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		Ekaia
 
 
  Joined: 31 Oct 2008 Location: Seoul
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				 Posted: Fri Nov 14, 2008 1:36 am    Post subject: How much would you be making back home? | 
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				How much would you be making back home, ish, for a similar teaching position or various gigs?
 
 
I worked as an English instructor at my uni for about a year. The pay was...ok...great perks though.
 
 
Anyone here with work experience in this field from back home? | 
			 
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		gazz
 
  
  Joined: 13 Oct 2008
 
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				 Posted: Fri Nov 14, 2008 2:24 am    Post subject:  | 
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				A lot more than I do here, but that�s not why I came here! These sorts of posts are 'not classy' 
 
 
If you want to know about the rates of pay for X or Y job do some research!
 
 
Would you believe me if I told you I made �1,000,000 a year - of course not!
 
 
So why would you believe some random person posting on here that you have no doubt ever met before in your life?
 
 
If you are happy here cool! If you aren�t do something else! | 
			 
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		Ekaia
 
 
  Joined: 31 Oct 2008 Location: Seoul
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				 Posted: Fri Nov 14, 2008 2:25 am    Post subject:  | 
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	  | gazz wrote: | 
	 
	
	  A lot more than I do here, but that�s not why I came here! These sorts of posts are 'not classy' 
 
 
If you want to know about the rates of pay for X or Y job do some research!
 
 
Would you believe me if I told you I made �1,000,000 a year - of course not!
 
 
So why would you believe some random person posting on here that you have no doubt ever met before in your life?
 
 
If you are happy here cool! If you aren�t do something else! | 
	 
 
 
 
?? | 
			 
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		poet13
 
 
  Joined: 22 Jan 2006 Location: Just over there....throwing lemons.
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				 Posted: Fri Nov 14, 2008 3:58 am    Post subject:  | 
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				| I wouldn't be teaching and I would probably be making 65-75kUS a year.  Not enough for a family of four and do all the things we do here. | 
			 
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		itaewonguy
 
  
  Joined: 25 Mar 2003
 
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				 Posted: Fri Nov 14, 2008 4:47 am    Post subject:  | 
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				no Idea.. I havent been back in the west for 10 years..  my 20's were spent here, and now my early 30's too.. so if I went home I would open my own business anyway... so with the business I owned before and my family business which I would probably venture into first, guess I can make about 100.000k a year or more depends on success..  of course not including tax.. but then again in such a cash business like I would open, I would cook those books 
 
noo I would pretty much burn them hahahahaa
 
 
cant beat the lifestyle back home thats for sure, social services, education, medical, outdoors etc.. all top class back home and FREE.. 
 
but I hated it in my teens, 20 21 , I just wanted to escape and I wanted  asia.. now in my 30's Im starting to think more and more about maybe its time I went back west for a few years for a different lifestyle for a while, can always come back in the worst case.. I mean I have done korean to death and nothing pretty much shocks me anymore I know this place better than koreans...
 
I partied here like a rockstar! did my fair share of everything for like 7 years straight 3 or 4 times a week on average spent WAY TO MUCH MONEY!! and regret it now... would trade in the memories for stocks in a heart beat.. hahahaha
 
 
you need to ask yourself, not how much you would make back home..
 
you need to ask yourself HOW MUCH YOU ARE Capable of making with the skills you have backhome... 
 
for a lot of us its to late to go home and get a job, we dont have the skills, been away to long.. 
 
but opening your own business still a good chance to make that million dollars! | 
			 
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		VanIslander
 
  
  Joined: 18 Aug 2003 Location: Geoje, Hadong, Tongyeong,... now in a small coastal island town outside Gyeongsangnamdo!
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				 Posted: Fri Nov 14, 2008 5:00 am    Post subject:  | 
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				52 K as a journalist but that was a 70-80 hour a week head editor of the town's newspaper job running a newsroom with car and cell phone expenses on top of tax, deductions and rent... worth it for a few years, not a longterm gig except for those headed for a heart attack
 
 
I never worked for a paycheque and i'm not about to start. As soon as this feels like a JOB instead of a passion I'll be onto something else.
 
 
btw... today I taught two classes how to play strip poker using mannequins I picked up at a market, each team with one figurine, the first to lose all its clothes is the loser.   Gawd was it a hoot. A lot of English was practiced by them, and what else should kids be doing friday afternoons than having fun!
 
 
Can't beat the lifestyle here. | 
			 
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		legalquestions
 
 
  Joined: 25 Mar 2007
 
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				 Posted: Fri Nov 14, 2008 5:05 pm    Post subject:  | 
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				From $100,000 - $200,000 per year as a semi-small town trial lawyer. A part time job actually, but difficult to get away from it for more than a week at a time. 
 
