Job Discussion Forums

[lizziebennet]

To be honest I have read a lot of posts here and I have yet to hear horror stories like I experienced or heard about in Korea.

I have seen people fired in their 11 month just so bosses don't have to pay severance... I know people who have signed one contract and after arriving in Korea were forced to sign a different contract with less money.

Long hours in Korea involve being forced to do summer and winter vacations which means you are sometimes working 10 hours a day (usually for a measly amount although my last Korean boss was always very generous!). Not to mention the normal 6 hours a day but calculated by the minute so you can be teaching something like 8 40min classes in a day!

My husband worked a job where you had to work all public holidays including Christmas and Korean Thanksgiving. He had 5 days of vacation in one year (and had to take it when they said it was ok!) and also had to work 2 months worth of Saturdays.

Recently a Canadian aquaintance who was in the third trimester of her pregnancy and almost miscarried/ went into early labour while teaching. Instead of insisting she rest her director phoned her to try to persuade her to come back to work the same day!

Not to mention people who have had pneumonia etc being expected to work... No such thing as taking a sick day in Korea. Your boss will come to your apartment, take you to the hospital and have you working the same day!

Another friend was run over by a taxi and badly needed a surgery on her shoulder because the pins had to be dealt with.
Her boss phoned and asked the doctor if he could rather move her badly needed operation to much later date (like 2 months later!!).

Not to mention apartment fires, wierd Korean stalkers, female teachers being raped (ok I only know of one but it happened to her twice and that is more than enough), or having near incidents where taxi drivers drove them to the middle of nowhere but they luckily escaped (another girl)... Or a guy breaking into my apartment while I was sleeping at 4am (luckily i pushed him out the door into the corridor where there were neighbors within hearing distance so he left).

Can I expect more of this or do you think Saudi may be a little better...

[dareva]

That's nightmarish I hope that those who've been to KSA can give you some feedback (I haevn't been there - I'm on my way there)...although, I find it hard to beleive that it could be worse (or as bad)..but then again I've been accused of naivety....

[rigel]

[WaegukinYeoJa]

I lived in Korea for 3 years and though I've only been in the KSA for 6 months, I can say that hands down, without a doubt, it is 100% better here than in Korea. That's not to say I don't have problems here, but I hated (still do) Korea with a passion.

I was assaulted 3 times in Korea (slapped on the rear twice, bitten once). I, too, was forced to work when sick, though this only happened once and at a really crappy school. I was chased by a taxi driver. I was stared at, pointed at, laughed at, pushed by adjumma, etc. on a daily basis.

Most of the things you mentioned are commonplace in Korea (ie. pay issues, sick days, lack of vacation, general abuse from employers), but seem to be comparatively rare here. You can PM me if you have any specific questions.

Good luck, chingu.

[lizziebennet]

Rigel, sorry she went into early labour but didn't have the baby... it was sorted and stayed in her womb till 9 months... But the day that this happened they wanted her to come back into work...

Waegukinyeoja so good to hear from you, I was thinking of starting a 'Is Saudi better than Korea thread' so I can put things into perspective...

[johnslat]

Dear lizzie,
I'm sure they can both very bad, but also in both places, how bad is going to depend mostly on who you work for and who you are.
Regards,
John

[rigel]

[lizziebennet]

I actually like Korea too, my husband doesn't though...

[WaegukinYeoJa]

It's interesting to hear the other posters' impressions; my husband loved Korea while I hated it. I am quite sure my experiences were the exception not the rule in many cases, and everyone has a different prespective. However, if your experience is anything like mine, being a tall blonde was much harder in Korea than any country I've been to, but especially here.

I've also been quite lucky to have a relatively good employer, live in Riyadh, and am married. These things all suit my personality/situation well and make living in KSA quite pleasant. I have very little to complain about, especially after just wrapping up a two-month vacation.

[Cleopatra]

There has been a lot of talk and anxiety on these pages of late about 'just how bad' Saudi Arabia is or might be.

The fact is that KSA is a big country with many employers. Some are good, some are bad, most are middling. Pretty much like anywhere else. Nobody here can, in all honesty, really tell you what to expect with your particular employer, unless of course someone has worked there themselves. You'll really have to go there for yourself and find out. Sorry if this doesn't sound particularly helpful, but that is part of the risk you take when choosing to work in another country.

[lizziebennet]

Yeah, it makes it easier when you have taken that risk before!

[dareva]

Actually cleo, I find your comments very helpful - they'realistic. There are good and bad employers everywhere, I wont go into the horrendous experiences I've had with employers in the 'free world', so many of the KSA experiences don't surpise me.

It's good the hear the bad ones and it's also good to hear the good ones and then it's good to keep in mind that either or both can happen to you - that's certainly the attitude I'm going with -cautious optimism or as they saying goes "trust in God but tie up your camel'...

[eclectic]

sounds like bull.

what korean kids go to school on Thanksgiving? Not a soul in sight, not even in Seoul.

[rigel]

[rigel]