Korean Job Discussion Forums

[luniz2006]

I'm off to Korea this Saturday, just found out yesterday. Pretty excited, a little scared, really wish I was given more notice. Anyway, I was curious if anyone had any advice on what to do your first few weeks in Korea. Maybe to help get rid of culture-shock, help learn about the culture, meet people, ect... Is there something that you regret doing, or not doing, your first few weeks. I am 23 years old and will be living and working in Seongdong, Seoul if that helps.

Gotta start packing and say the goodbyes to the girlfriend

PS. Leaving less then a week before Thanksgiving is absolutely horrible timing (I'm from California)...

[normalcyispasse]

[VanIslander]

[kreitler7]

Ok...the first thing you should do is break-up with the girlfriend. You are going to be gone for a year or more! What kind of relationship is that? You expect her to wait around for you? Just finish it now. Trust me, it will be easier that way.

And if you are thinking about bringing her with you...well...let's just say that that probably won't work either. Most couples that I know that came to Korea together didn't leave Korea together....

[bellum99]

SAVE MONEY!!!! Save as much as you can for the first few months so that you will be safe if the job turns out to be crappy or you get screwed over. Do not be stupid and send everything home or spend everything. When it rains here, it bloody rains.

[Bibbitybop]

I don't understand the part about not having notice. Didn't you apply for these jobs? You knew you were coming. Didn't the contract your signed have dates on it? It's not like you are the military and were surprised with a deployment.

That being said, good luck, have fun and keep an open mind. Don't take shit at work, either, especially when it's frosted with "that's our culture." Refer to the contract. Don't give anyone your original degree or your passport unless they are an immigration official.


BTW, luniz, I got 5 on it.

[Mr Crowley]

I got this is from another thread. When you step off the plane at Incheon, be sure to HTFU.

[Oreovictim]

I regret not bringing enough clothes. The clothing style here is awful! Do you like Mickey Mouse shirts? How about thin horizontal-striped shirts? Pack lots of clothes; that's all I will say.

[twg]

[stevemcgarrett]

The thing I regret not doing in the first few weeks after I arrived in Korea the first time (1987) was not leaving.

Seriously, if money isn't a big concern, you'd be far better off taking a position in China or Japan.

But then as many here already well know I don't really like Korea or most Koreans I encounter (I'm here for research, which mercifully will end in three months).

However, since one poster isn't likely to give you second thoughts, be sure to bring enough of your favorite stick deodorant. Seriously, it's very hard to find here and very overpriced, and often all that's available is for women. You can order online from a Korean outlet but that will cost more than just packing it and ordering from home entails shipping and handling costs that exceed the cost of the product in most instances.

As for cultural shock, it's inevitable and will run its course, although the timespan varies from one individual to the next depending on your personality, your attitude, and so on. You might be one of the "lucky" ones who actually embraces Korean society in the end.

I've lived and traveled most of Asia and I find Koreans in the main (there are of course many individual exceptions) the coldest fish I've met. Hope you're white, male, straight, and love evangelicalism, otherwise those issues will hit you like a hammer.

Koreans are the most xenophobic Asians I've met and considering their relatively higher stage of economic development, it's inexcusable. Koreans have a love-hate relationship with America. Those old enough to have first or second-hand memories of the war are generally admiring; the young far more likely to be contemptuous even as they mimic pop American culture.

To be fair, most Koreans are hardworking, although I would characterize it more as driven. Most are now religious, if that matters to you. And serious crime is very low here. And you have to give them credit for at least loving their country, even if it often translates into extreme forms of nationalism. Much of this belies historical insecurity, which you need to come to grips with. Some of that insecurity is justified given the long reign of Japanese colonialism but the present day recoiling against all things Japanese is in part fueled by sheer jealousy at the latter's socio-economic prowess. That said, Koreans ape Japanese pop culture more than any other Asian country, although recently an indigenous pop culture is gaining ground. Just don't watch any TV game shows or Sunkist commercials unless you want to descend into utter silliness and metrosexual nonsense.

Koreans kids, while coddled as children, are nonetheless the victims of a ruthless, antiquated, mind numbing educational system that is premised on neo-Confucian notions that would make Confucius roll in his grave. I find most Korean students to be quick learners if properly challenged and, yes, very smart. But too precious few really apply themselves to their studies. The curiosity and imagination is beaten out of them--often literally--by the time they graduate from high school. If you find one who's intrinsically motivated to learn into adulthood, cherish him or her.

Their parents tend to be covetous, the fathers far too often neglectful, and in general all are consumed with being consumers, with one upmanship of a material sort that runs to an extreme. Keeping up with the Jones takes on a whole new meaning here.

The food--ahem--will at least keep you healthy and trim unless you eat the crap they sell on the streets and from the little storefront windows. Get used to kimchi as it is omnipresent. Contemplate vegetarianism if you're not a vegan already as meat is overpriced--beef ridiculously so and despite all the pronouncements about accepting American beef you won't find much selection of it in most grocery stores, especially outside of Seoul.

Ah, yes, Seoul "the soul of Asia." I think the new tourist ad meant to say "sole of Asia." At any rate, 1 in 4 Koreans now live in this mega metropolis, so get to know it. Koreans place inordinate pride in all things emanating from the capital, which is odd for a developed nation. They persist in the belief, for example, that all of the best universities are located here, a half-truth if ever there was one. And the cost-of-living has been skyrocketing for at least a decade, making a "good living" in Seoul almost as hard to come by as in Tokyo and Singapore.

If companionship becomes a concern, try to pick out a Korean girl who doesn't have makeup caked on her face and doesn't walk around like she's on a catwalk with her cell phone cradled in her palms. You'll see what I mean soon enough. Some are truly stunning beauties and know it. Lots more Korean girls with those lovely long legs and trim figures than you'll find elsewhere in Asia, I must admit. Whether that type is approachable is another matter.

Good luck and just remember that there's a whole heck of a lot more to Asia than this hermit peninsula.

But on the bright side, almost anywhere else will seem like a breath of fresh air (even if the skies are more polluted) when and if you decide to sally forth to the interior of the continent.

By the way, I say these things realizing I'm being brutally honest and fully cognizant of my own cultures many shortcomings.

[VanIslander]

[Milwaukiedave]

[Milwaukiedave]

To the OP,

I do agree with some of what's been said.

-Get use to having to do things at the last minute. That's one of the things that use to drive me nuts about being here.

-You will be viewed as an "outsider" for the most part. Most likely you will also experience being discriminated against because you are a foreigner.

-If your school starts to do things that are outside your contract, then ask someone on here their opinion (and you'll definately get more then one).

-Try to look at things that are different and appreciate them. At first it will be overwhelming, but the main thing is not to let it get to you.

I'd would like to also add:

-Get out and learn the transportation system in the first week. Find a book and/or map and plan some outings for yourself.

-Network with other teachers

-If your religious, find a church that offers a service in English

Try to adjust to your new enviroment and you'll be fine.

[mrsquirrel]

Dump the girlfriend.

She is after all only a girlfriend. She isn't a wife.

[Oreovictim]