 
The root of the problem is that I suffer from ADD (adventure deficit disorder) and need fairly lengthy periods of vacation/trekking time on a regular basis. ESL jobs allow that.
 
 
Plus, I no longer have to worry about office overhead expenses and all of the usual self-employed taxes and employer/employee taxes. And minimal stress in the ESL business is nice compared to handling the legal problems of 200-300 people at any given time. 
 
 
Finally, no annual continuing education classes or bar membership fees/dues are required in ESL work! | 
			 
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		sarbonn
 
  
  Joined: 14 Oct 2008 Location: Michigan
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				 Posted: Fri Nov 14, 2008 5:20 pm    Post subject:  | 
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				In my field, with the degrees I have, the jobs for teaching are about 80k a year. I was in the middle of being awarded my MA last year, so it was a bit late in the process, which put me out of the job awarding phase (college teaching jobs are usually awarded at one point in time during the year, and my thesis took longer than it should have to complete...only completed it yesterday and turned it in for graduation this December). That mens that for next year I am qualified to hold one of those jobs, although going on interviews might be a bit difficult being in Korea and all that. Coming to Korea was a bit of lark, or fluke, for me, and I honestly didn't believe I was going to go through with it until I did. Now I'm here wondering why I did it.    | 
			 
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		madoka
 
  
  Joined: 27 Mar 2008
 
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				 Posted: Fri Nov 14, 2008 8:28 pm    Post subject:  | 
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	  | legalquestions wrote: | 
	 
	
	  | Finally, no annual continuing education classes or bar membership fees/dues are required in ESL work! | 
	 
 
 
 
The bar fees in my state are about $400, so it's fairly trivial.  The CLE suck hours out of my life though.  The online course was only like $150, but the time sitting in front of the computer meant that those were 15 hours I could not work.  Fortunately it's once every couple of years.
 
 
The self-employment tax is what really kills you.  Although I believe that we should pay Uncle Sam for all the freedoms we enjoy, it certainly did hurt to see that much money go. | 
			 
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		ReeseDog
 
  
  Joined: 05 Apr 2008 Location: Classified
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				 Posted: Fri Nov 14, 2008 8:31 pm    Post subject:  | 
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	  | poet13 wrote: | 
	 
	
	  | I wouldn't be teaching and I would probably be making 65-75kUS a year.  Not enough for a family of four and do all the things we do here. | 
	 
 
 
 
Good point. | 
			 
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		bundangbabo
 
 
  Joined: 01 Jun 2008
 
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				 Posted: Fri Nov 14, 2008 8:39 pm    Post subject:  | 
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				| 12 pound 50 a week as a beggar outside Tontine market - and my flea ridden, mangy dog got half. | 
			 
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		jkelly80
 
  
  Joined: 13 Jun 2007 Location: you boys like mexico?
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				 Posted: Fri Nov 14, 2008 10:26 pm    Post subject:  | 
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				| Before I came here I was a bartender making 45k a year, but I would party so much of it away I saved about 5 grand in two years. Sheesh. When I go home I'm going to have to start a new career track so I'm assuming 30-35k. | 
			 
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		coffeeandmilk
 
 
  Joined: 23 Oct 2008
 
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				 Posted: Sat Nov 15, 2008 12:12 am    Post subject:  | 
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				I know someone will doubt this, but I left a life behind in America that included 100k/year income.  I was single with only single-guy type bills.  I drove a beautiful 2 year old car with 20k miles on it and less than a 300/month payment.  I didn't own a house, but that was by choice.
 
 
Why did I leave?  I was so very unhappy and sick of only reading about the world.  I wanted to see it.  First hand.  Money isn't everything but up until the exchange rate put my income in poverty levels, I saved more here than anywhere.  With what I know now of money management, that will change once I head back to the States.
 
 
Now I am married with a child.  Money is suddenly very important again.  If the current trends in economy continue, I will not be able to save as much, thus making my sojourn here pointless.  I may have to return for the sake of my family and retirement savings. | 
			 
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		Soccerstar
 
  
  Joined: 21 Nov 2006 Location: Kyungsangnamdo
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				 Posted: Fri Nov 21, 2008 2:41 am    Post subject:  | 
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				For us, 
 is just the problem.  With a wife from Canada and me being from the US we have to jump hoops with immigration to fight for a job either place.  
 
Right now though, it is starting to look worth it.  But with our degrees we would probably land about $2000/month.  Then comes the taxman. | 
			 
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		crusher_of_heads
 
 
  Joined: 23 Feb 2007 Location: kimbop and kimchi for kimberly!!!!
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				 Posted: Fri Nov 21, 2008 6:17 am    Post subject:  | 
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				I'd be a high school teacher in Ontario in the highest qualification almost halfway through the pay grid, approximately 55-58k dealing with too much hassles.
 
 
No thank you. | 
			 
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