Korean Job Discussion Forums

[zuburi]

Hi all;

I recently graduated and was planning on entering either law school or graduate school. Got accepted to grad school, almost got accepted into the law school I want to go to. The reason I didn't get accepted is because they very very rarely take people right out of undergrad, and prefer instead to get students with at least one year (preferably two) of work experience.

I have lived in Japan before, and have also studied in Japan. However, I was always interested in going to Korea.

I got accepted into the EPIK program in Busan. I've never been to Korea before, but don't have *that* much trouble communicating with Koreans by writing words in kanji (chinese characters, don't know what they call them in Korean). I taught myself to read hangul, but that's not saying much, I know.

Now! After looking around these forums, many of the members here come off as absolutely despising Korea. As a matter of fact, now I am having many second thoughts about accepting the EPIK position. Do you guys think I'd be better off just going to Japan instead? Would a place like Pagoda be better than EPIK? From visiting these forums, the thought of teaching children and getting falsely accused of something has put the fear of God in me. I haven't signed the contract yet, and now I'm thinking of just abandoning ship.

So, why did you guys choose Korea? And for those of you that are complaining about life there, why are you staying? Was it just a lack of cultural experience somewhere outside your own country that caught you off guard?

I have a ton of questions, but I'll limit it to these for now. Thanks!

[kenbear]

i was in ur shoes almost 1 year ago, i came to korea as it wasnt somewhere loads of people have been before and i didnt know what i wanted to do as a career after uni, now i do-teaching

personally i think u cannot, and must not pay any attention to negative posts on daves for every person i meet in real life who moans and bitches there are 100 more who love it here. also alot of the stories are complete bull and some are just posters who are incredibly bored and want some attention.

busan is a great city, you'll be in a public school which are generally better than most hagwon positions,

sure sometimes its a challenge and its not a bed of roses 24/7 but if you have the right attitude and realise that this isnt your home country so it WILL be different korea will be an amazing expierience for you.

after a month here im guessin you will be wondering what you were ever worried about

[stevieg4ever]

I am EPIK, am leaving after the first year. Its different strokes for different folks but I know many people who are leaving after 1 year as the conditions are appalling in many schools. That said, a lot of people get good schools and fair play to them. In a nutshell I have to say I have never worked among so many racist, ignorant and stupid people before in my life and I can relate to many of the posts on this forum for sure. They act with such moral impunity towards foreigners its unreal and also keep in mind that there is no law that protects you should you run into trouble.

The reality is far different from the picture EPIK paints: all EPIK does is market the scheme and recruit candidates. You only find out the truth once you have arrived.

I don't despise Korea but the problem is if I stay any longer I think I probably will.

[zuburi]

Wow, those responses are almost totally different from each other

stevieg4ever, have you ever been to another country? Also, what part of Korea are you from?

I've been all over Japan. The only time I met with blatant racism was when I was living in a poor, small town just outside of Osaka. Then again, that was the only time I was in a poor town.

There was quite a bit of racism in Japan, but it didn't really bother me unless somebody said something directly to me (see the poor town). I never really minded getting constantly stared at. Can you give me some idea of the racism you're speaking of?

[zuburi]

[Suwon23]

Short answer: $

Long answer: You don't get paid much more in Korea (although once you factor in free housing it is more), but your money goes much, much farther than it does in Japan. For me, my money goes significantly farther than it did in America, but some people on this board complain about high prices, so I guess it depends on area.

If you like Japan, though, why would you ever come to Korea? I only chose Korea because NOVA went bankrupt and I needed a quick alternative. Culture-wise there's no contest.

[zuburi]

I really wouldn't choose Japan *or* Korea for money. I mean, from what I've seen, I'd be lucky to make $30,000 a year in either country if I was an ESL teacher.

I'm doing it for experience, basically. I am planning on going into international law, and can already speak Japanese. I figure being able to speak a little Korean and also having experience in that country wouldn't hurt, either. I'm not planning on basing a career on what seems to be a very volatile job market with low pay - I already have some acquaintances that swore they'd leave in a year but are now on their third or fourth.

What do you mean culture-wise there's no contest?

[Suwon23]

[teachteach]

Money, bank, dough. $$$. Like most poverty stricken westerners, I have never seen $2,000 on a single pay stub

[kenbear]

i dont avoid the expat crowd but i do avoid blind negativity, which is why i think busan is better than seoul for a cultural expierience (sorry i know this is a 'controversial' POV) for me seoul has a lot of the things i dislike about my home country. busan is more laid back but still has the big city vibe IMO.

you are right tho people need a place to vent, everyone has i hate korea days, but i had far more i hate england days when i was there.

it's hard to say as everyone has their own individual expierience and attitude. my 2cents-get on the plane with no expectations good or bad and anything bad that happens is minimal to the amount of good times ahead. korea is what you make of it and since u have travelled before im guessing you have the right attitude to face whatever happens

[Toon Army]

[Captain Marlow]

if you're coming here for culture, you might feel a little let down... my experience has been that most koreans think that sharing there culture with you means taking you out for lunch or a drinking binge... come to think of it, that seems like what most of the foreigners here are interested in too...

you will experience racism, xenophobia, nationalism and arrogance, and may have your feet spit on, be ignored in a shop, be laughed at when attempting to speak korean... but you can easily shrug these things off when you check your bank balance... just watch out for the old lady behind you looking over your shoulder to check your bank balance also...

just try to make sure that you talk to a few of the foreign teachers at the school you will be working at before you sign a contract in order to see what their teaching experience has been at the school you will be working at... i think being happy at your job goes a long way in how you will view your experience here...

good luck...

[zuburi]

[zuburi]

[zuburi]