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Grab the Chickens Levi
Joined: 29 Apr 2008
Location: Ilsan
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 Posted: Tue May 20, 2008 12:10 am Post subject: |
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| maddog wrote: |
| Grab the Chickens Levi wrote: |
| maddog wrote: |
Then you've got gang/yob/gun/knife culture. Old ladies get mugged for their pension on the way back from the psot office. Those responsible get six months in young offenders wing.
Finally, the women at fat and ugly. That alone is reason enough to stay away.
MD |
Lol, come on mate, that's not happening everyhwere and in enormous volume and there are still plenty of nice looking (if perhaps not always nicely behaving) women aorund, well there certainly were in my social circle anyway I'm happy to say. |
Not everywhere, but more widespread than in Korea. Not in enormous volume, but certainly more than Korea. The media does sensationalize it to a degree, but there's no smoke without fire.
Last time I went home, there were endless wreaths of flower 15 meters from my house. Some guy had been murdered days pervious. At the time everyone expected it was down to some kind of rivalry. In the end, the truth came out.
Two guys were waiting to cross the street. A turned to B and asked him the time. A didn't know, so B took out a knife and stabbed him in the throat. I don't remember exact ages, but they were both in their late teens. The victim had had a few beers. The killer was off his face on E.
Killed for not having a watch - such a waste. I come from a rough place, but this was too much.
Anyway you care to look at it, street crime is FAR worse in the UK than in Korea. People have no respect for the law, or life for that matter. |
Crime visably out on the streets, yes. But crime in general - no. It's just hidden away and only affects the least fortunate members of society who have no voice here. |
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Whistleblower
Joined: 03 Feb 2007
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Grab the Chickens Levi
Joined: 29 Apr 2008
Location: Ilsan
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| Posted: Tue May 20, 2008 3:29 pm Post subject: |
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With those over 50, I think it's quite obvious. They have enough money to go and live somewhere where life is slower paced, cost of living is cheaper and fulfill an exotic fantasy of living 'a life in the sun.' A lot of them end up returning though, especially from Spain, I've read enough expat Brit in Spain forums to know that much.... |
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bovinerebel
Joined: 27 Feb 2008
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| Posted: Tue May 20, 2008 3:55 pm Post subject: |
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Here's how I validate my working here.
The salary (2200$ plus extra classes income) would demand that I paid around 37% tax in my country. Effectively the same as earning around 3100 $ if I paid tax. Then add on the 600$ a month for rent and 300 for not having to pay the medical aid I had to pay back home and that would be about 4000$ before extra work of about a 1k$ making it the equivalent of close to 5k a month. The consider I don't have to pay for a car (public transport EXISTS here) or petrol/gas which used to cost me easily around 500$ a month with my commute.
So while coming here for me had nothing to do with money I can work stress free for a year or two without taking too much of a hit or having to give up any assets back home. Given the state of poor mental and physical health I arrived here in due to a huge overload of stress which I was getting from my job during the day and trying to drink away at night ....I couln't give a damn who thinks I'm a loser. There's more to life than running the rat race (which even if you win , you still remain a rat) and hopefully like me some people learn it before it's too late. I can assure you that all my wealthy friends who are whores of the corporate machine are far too miserable and ground down to be smug about their situation. Oh they'll reap the rewards someday....hopefully before they are too old or dead inside to enjoy it .....we'll so they keep telling themselves.
I on the other hand am out seeing the world. Excuse me if I don't cry myself to sleep about my situation. |
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mindmetoo
Joined: 02 Feb 2004
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| Posted: Tue May 20, 2008 5:32 pm Post subject: |
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| bovinerebel wrote: |
Here's how I validate my working here.
The salary (2200$ plus extra classes income) would demand that I paid around 37% tax in my country. Effectively the same as earning around 3100 $ if I paid tax. Then add on the 600$ a month for rent and 300 for not having to pay the medical aid I had to pay back home and that would be about 4000$ before extra work of about a 1k$ making it the equivalent of close to 5k a month. The consider I don't have to pay for a car (public transport EXISTS here) or petrol/gas which used to cost me easily around 500$ a month with my commute. |
I would definitely say you need to earn about 45K a year in Toronto to enjoy the lifestyle and financial rewards of a teacher in Seoul. I don't know many people who graduate with a vanilla BA who can pull down 45K right out of school.
