earned in Korea start a new thread on the Korea board: "Korea - Utopia"

I can't wait though for the criticisms to flood in about how Korea is no paradise.

[pest2]

Most people here jumped on the comparison between Korean and Taiwan, again... (like alot of other similar threads on this board)...

For me, for that question, its easy: Working in Korea is overall better -- in terms of working conditions, pay, protection of law, and benefits-- and you would have to be a fool not to admit that.

However, one's work isnt the only factor when considering about where to be... To work in Korea and have that better job, you have to live .. . in .... Korea... Korea... Korea... for those of you have lived in Korea before, that phrase should be a deterrent in itself... 'liiiivveeed iiiinnnnn kkkooorrrreeeaaaaa'. .. If you want to know more specifically what Im talking about, hop on over to the korea general discussion forum.

[pest2]

However, the more interesting question was this:

[petapepa]

Having lived in both Korea and Taiwan, I personally prefer Taiwan for the following reasons:
1. The weather in Taiwan is phenomenal and very rarely dips below +10 Celsius in winter...unlike in Korea, which can be bitterly cold in winter dipping well below zero.
2. People in Taiwan are far more easy going than in Korea. For example, teachers rarely if ever wear suits and ties to work...unlike in Korea where a three piece suit for going hiking in the mountains is de rigueur.
3. Xenophobia is much higher and more prevalent in Korea than in Taiwan. In fact, it's almost non-existent in Taiwan...at least where I was living.
4. Taiwan's subtropical climate allows for what I consider to be far more lush and beautiful scenery than can be found in cold hilly Korea.
5. Food in Taiwan kicks Korean food's butt hands down.
6. Taiwan offers a highly affordable year-round motorcycle culture that is far more independent and fun than Korea's taxi/bus culture.
7. In Taiwan it's very easy to teach as many privates as you can handle without having to worry about the immigration vans hunting you down and deporting you like they do in Korea.
8. There is no such thing as 5:30 AM or 6:30 AM classes in Taiwan.

I suppose I could go on and on but I guess the point is that money isn't everything. My memories of Korea are kind of dark and nightmarish with the cold dark winters, long staggered hours and memories of rushing from job to job on buses or in taxis.
My memories of Taiwan involve beautiful lush mountains, countless motorcylce rides to exotic locations and a very manageable schedule with plenty of free time to pursue either more money in terms of private classes or other interests like Chinese cooking or Tai Chi.
If you want money, go to Korea I guess, though I suspect there are other countries in the Middle East where you could probably make even more if money is all you care about. But if you want a more relaxed, easy-going free and independent lifestyle, then Taiwan is the place to go. And quite frankly, if you're good at what you do and money is all you care about, there's a fortune to be made in privates. For a while, I was in money mode and I was teaching 25 hours at my buxiban and another 25 hours privates/week. And if I wanted, I could have easily sacrificed my one day off (Sunday) and crammed another 10 hours in but then I would have ended up a very rich though somewhat exhausted zombie. Eventually, I scaled back and realized that life is about experiences and not just money. Of course I was able to arrive at this lofty conclusion after having saved up a nice big fat stash.

PS To enjoy Taiwan at its finest, stay out of the big centers like Taipei and Kaoshiung. I was in Chang Hua county about 45 minutes outside Taichung or 5 minutes into the central mountain foothills by motorbike. Big city nearby, beautiful beautiful mountains a stone's throw away and some of the best motorcycling terrain anywhere in the world. Also, by living in a smaller center, it's much easier to develop a reputation that translates into private classes. My entire time there, I had a 5-10 private student waiting list at any given time so making money was never an issue. My days off were usually spent traveling around by motorbike. Sun Moon Lake was my all time favorite destination having been there more than 50 times.

[pest2]

Most of the above post re Korea is correct except:

In Korea, most people dont work these terrible split shifts and long working hours. On the contrary, most jobs require around 80-100 teaching hours per month to earn the same as what you would earn working 100+ hours at a buxiban in Taiwan AND ~50 hours per month doing privates. I only knew of a handful of hakwons (same as buxiban) in Korea that required split shifts, and NEVER heard of one requiring 530am classes!! Wow, if you had that, you really got the shaft; the market demand for English teachers in Korea is so high that, while I'm sure alot of schools would like classes at odd times and split shifts, the competition there ensures those jobs would never be filled so they dont exist for the most part...
Also, jobs in Korea are required by law to give paid sick leave (5 days). The cheap-azz Chinese running both the buxibans here and the government dont afford such luxury to FTs. You get sick in TW, it's coming out of your paycheck, usually... (unless u work for university, international school, or public school).
Finally, yes, Koreans in the public sphere do dress up nicer and more blandly conservative than Taiwanese.. but in all cases I know about, that rule doesnt apply to work. Neither I nor anyone I knew in Korea ever had to wear any attire to work that is any different than what people here in TW wear to work (that is, minimally, jeans, tshirt, tennis shoes)....

So, to summarize:
Taiwan - alot more work for less pay and benefits.
Korea - alot less work for more pay and benefits.

Taiwan - better weather, better food. People obsessed with money for the short-term as gaining or losing face...
Korea - depressing weather, weird and over rated food. People obessed with uniformity, xenophobia, and nationalism as gaining or losing face...

Both: dirty, polluted, overcrowded... also, haha, I dont think they're too much different; Taiwanese and Koreans both like to take 100s of photos of their local foods at normal trips to restaurants and post those photos on their blogs...