Korean Job Discussion Forums

[kangnam mafioso]

i spent over 2 years in korea and have been back in the states teaching english for 3 years. i'm 33 and have decided to come back to korea this spring for the long haul. i'm feeling a little burned out on america: the politics, the materialism, the war-mongering, the incessant stupidity on the tv, the uber-provinicalism nearly everywhere except some larger cities, the rules and laws for everything, the puritanical attitude towards tobacco and alcohol, the gas prices and increasing expense of living anywhere nice, the treatment of teachers like expendable pieces of crap, the bureaucracy and micro-management of public schools, the unbelievably insane job market in higher education (i've been teaching english as an adjunct instructor at a community college with no benefits or paid time off and a ridiculously low salary), the mind numbing violence, the me me me culture, the vast right-wing conspiracy of the republican conservatives .... i could go on and on .... don't get me wrong -- there are things i like about the US and A (see Borat yet? haha) and a lot of people that i care about in the world live here, but i'm starting to think it's a much nicer place to visit (not to reside in -- at least for people in education) and that's why i want to become an NRA (non resident American) towards the spring. this is no way for an educated person to live, being strung along from semester to semester without benefits or respect or stability. i could teach high school english here but i can't stomach the public schools (i tried it 2 years ago and hated it -- would rather work in a factory on an assembly line).

i should have never left korea ... had a great job at a university teaching 12 hrs a week and 3 months of paid holidays. that's so much free time to travel, visit home, make extra money, write and work on other projects, sit on a beach in Palau breathing in fresh air and getting ready to snorkel, gaze at the taj mahal before you jet off to katmandu to marvel at everest .... that's living and it's all at your fingertips if you can land a decent gig in korea. i have friends who teach uni in seoul with 5 months off paid and they make mad coin with all the extra jobs they can do.

when i first arrived in korea 5 years ago, i wasn't comfortable with the expat life. i felt that i was always missing out on things back home. i felt like a loser teaching at a korean university. now, the opposite is true. i feel like people back home are missing out on life abroad and i feel sorry for teachers in the states weighted down with crazy mortgages and unhappy marriages, counting down the days until they retire so they can spend their money on more crap they don't need and their 3 day carnival cruises.

let me illustrate this point further. i have a 35 year old friend who is a tax accountant. he makes about double what teachers make ($70,000), has a home that is worth $350,000, big yard and drives an older SUV. he's not rich but he has entered the upper-middle class in his thirties here in America. but he's unhappy as hell. he loathes his boring job. he's in crazy debt from his huge house that he doesn't need (he's not married), has never even been out of the country but is always talking about how he wants to travel. but he can't afford it because he chooses to spend his money on a giant mortgage payment and stuff for his lawn. he's not a bad looking guy but he has to practically beg middle-aged, chunky women with kids to go out with him on dates ...so ...the affluence and status that a lot of people want to leave korea for isn't always what it's cracked up to be.

so, i will come back to korea and milk that gravy train for as long as possible. i want some excitement and freedom back in my life. what's the big deal teaching in asia vs america if you are qualified to teach both places? the conditions are much better in korea and so why not return?? it seems like a no-brainer. in my 40s and 50s i will hopefully have a lot of money saved, a book written and can return to the states to buy a home. who knows, maybe the job market in higher education will have improved by then (after all those baby boomers retire).

[Atavistic]

[chronicpride]

[Fresh Prince]

[spliff]

[Privateer]

[twg]

[Yu_Bum_suk]

Well, I'm also an over-educated 33-year-old from a country very similar to yours - not all of the problems you listed but with even less employment opportunities at the professional level. Let me tell you, what you wrote really resonates with me. I also have friends from school with mortgages, chunky wives, and kids, and you couldn't pay me a million dollars to trade places with them. Next week I'll be in SE Asia will they're still stuck doing the same boring thing week after week, their outlet to the rest of the world being hollywood movies.

For white guys our age Korea really is a God-send, isn't it?

[DCJames]

If you can get a decent paying stable job here, I think Korea is a good option if you don't have career options back home.

One thing I worry about is the high cost of living in Seoul. It seems like housing, gas, and food prices are just unreasonable high here.

[Yaya]

Well, I have a friend in New York who misses Korea really bad, but is staying for the sake of his family. I tell him where I've been and what vacation spots I've hit, and he says he's jealous like crazy.

Not saying Korea is a perfect place or that everyone should drop everything and come here, but well, Korea has changed many lives.

[spliff]

[Ilsanman]

I disagree. I still eat meals for an average of 5,000 won, no dishes to wash. I don't drive and never would, in this country where it seems a blind man could get a license. Housing is very cheap to rent in the right areas, just buying is out of the question.

[SPINOZA]

[nautilus]

[quote="kangnam mafioso"]

[PimpofKorea]

You can make easy money if your clever enough....everything else about Korea sucks... *except for those dancing girls.....can a Nikka get a table dance"