Korean Job Discussion Forums

[dmbfan]

Hello all!

Well, after a break from Korea, spending time with family in "Big Sky Country", and exploring the ESL market in Japan, I have found a new respect for Korea....................or, something along those lines.

First, yeah...I am here in Japan at the moment. What I have learned, is that it is a trade off (in most cases). The lifestyle is different, but similar. Things can be easier in different ways. Nobody stares or points (depending on where you are, though). People say, "excuse me" (in Japanese). The ladies appreciate a man holding the door open for them. There is very little insecrurity amongst the crowd. Students don't give you the "dong chim" treatment. You can find three times as many goodies at a small town store in Japan, then you can in Korea. The local brew is much better. If the locals are racist or xenophobic, they usually keep it amonst themselves, not throwing it in your face. Many Japanese don't label every excuse as "The Japnese Way".

These are only a few things.


But, as I said there is a trade of. The Japanese ESL system is way behind Korea. Most schools only offer the "each class, once a week" system.....usually going by the PLS method (which, I do think is valuable). But, I have realized that Koreans DO work much harder at learning English. The excuse here is "not enough time"..."not enough money"...."not enough motivation". Well, after teaching Koreans for four years, and knowing students (I'm talking mostly about the kids) go to private schools two, three or even four times a week..................Japan has nothing on Korea, in this case.

Money. OK, well.....things are nt quite as expensive as you may think (again, depending on where you are). There are always good deals, and when you go to the supermarket at night, most things are half off. Then, there are the awsome 100 Yen shops. You can buy pretty much anything you need (including some food) for your apartment for 100 yen...........AWSOME!

But, a couple of things are missing. Perhaps the "What will happen tonight" sense of anticipation. Cheap pizza. Being able to go out at night, whoop it up, and only spend the equivelant of $20. Most of all, having more interaction with your students. Thus, seeing the rewards of not only your labor, but theirs as well.

Why oh why..........am I thinking of coming back? Well, now that I have some actual financial goals set in stone (debt consolidation, finally opening an account,etc), knowing that I love having a lot of interaction with the kids...................and doing the job the way I enjoy doing it..............Korea has Japan beat....hands down (for me, anyway).

Sure, many teachers can do the job "by the numbers", going through the motions and doing what needs to be done. I have learned that I am NOT one of those teachers. I don't enjoy doing the job "by the numbers". I know what target age group I want to teach. I know HOW I want to teach, and I finally have some goals set in place.


Korea.....Sparkling? Well, lets not jump the gun here. But, it definitely hs its advantages. I wish I had realized it some time ago. I have definitley learned some things about myself.....good, and bad (and the fact that teaching the Future Real Conditional tense is a waste of time, espeically you don't enjoy teaching adults).


Cheers!

dmbfan

[MissSeoul]

And I heard NOVA in Japan has money problem and can't pay for their ESL teachers timely, one complainer said on Japan forum that his pay is 23 days behind and still counting....

[dmbfan]

[dmbfan]

And yes.........I admit........

1. It is about financial goals
2. It is about job satisfaction.


Granted, I wil never again subject myself to an insignificant Mr. Kim who knows jack crap on how to run an English school, how to treat his teachers, or things that Korea is the center of the universe.


Who was it that said "Korea has only won two battles in its entire history"?

Actually, I don't care about that crap anymore. I would not care about dating a Korean gal (overrated, if you ask me). I don't care about "
The Reds". I would not care about being kicked out of some no name, wanna be Korean nightclub because I am a foreigner. I would not care about Kimchi. I would not care about how Koreans have their heads up their asses about their opinion of the United States. As long as one is at a good school, making/saving good money........it is all gravy.


1. Financial goals.
2. Job satisfaction.


Granted, as I said.........Japan versus Korea.............a definate trade off of what one thinks is more imporant at the given time.


Cheers.

dmbfan

[MissSeoul]

Then be happy in Japan like a man !!!!

[dmbfan]

[pest2]

You're saying you dont want to go back to a hakwon job, dmbfan, but the troubles that caused you to leave Korea last time were due to a public school job as I recall...

Why dont you try Taiwan? Shanghai, China? Other places besides Korea or Japan? I will never come back to Korea again, but I don't think I'd do Japan, either...

