Korean Job Discussion Forums

kingplaya4 · Joined: 14 May 2006

I've got the rest of this contract, and hopefully one more that I can deal with here, and then I think I'll have had more than enough. I should have around 30 grand saved up, so I'm considering some short term training for a new career as a possibility, but I'm not particularly interested in going back for a master's or anything long term.

I've also been working on learning Korean for a year now, still a long way to go, but if I were to get conversationally fluent would that open any doors to anything?

If anyone doesn't have any opinions or care about what I might be doing, perhaps they could share what their future plans are, might be helpful for the rest of us.

I know this a little serious for this board, but I've got faith in you people Smile

Tony_Balony · Joined: 12 Apr 2007

My experience here plus my background has made me attractive to HR departments at technical schools and junior colleges.

Roch · Joined: 24 Apr 2003 Location: Seoul

Nick Geraci, eh.

Those who do not get the joke should go back to Hooker Hill and get laid by a Hooker or Something.

Homer · Guest

mindmetoo · Joined: 02 Feb 2004

http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?t=98839&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

Grab a look here.

juicyhumdinger · Joined: 03 Jan 2005

Depends on what you do with your free time. If you sit in front of a computer all day posting on internet message boards, you'll be in for a rude awakening Laughing

If you want to be marketable when you get back home, do some or all of the following:

-Develop your Korean language skills
-Study online or at a Korean university
-Write a book or start a blog about your experiences in Korea and / or teaching
-Develop hobbies / do volunteer work

You could easily find corporate work, or in international relations or with the government. All depends on what you do with your free time. That's one of the great things about ESL work is that you often do have the time to do many other things. . .

PRagic · Joined: 24 Feb 2006

My buddies from a few years back who packed it in to go back to the U.S. and Canada pursued the following careers, and have done quite well by themselves:

1) PR (He has a degree in journalism)
2) Marketing (He has a degree in business)
3) Computer firm (He has a BS in math and an MBA in HR)
4) Teacher (He has his BA/MA in Ed. plus a specialty)
5) Trade (He has a degree in business and speaks 2 languages)
6) Architecture (Yup, he has a degree in architecture...go figure)

All of these people have done remarkably well in corporateland, USA/Canada. They all spent 2-2.5 years in Korea, lived it up, paid off all their debt, and continued to invest in themselves. Without exception, they are all working in jobs related to their undergrad/grad degrees. Now they all have well over the critical 5 years plus of experience in their respective fields, and are highly marketable to boot.

The marketing and PR guys said that their experience in Korea didn't hurt their career. In general, actually, their employers favoured them having had the experience. Same for the guys in education. The key for them was getting back 'home' so that they could get started on their career. I imagine it would have been tougher had they been out of the loop much longer. You have a degee in biology and you taught English in Korea for 8 years? NEXT!

dogshed · Joined: 28 Apr 2006

There are jobs out there that like teaching experience even if you don't have a certificate. For example some trucking companies will allow you to train other drivers after six months of driving on your own.

Bibbitybop · Joined: 22 Feb 2006 Location: Seoul

I've heard that public school job positions can count as time spent in public school jobs back in the US, but I don't know the logistics of it. Anyways, who wants to deal with NCLB?

bosintang · Posted: Sun Sep 16, 2007 7:10 am Post subject:

Those of you who want careers in very specific areas know what you need to do. For the rest of us, the big thing is getting home. I keep saying this. You want a good job? Way more important than what skills you have are the connections you make, and how you prove yourself. Two things you do not do here.

Study Korean? Attend a Korean University program? Blogs? Blah. Great hobbies and valuable life skills, so do these things if you want to. However, they're not an efficient way of chasing a career back in your home countries unless you are particularly talented at them and it shows, or you know specifically what you are trying to achieve. Fluent Korean with no other work experience or marketable skills will bring you what? A $1/hr raise at a call centre, if you speak Korean as fluent as a Kyopo?

Nobody is going to hire you based on what you know or what you think you know. You need to prove yourself first. You won't be doing that in Korea.

kingplaya4 · Joined: 14 May 2006

^^^^^

I feel like that's true, that's why I'm looking for ideas. Distance learning sounds probably like the best one.

I don't know, if one were to really master Korean, I think that would look impressive on a resume even if the job didn't necessarily involve speaking Korean. Maybe I'm way off here, but I thought something like that might put you over the top against other applicants.