Korean Job Discussion Forums

[demi]

Got back from Korea in June and just started working as a paralegal yesterday. OH MY GOD!!!! I hate it! What a boring life to lead!!!!

I complained (like loads of us) about Korea whilst I was there, but now I'm back in London I can't stand it! I leave for work at 7am and get back home about 7-8pm. The commute is a killer but it would be bearable if I liked the job a little.

Get another job? They're all crap!! Office jobs anyway.

Granted, teaching EFL ain't great, but it beats these office jobs and you get to have a decent life outside work. I want to get back out of this country!

Can I quit and run? Well, I guess. But that would make me a quitter (to the family. We're Greek) and I'll basically be considered to be running away from "reality".

I don't know why I've written this. Should I disappoint them all and quit tomorrow?

[paquebot]

Maybe if you keep the paralegal job but actively look for something else. That will let you continue earning money, and when you do switch (is giving two weeks' notice the norm in the UK?) you can always tell your family that you're "moving on to bigger and better things" rather than just quitting.

Just a suggestion anyway. I assume you don't have to worry about your employer holding the rights to your work visa anymore.

[bonanzabucks]

Yasou Demitra. Kala eesei?

I'm of Greek origin too. I totally see your point of view with regards to the "family thing" and being regarded as a quitter and failure. I went through the same thing as you did!

Actually, I have a somewhat similar experience to you. After college, I moved away from my family. It was really hard because I'm very family-oriented and very close with them, but I just didn't want to stay in Canada anymore (where they live) and wanted to see the world and live in a more exciting place. They, especially my mother, took it as an insult. She kept freaking out saying that I was "betraying her". You know as well as I do how melodramatic Greek moms can be! I still wouldn't have it any other way, though. Anyways, she got used to it, but she still called twice a day. Now, she only calls once a day!

Anyways, about three years ago, I moved back to Canada due to some family issues. I kept an open mind about staying there. About three days after I got back, I knew it was a mistake. My parents kept putting pressure on me to find a really great job there and everything. Well, the Canadian job market sucks and I didn't find anything as good as I did working in the States. After one and a half years up there, I packed up and left and came back to NY. My parents had a fit, but deep down they knew I was miserable there and had to leave. No regrets whatsoever, though I miss my family and I don't like my job now.

I see you kind of in a similar situation as I was then. You were away from your family a long time, in a different country, and now that you're back, it's like you're feeling that foreign withdrawal. Not to mention, you're doing a job that wasn't as exciting as what you did before and that certainly doesn't help. If it makes you feel better, the only jobs I had in Canada were call center jobs, which were much worse that paralegals! Paralegals can actually make good money.

As for the quality of jobs, they're all going to be the same. Office jobs are office jobs. You just work for different companies doing more or less the same thing. Sometimes the benefits differ from one place to another or the quality of the coworkers, but it's all the same. I was reading somewhere that over 90% of everyone working hate their jobs. I'm sure most people on this board hate their jobs. And most likely, you won't like the next job you do after this one. So, it's probably best to find something that pays well and affords you a lot of spare time so you can actually do hobbies you enjoy and do some travel. Because I can tell you that in the corporate world, everything is very structured, monotonous and anal. And judging by your hours, you're not going to get much spare time! But do you really want to go back to Korea and teach English forever?

Anyways, I'll finish by saying that deep down inside your parents will be as supportive as they can as mine were. They might not initially like the decision, but they will want what will make you happy. And while they might be upset that you quit this job, they will eventually come around and understand. Mine did and my mother is typical of the Greek moms. I'm sure yours will be understanding too.

Fillakia...

[SuperFly]

Patrioti,

Yati then meh estiles ena grama email? Exome thoulies etho steen eteria mou (Seoul) pou then boroume nah vrome daskalos. Ego kano interviews meh Koreatis keh then xeroune na pouneh theo logia sta Englesika. Ean erthes peeso, kano mia xari, ela etho. Megali eteria (#2 eteria steen Korea), kala lefta, ores xinekes keh kalo souvlaki.

Ella peeso.

PS --> Mas trone' tah koonoopia.

[PeteJB]

Follow your heart, not your paycheque.

[VanIslander]

[cdninkorea]

[Pak Yu Man]

[dogshed]

[dogshed]

[MANDRL]

[R-Seoul]

[MANDRL]

^
^
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Nice.

[R-Seoul]

And to the OP, working in London has got to be the most overrated experience ever. Terrible public transport, unbelievable expense for crap services, rundown housing that you most likely have to share, Pubs that close at midnight (if you're lucky).
I say run and live the life of the expat, it doesn't have to be teaching you know loads of jobs elsewhere if you look hard enough.

[Tiger Beer]

I made the move out of Korea four different times.

One year in South America, one year in Europe, two years in New York, and one year in San Francisco. All of those places were far superior to living in Korea.

However, its the light workloads, tons of free time, expat communities, travel opportunities of living here which can be rather addicting.