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Korean Job Discussion Forums
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BS.Dos.
Joined: 29 Mar 2007
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 Posted: Tue Feb 05, 2008 6:57 pm Post subject: |
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| TheChickenLover wrote: |
| There are many factors that I would say are essential to help you enjoy your stay while here. Sadly, I have met so many people who have come here on a shoestring budget that does not allow them any real security and are more often than not stressed out as they count & calculate their bank balances. A few things I would suggest to enjoying your stay here. |
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| 1) Come WITH money. It's too common people here actually live paycheck to paycheck. I don't care if you're just out of school, but at [least have some common sense to have money in the bank in case you need it, & in most cases you WILL need it. I arrived here with roughly $10k & was able to make my purchases for necessities & got transportation straight away. Money in the bank is a good feeling. It's your security blanket that keeps you afloat when things can go t*ts up. |
Yeah, although $10k seems rather a lot. I came over with about �1000 ($2000), which was more than enough.
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| 2) DON'T ride public transportation. I would say the first is a health issue. The amount of open sneezing & coughing in the germ tubes cannot be healhty. Also, many problematic encounters with the locals have occurred in these areas because many of them cannot hold down a steady job, have no money, take the cheapest form of transport & when they see you, you are their prime target. You are paid well enough to buy a car, & should buy one. New is best, used is fine. You will see a large difference in how people perceive you if you actually drive yourself around than if you have to take the bus. A car resembles status here, use it to your advantage & avoid the undesirables on public transport (haven't taken public transport in over 8 years) |
That's probably the most OTT advise I've ever read on Daves. Buy one if you happen to arrive here with a spare $10k burning a hole in your pocket.
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| 3) GET YOUR OWN HOUSING. Buy if you can, or pay rent, but YOU should have full control over your living conditions, not your employer. If you can, get a housing stipidend. If you lose your job, you still have a place to live with your extra bank balance while you look for replacement work. Being unemployed & potentially homeless at the whim of an unreasonable director is always too stressful to have at the back of your mind. |
I have a lovely 3-bedroom apartment and have had not so much as a suggestion of any problems with my housing so far. 'If you lose your job', well, it obviously happens from time-to-time, just try and minimize the the chances of it happening to you by not being a tw4t, either at work or towards those you work with.
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4) Don't teach kids. Yes, kids can be cute, but teaching fruits & animals can be entertaining for about 10 minutes. After that you're not much more than a well paid glorified babysitter. Teach people who are older, have some life experience & careers. They will be able to help you & some may become good friends during your stay here.
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As about 90% of the jobs advertised here are for schools, it's going to be difficult to land a job just teaching adults. Kids aren't so bad, you're just not allowed to shoot them.
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| 5) Excercise. Too many fat foreigners here. It's both digusting & overly unhealthy, not to mention an eyesore to look at. |
This is good lifestyle advise in any country. Gyms are plentiful so join one, but more importantly, visit it a few times a week.
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| 6) Don't be identified by your job. Teaching here is a good means to make money, but use your focus on your other activities outside the workplace. Exercise, art, sports, hobbies, family. Teaching English is increadibly easy to do with enough experience that you can do it in your sleep without any real effort. What you do outside your job is how one may choose to be identified as. |
I get what the poster is saying here, basically, have a life outside the classroom. I'm studying and I always remind myself that teaching in a PS isn't really a job which I leap out of bed to run into every morning. Furthermore, I'll be very annoyed with myself if I'm still doing this in five years time. Teaching in Korea falls a long way short of teaching in the West. It isn't really teaching. It's highly animated speaking.
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7) NEVER trust your employers completely. They will burn you in some form or another. Stealing money, character assasination, promotion sabotage, office politics, you name it. I wrote a textbook that was published as a manuscript with my name "forgotten". After having the publisher recall the books, several weeks of angry phone calls to me (from someone I never expected who would steal my work), I've learned that if people can benefit or advance themselves at your expense, they will. It's a normal part of Korean culture here.
