Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Carmy]

Then you do it again....teach English in Korea, that is.

So here's me 5 years later and I'll be coming back to teach.

My question is for all of those people with similar experiences. You came, you taught, left and then returned a few years later.

How was it the second time around? Did you experience the same, if any of the culture shock you had the first time round?
Or was the transition heaps easier because of the prior experience?
I'm hoping that this time around, being older and hopefully wiser I would have gained a plethora of knowledge and skills to now make this year much much better than the first one.
I also think that I will be less judgemental this time as I have realised that all countries have their positives and negatives.
And I am also hoping that I won't be counting the days until I leave, as was the case the first time round.

Any thoughts? Comments?

[RACETRAITOR]

I came to visit years ago for only a couple weeks, and when I returned to Korea to live for longer I wasn't all that shocked by much of it. Mostly I felt glad to see things I'd remembered from so long ago.

[rockstarsmooth]

that's what i'm doing now. i came back after 5 years, and i've found it incredibly easy. i've had very little in the way of culture shock, any that i've had is more to do with how things have changed in the past 5 years. seoul is prettier! women smoke in the street! there's a better selection of western food!
socially it's better, i had friends from before, so i wasn't coming in having to glom onto every foreigner i met just for companionship. it's good knowing that you can call someone up the day you arrive and not be totally alone.
finding a job went much better. i knew where i wanted to be, and what kind of jobs to look for.
it was great knowing in advance what to bring, what to leave behind. getting prepared was so much easier when it wasn't a complete unknown.
my first time here was great, it was a big frat party, with a good job and good housing. this time around is actually better. the first few months weren't spent trying to learn how to read, get around, figure out the food, function. i could just jump into my life.
it's good.
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