Korean Job Discussion Forums

[htrain]

I had a pretty humble beginning in ESL. I just wanted to live in China and make some money while learning and what not. I was happy to get $20 per hour teaching kindergarten even though I had to travel 30 min each way. I ended up making a lot of contacts and got to a point where I was making about $2500 a month and I thought I was doing GREAT.

Now I've come to Korea and I'm sure you know what's happening. I'm working less, am far pickier, and I feel like I'm always getting paid. The money I'm making here is just SICK in comparison. I am seriously boggled at how much I can save and make. Most of my friends think I'm "just teaching" for a paltry wage and have no idea how much it's possible to make here.

I've found I've unfortunately turned into a bit of a snob. I won't accept anything less than prime jobs, I don't want to travel, and I don't have to. It seems to just come to me.

I honestly don't want to live and work in Korea forever, but when I look at jobs now I can't imagine going back to the old way or working a low paying job in a great location. The potential here is insane and anyone who doesn't see that isn't working hard enough.

But hey... there's more to life than money, right?

[Lekker]

Have you ever eaten frozen mangos? They're really good.

[Chris Kwon]

I wouldn't say that's being a snob... you just refuse to settle for less. Nothing wrong with that, more power to you.

[UberJRI]

[htrain]

I really came here for the experience and for one year. There are places I'd rather be, but the pay and benefits are laughable in comparison. That's the rough part!

[gangpae]

Another 'I make more per diem than anyone else on the face of the earth' post. The number of self-inflating egomaniacs in ESL never ceases to amaze me. I bet you have a harem of babes willing to satisfy your every desire.

[sunnyvale]

[shifter2009]

[sunnyvale]

[PRagic]

Why should teaching be any different in this respect than any other profession. In general, the OP is just getting older and more experienced. In combination with professional development (higher degrees/certificates/teacher development programs), there are many things one can do in education over the long term, whether it be in Korea or elsewhere.

We all move past our first teaching jobs. As we gain more local market knowledge, we shun the crap jobs and gravitate toward the gravy jobs. The more people you know, the better your odds at securing better employment terms.

But, as the OP suggests, money isn't everything, and Korea is not an easy place to live and work on a continual basis. It's always good to have the time to get away for an extended vacation.

[htrain]

Nope, I'm not bragging at all. I'm not lame enough to come to Dave's ESL Cafe to tell everyone how super cool I am. What I am saying is that I am wondering if anyone could ever go back to the average ESL position again after having worked here for what I consider to be the top tier for pay/benefits/earning potential.

[PRagic]

Optimally, the best scenerio is to make your money here teaching 6-7 months a year, and then to spend the rest traveling and relaxing elsewhere.

[Easter Clark]

[Evanzinho]

Just out of curiosity, if someone is all about making money, why would you get into the teaching profession in the first place, be it teaching abroad or in your home country? Teaching has never been a job where you make big bucks. Why not, for example, become a doctor, stockbroker, lawyer, etc?

I guess when it comes down to it, do you work to live, or live to work? It sounds like for a lot of people teaching in Korea, the latter is more prevalent.

I can tell you, having taught ESL in Latin America in the past (where most teachers make less than $1k/month, *gasp!*) the vast majority of the teachers I have met (myself included) are in this for many, many reasons, but money is not one of them. Just check out other country's threads on this site, by and large, the Korea forum is the ONLY one where so many members discuss their salary in such detail!

As someone who is coming to Seoul in the next month or so to teach, can someone explain to me why this is?

To put this in perspective, I chose Seoul over other areas of Korea because, even though I know I will save less living in the capital city, I would rather live where there are more clubs, restaurants, etc, than living out in the boonies, "banking" money.

Perhaps I just disqualified myself from posting in the Korea section?

[articulate_ink]

If you compare this forum with the ones at ajarn.com (Thailand) and geoexpat.com (Hong Kong), you'll see big differences in both tone and content. There's less negativity in them, and more willingness to help without snarking. That said, I don't think the OP's comments were out of line. Korea has a lot to offer but it's also a difficult place to live in a number of important ways. Many expats here have to deal with isolation, culture shock, feelings of powerlessness, and other discomforts. Moreover, there are a few downright dehumanizing things endemic to Korea at this moment in its history, all of which are discussed ad nauseam elsewhere. Some of us deal with them better than others. I think this forum is what it is because it's where people come to vent when no one else is nearby. And I think people talk about their salaries here as a means of justifying to themselves why they're putting up with conditions that are otherwise making them miserable. Before the inevitable raft of 'But I've been here ___ months and I lluuuuvvvvv Korea!' posts come up, let me disclaim: there are plenty of very content people here. I don't think everyone's miserable, or else there would be a gigantic whooshing sound from all the Westerners leaving en masse. But it's telling that other expat forums in the region aren't so indicative of misery, boredom, and self-justification. If the OP and others can make themselves feel a bit better about their circumstances by talking about how their careers have advanced and they're making good money, let them.