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Some of the points here are most likely true. I've certainly heard of other FTs getting a hard time from their CTs so this is probably worth taking note of. For the best part, Koreans are fairly sound people, but, and as with anywhere, you get backstabbing rodents who'll shaft you any chance they get.
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 Find love. Enjoy your time & be happy with your significant other. |
I'm lucky in that I have, but I've friends who are having a good time out here whilst being single. I'm getting that this might be a 'Seoul' status thing.
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| 9) Avoid gossip. Nothing good comes of it. |
That may be true, but it's funny and you get to twist the truth.
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10) Avoid annoying people that give you stress. I've actually been avoiding 2 people at my workplace, they know something is wrong, but I just do not trust nor appreciate knowing everything I say or do is relayed through the grapevine.
my solution to that - I politley 'requested' to get a private office because it was just too noisy in the common teachers office for hours a day. They couldn't really argue that I had to stay in the noise. |
Stress. It's everywhere, not just here. Avoiding people is one way of dealing with it, confronting your issues and not being so 'oh-so' supersensitive in respect of Korean sensibilities is another. I get fed up with people telling me to be 'very careful with Koreans as there is no saying what they might take exception too'. Bollox. If someone is annoying you on a daily basis and it's effecting your work, then do something about it. shrugging your shoulders and telling yourself that 'it's just how things are out here' is both naive and stupid. Korean are humans and believe it or not, generally civilized. Don't let them take advantage of you with that 'Korean custom' crap. Put your foot down firmly and quickly.
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| 11) Don't believe everything you read on Dave's cafe. This place can be addictive for gossip, but it really is poison for your time here. |
Yeah, maybe, bit it can also be your best friend in times of need, just don't let it distract you from what you're paid to be doing. |
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big_blue_21
Joined: 02 Nov 2005
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| Posted: Wed May 07, 2008 1:24 pm Post subject: |
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| Justin Hale wrote: |
| Those who like simple pleasures....money, yummy girls and an easy job will think Korea is fabulous, but those with the faculty of discerning what is aesthetically excellent will get bored after 2 years. |
Bingo! |
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big_blue_21
Joined: 02 Nov 2005
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| Posted: Wed May 07, 2008 1:31 pm Post subject: |
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| mindmetoo wrote: |
every single moment in Seoul is a never ending freak show staged just for me.
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I love that line . . . |
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big_blue_21
Joined: 02 Nov 2005
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| Posted: Wed May 07, 2008 1:33 pm Post subject: Re: Were you happier once you moved to South Korea or no? |
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| Fresh Prince wrote: |
The best way to ease into the transition is to find some friendly Koreans and hang out with them. |
Big time . . . that was the turning point for me . . . i enjoy going back to seoul now just cause of that . . . |
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planthopps
Joined: 05 May 2008
Location: Korea
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| Posted: Sun May 11, 2008 6:38 am Post subject: |
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| Honestly, I'm probably the same. Korea hasn't been bad for me, but it hasn't been good enough for me to stay another year. |
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Imrahil
Joined: 04 Feb 2008
Location: On the other side of the world.
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| Posted: Sun May 11, 2008 6:06 pm Post subject: |
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| I am happier here. I met my wife here, have travelled lots, and I live in warmer climate. Sure there are negative to living here, but I just look at the positives I guess. |
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merlot
Joined: 04 Nov 2005
Location: I tried to contain myself but I escaped.
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| Posted: Sun May 11, 2008 8:37 pm Post subject: |
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I was truely happy the first two months in Korea, and the last two months of my stay.
The other eight months I faked it... |
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Lola
Joined: 17 Jun 2007
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| Posted: Mon May 12, 2008 8:08 am Post subject: |
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| I was really happy the first six months, and really miserable the second six months. That was because of my job, though. Day-to-day life in Korea was always pleasant, although I do see how you could get bored of it after a while. But if you're only planning to come for a year or two, that won't be a problem. |
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Vagrantlest
Joined: 03 May 2008
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| Posted: Mon May 12, 2008 11:53 am Post subject: |
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| It seems alot of people posting here(males specifically) met their wives here. Were you planning that when you came to korea or did it just happen because you spent so much time there? |
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SirFink
Joined: 05 Mar 2006
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| Posted: Mon May 12, 2008 5:19 pm Post subject: Re: Were you happier once you moved to South Korea or no? |
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| antgonz wrote: |
| What specifically is the best point of living in South Korea? |
Cigarettes are $2.50 a pack and you can smoke in bars. |
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Chris Kwon
Joined: 23 Jan 2008
Location: North Korea
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| Posted: Mon May 12, 2008 6:33 pm Post subject: |
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Hmm so I guess all the negative people dont' hang out in the off topic forum? Glad to see some happy people for once! As with any place, it's what YOU make it... well except countries like North Korea and Iraq.