[bosintang]

Hey, great update!

I did exactly what you are thinking of doing. I left Korea after working there a couple of years. I then flirted with the idea of working in Thailand including working a couple of part-time jobs, but decided my heart wasn't in it, so I went to Japan and landed an ALT position. I lasted six months, and then made the decision to go back to Korea for almost purely financial reasons. Work wise, my job was drop dead boring and I wasn't saving a satisfactory sum of money.

Ultimately I didn't stay in Japan or Thailand because I didn't have any patience and wanted to get up to speed where I left off in Korea too fast. That just wasn't going to happen. My heart was not into living abroad anymore, and I was depending on entry-level EFL too much as a living rather than a means to living abroad, like most happy EFLers treat it.

I was realistic about my situation, so I left Japan for Korea with a strict goal in mind I would stay in Korea one more year to save some money, consolidate my work experience, and then head home. I had a plan and for the most part, I stuck to it.

Remember, the grass is always greener on the other side. Everything that you made you leave Korea to begin with, whether it be Mr. Kim's happy funtime hagwon or your snarly co-teacher in an elementary school, will come rushing back to you once you move back to Korea. Jumping job to job and country to country too often won't look good on a resume either and ends up costing you a lot of time and money. And really, it's exhausting. Every country has it's pitfalls and learning curve.

The market in Japan is a helluva lot more mature than the Korean market, and so are the employers. They don't throw inexperienced teachers into positions they don't belong in like they do in Korea, and your experience in Korea isolated by itself doesn't get you anymore ahead. However, if you upgrade your qualifications, learn Japanese, and be patient, things should happen. Remember unlike Korea you can teach privates legally and you can change jobs with just a couple of weeks notice and no visa hassles. The longer you stay in Japan, the more Japanese culture and language you learn, the more you'll understand the people around you and be able to relate to them.

However now that I said that, I'm glad I went back to Korea and did the ONE year. If I stayed in Japan, I'd still be there now or another country, which at this time in my life, would've been the wrong thing to be doing.

[Dome Vans]

Although I don't have any experience in being able to compare working in Korea and Japan I would like to try and add to the 'deep thoughts'

I do however have the experience of living and being settled in, and then leaving a country that I was very happy in. But realising that my priorities were changing left. Firstly it depends on what you want to do with your life. I know plenty of people in their forties who are still travelling round spending one year here, one year there and with no real plans to settle down. These people are my friends but I could never imagine being like that. Teaching in Korea is really really fun at the moment because I have four really good schools, an excellent contract and really nice co-teachers. I got lucky in some sense but then I did do my research before I came out, so think that played a big part.

As I think that 'people are people' they can do what they want, it's not up to me to judge them. If people want to go into a classroom hand out some worksheets with no real teaching involved then they can do it. Some people put their heart and soul into their work and enjoy seeing what they have done bear fruit. I would consider myself in this category. I can't do things half-assed and would feel that I was cheating a. myself and b. my employer if I didn't do my best. This goes for a lot of people wherever they are and whatever job they are doing. Be it Japan, china, Korea etc. If you believe in what you are doing you'll go far.

I always find it so humbling to hear about teachers teaching in China to classes of 40+ students, with little equipment and limited resources. That's committed stuff. Usually on low pay as well. Hats off to them. They're getting out there doing their best more for heartfelt feeling and not financial gain.

I worked in Sweden as a chef for 4 years, loved my job, loved the country, fluent in the language. We sold the restaurant, I had ten or so offers at he best restaurants but thought it was time for a change. Broke my heart to leave but something told me it was the right thing to do. I believe in destiny so moved on. Trying my hand at something different has made me realise that I love cooking but also enjoy the challenge of trying something different and succeeding at that to. Variety is the spice of life for me. It's what makes me tick. But I think this time away from Sweden has made me want to go back. So it's to Korea for 2 years, save some money and then back to Sweden to teach there. But then you never know what might crop up...........

[dmbfan]

[mrsquirrel]

[bassexpander]

Ok, spill the beans.

What was dating in Japan like?

[dmbfan]

[Jizzo T. Clown]

[shaunew]

Japanese girls love having threesomes.