However, you won't always be stuck at an entry level wage back at home. Your salary goes up and it can go up quite nicely after about the 5 year experience mark. For most, teaching in Korea until you retire isn't a fully viable option. You need to come back home, grin and bear it, and start climbing the corporate ladder. |
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plus99
Joined: 30 Dec 2007
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| Posted: Sat May 24, 2008 12:08 pm Post subject: |
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vancouver and montreal are still basically kansas.
you canadians are so cute. |
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ReeseDog
Joined: 05 Apr 2008
Location: Classified
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| Posted: Sat May 24, 2008 6:07 pm Post subject: |
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| You trolls are so cute. |
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Nexus11
Joined: 29 Nov 2006
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| Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2008 5:13 am Post subject: |
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| mindmetoo wrote: |
| bovinerebel wrote: |
Here's how I validate my working here.
The salary (2200$ plus extra classes income) would demand that I paid around 37% tax in my country. Effectively the same as earning around 3100 $ if I paid tax. Then add on the 600$ a month for rent and 300 for not having to pay the medical aid I had to pay back home and that would be about 4000$ before extra work of about a 1k$ making it the equivalent of close to 5k a month. The consider I don't have to pay for a car (public transport EXISTS here) or petrol/gas which used to cost me easily around 500$ a month with my commute. |
I would definitely say you need to earn about 45K a year in Toronto to enjoy the lifestyle and financial rewards of a teacher in Seoul. I don't know many people who graduate with a vanilla BA who can pull down 45K right out of school.
However, you won't always be stuck at an entry level wage back at home. Your salary goes up and it can go up quite nicely after about the 5 year experience mark. For most, teaching in Korea until you retire isn't a fully viable option. You need to come back home, grin and bear it, and start climbing the corporate ladder. |
That's debatable. There is room for some progression up the pay scale. You will never become a millionaire, but if you look hard enough, there are legal ways to make a halfway decent living. You can definitely work your way up to 4 million a month, which is like $60k back home after taxes and rent are considered. That is more than enough for someone who doesn't ever plan on having kids. |
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Gwangjuboy
Joined: 08 Jul 2003
Location: England
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| Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2008 5:20 am Post subject: |
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| mindmetoo wrote: |
However, you won't always be stuck at an entry level wage back at home. |
In the UK getting an entry level position is very difficult, especially without contacts. There are about ten graduates per job. I got a 2:1 which is often the benchmark but even I had no luck. Hence, I am planning on attending grad school hopefully. |
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plus99
Joined: 30 Dec 2007
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| Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2008 7:12 am Post subject: |
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| i love that no one makes better threads than me. |
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xingyiman
Joined: 12 Jan 2006
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| Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2008 12:58 pm Post subject: |
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| mindmetoo wrote: |
However, you won't always be stuck at an entry level wage back at home. Your salary goes up and it can go up quite nicely after about the 5 year experience mark. For most, teaching in Korea until you retire isn't a fully viable option. You need to come back home, grin and bear it, and start climbing the corporate ladder. |
Sorry, but I'll let someone else "grin and bear it". I tried that for over 11 years. Had too many set backs. I would get one boss who liked me and was willing to work with me via promotions etc...Then they would get transferred and some a$$ would replace them and begin firing everyone and replacing them with their own buttkissers.
Whether or not someone chooses to go back home is their own choice and only that person can decide if it is the right move for them. I am out of ESL within the next two years and then I'll be in Australia working.
I will be the first to admit that it's quite possible to go back and actually get a descent job but I was burned too many times. Here I can make the capital to change my life in numerous ways as I already have. Back home it's just too much of a gamble with the money I have now. I know too many people who left Korea with over 10,000 US in their pockets and were back here broke within a year starting from scratch. |
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Cheonmunka
Joined: 04 Jun 2004
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| Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2008 4:12 pm Post subject: |
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| There is always teaching with the state. A secure job, a role you should be a little accustomed to now. You might also do a bit of good in the classrooms back yonder. |
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Evanzinho
Joined: 10 Apr 2008
Location: California
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| Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2008 4:24 pm Post subject: |
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| mindmetoo wrote: |
| You need to come back home, grin and bear it, and start climbing the corporate ladder. |
Yes, mother. 
Seriously though, "climbing the corporate ladder" is so 1980's, who actually still does that now-a days? We live in the age of a global economy, where, with a laptop and an internet connection, one can set up shop anywhere in the world and generate income.
Climb the corporate ladder? I may be an ESL teacher, but even I'm not THAT stupid. |
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nate1983
Joined: 30 Mar 2008
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| Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2008 4:41 pm Post subject: |
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| bovinerebel wrote: |
Here's how I validate my working here.
The salary (2200$ plus extra classes income) would demand that I paid around 37% tax in my country. |
What country are you from that puts the $ sign after the number? I'm pretty sure Canada doesn't do that... |
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PRagic
Joined: 24 Feb 2006
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| Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2008 5:16 pm Post subject: |
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Kindly allow me to sum up the bulk of the positive posts on this thread:
Work less.
Save more.
No brainer! |
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