Job Discussion Forums

[JZer]

[Sashadroogie]

Plenty of people abroad don't have much of a clue either...

[South Coast]

Nice Sash... that's pretty funny.

Back to the original inquiry-- a place with personal appeal or SK?
A lot depends on you as an individual and there are so different many factors to consider. Among those are your short-term plans, long-term goals, available savings, need to save money/pay debts, your willingness to adapt to a very different culture, and maybe most importantly if you really want to live and teach in Korea.

Personally, I chose Korea initially for some of the reasons you mentioned--decent pay, chance to save, paid flights & accommodation, etc. There were other locations that appealed to me more personally, but I saw the trade-offs as worth it. After the first year, I used some of my savings to travel (and surf) throughout Central America (a location with more personal appeal). That trip wouldn't have been possible without the funds I'd saved the year before.

I know many others who have done similar trips/journeys upon completing their year(s) in Korea. South-East Asia is very popular and very accessible from the ROK.

Another bit of advice-- wherever you work, as you put in time and gain experience, hopefully you'll be able to get positions with better conditions and benefits, not just better pay. Longer vacations is a good draw for many. Entry level positions rarely include much paid leave, but if traveling is something you are really interested in you should research how to eventually get jobs with more paid vacation. Some people take breaks after each contract, while many just travel during paid holidays. I prefer the latter. After over five years abroad and filling a passport, I feel good about the decisions I've made. Hope that helps the OP and others with similar considerations.

SC

[Iceman33]

It all depends on a person's taste. You have to consider more than just money, accomodation and visa support, etc when selecting a country. You need to consider quesetions such as:

1) Do you have a real interest in a certain country's language and culture? 2) Is climate important to you?
3) What inconveniences are unbearable to you?
4) Is the country safe relative to others?
5) How about cleanliness?
6) Are the country's people more aggressive/passive?
7) Are there things in that country that I may find unbearably offensive?

So, doing a lot of research is key before picking a place.

Although I'm a very wordly person who appreciates all cultures and languages, I still have my preferences. I wouldn't choose South America because other parts of the world are more interesting to me. Since I love Eastern religions/gardens/cuisines/languages, I would opt for somewhere in the Far East (not South Korea for me, no offense lol). Turkey and Germany are also very interesting to me (I some parts of Eastern Europe, but have to many reservations!).

I would never go to a country where I didn't want to learn her language, or immerse myself completely in her culture. That's what EFL is all about(yes, I like teaching English, too)

[wanderingsalsero]

I know it's late to chim in on this but I'll put in my two cents anyway....especially since I'm speaking as a 66 year old guy who's been teaching in Korea for about 3 years now.

If you're young and you don't have any cross cultural experience and if you even slightly suspect that you might have trouble adjusting to a foreign culture, I'd take the easiest route first. You can always transition after you've made and saved some money and learned a little bit about the industry.

If you've got some cash and you think you wouldn't have much trouble adjusting to another culture.....I'd head down to L.America. I'd love to work there myself.

Or Thailand.

Personally I think the ideal solution would be to have some sort of secondary income, online perhaps, that would allow you to just use the job for the visa.

Regards,
Art

[JZer]

[Iceman33]

[JZer]

Well my next stop is China or Saipan.