Some people come here expecting to be treated like a king, to have women flock to them, to have people speak english to them at their convenience and for everyone to follow their old culture rules. When it doesn't happen, steam comes out of their ears and it's the Korean's people fault. These same people also don't consider how people who don't speak English well are treated in America.
People who don't try to understand the culture, learn the language, and people who don't try to make friends of course aren't going to have the best of times in any country.
Anyways I love it here and doing the most routine thing can seem like an adventure sometimes. |
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nicholas_chiasson
Joined: 14 Jun 2007
Location: Samcheok
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| Posted: Mon May 12, 2008 6:44 pm Post subject: |
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| I like most things about Korea except it was a really really BAD idea to go to Gangwon-do to get over an ex-girlfriend. |
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Grab the Chickens Levi
Joined: 29 Apr 2008
Location: Ilsan
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| Posted: Mon May 12, 2008 7:47 pm Post subject: Re: Were you happier once you moved to South Korea or no? |
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| antgonz wrote: |
I am sure the first month is confusing and frustrating but afterwards being there - did it make you happier than your home country or were you the same?
Depends on YOU. If you're unhappy for some serious reason back home, it'll most likely catch up with you here. If you're really happy back home beacause of your friends and family, you may be lonely here. If you're an averagely happy enough and adjusted person, you'll probably be the same here.
I want to know because I keep reading on the boards that some people think the people in South Korea are really unfriendly and rude. Is this the case or is it because the people going there are not aware of their cultural etiquette?
It's partly because YES the social ettiquette is VERY DIFFERENT. BUT in the Korean hierarchy foriegners are at the bottom of it along with kids. Thus do not expect to be treated as more than a politely tolerated guest in MOST cases. And don;t be one of these idiots that takes every politentess or curiosity at face value, it is often only for show, sadly, lip service. This was a painful lesson that I learnt in the 4 years I've been here. You CAN make friends where you are treted as an equal and you WILL be treated as 2nd class by SOME. I often think we're lucky in comparison to foriegners from poorer countires that come here, as they are treated as 2nd class and don't have the knowledge / esteem that they come from richer, more advanced countries that we do, which is why it doesn't tend to bother me much as I know the Koreans that treat me with disdain are just xenaphobic which stems from passive / negative experiences and emotions.
What specifically is the best point of living in South Korea? I am not going to miss my family but what are some ways to ease into the transition?
For me - The money; the sense of adventure; and the job is good if you land a good place.
Easing into the transition? Learn as much spoken Korean as you can before coming. Socialise with the oher foreigners at your school if there are any. If not, try clubs like adventuekorea, yupggiclub etc where you'll meet people in the same boat. Hell I've made friends with other foriegners in my area that I just bumped into randomly in the street. And what I found to be THE MOST important thing was - establish a routine for those lonely 1st few weeks / months that includes the things you enjoy most from home, so for me that was joining a gym and working out after work, buying lots of books and dvd's and a dvd player to keep me entertained at home.
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agoodmouse
Joined: 20 Dec 2007
Location: Anyang
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| Posted: Mon May 12, 2008 10:44 pm Post subject: |
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| 7) NEVER trust your employers completely. |
Trust but verify. |
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xingyiman
Joined: 12 Jan 2006
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| Posted: Mon May 12, 2008 11:08 pm Post subject: |
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| I've been able to steadily increase my salary here. Back home it seemed like I would be forced to quit some job and then I would have to take a significant cut in pay on my next. So in that regard I'm happier. |
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