Korean Job Discussion Forums

[tacitus14]

I hope England does cease to exist by 2025 then perhaps you would know Kimbop what it would be like for a bunch of a**holes to come to where you live, steal your land, enslave your people and denegrate your culture. Ohhh... but you must know what that is like. How do you think England got to be such a "superpower".

[giraffe]

hiua25

I think its a good plan and good intentions. Glad to see a foreigner actually trying to get qualified to teach in a foreign country. Honestly though i think we all know plans for the most part dont end up working out the way we expect them too. That being said Good luck trying to retire in 6 years, you'll need it.

[hiua25]

Giraffe- thanks for the encouraging words. You're right, sometimes plans don't work out, but sometimes they do. I've had plenty of plans work out before as well as ones which haven't! I was reflecting on that today and thinking that just because plans don't always work out shouldn't be used as an excuse for not trying!

I figure if things go well it will take 7-8 years for me to be in a position to retire. I will need luck, and it will be hard you're right.

tacitus14 I'm from the UK too, tell us which country you're from so we can bash it and see how you like it!!

[nolegirl]

I think your dreams are good but retiring in 7-8 years I think is a little extreme. What if you have a medical emergency, just 2 flights from Korea to USA (round trip is $1800) x 2. You'll have your property but what if it does not get rented for a year but you are still paying a mortgage and upkeep on it. If you plan to buy the house in full you will be working your but off for a long time in the ME where its so hot its unbelievable.

And you should not get a Masters in Business like another poster said. It would take 10 years experience for a company to send you overseas to work. I tried really hard to find a job overseas but 1) I didn't know the local language 2) not enough experience . A company is not going to invest alot of money to send someone overseas if they aren't greatly needed.

[slideaway77]

I'm from the UK. Great plan but I think you should do some more research. What about getting a mortgage for your flats?
After all the liar loans/subprime junk the Banks are now really cagey about lending money to people.
Usually you would need to return to the UK work a year so you could get a mortgage. How are you going to live for a year in the UK? What job are you going to find to show you have the equity to pay the mortgage?
I would invest the money in other assets. Housing will pick up again but you should wait as the housing market in the UK will still fall further.

Best of luck anyway.

[hiua25]

It'll be at least 2 years before I'll be in a position to apply for a mortgage.

Would I be able to get any kind of mortgage in the UK while I had a job overseas do you know?

I'm thinking of investing in places of about �60-80 thousand with putting down a pretty large amount of money upfront (something like 15-20 thousand).

I must admit I don't know too much about mortgages. I need to read up a bit I think!

[aquaponics08]

I plan to spend all my spare money on lottery tickets and retire in style!

[TheUrbanMyth]

[hiua25]

TheUrbanMyth- I know it won't be easy, I never said it would be. But having looked around the M.E forums for a bit and gotten some information I'm confident I can do it!

re you comment that if it was that easy then everyone world do it, I disagree. Not everyone is comfortable living in that kind of environment away from family and friends, and not everyone has the engineering or teaching quals to get a job there

re cost of living, it's tax free, housing is already paid for, you get a transport allowance or you can walk to work so no probs there, that only leaves food and other basic living expenses, anyway, I'm a good saver!


And re the problems you listed about being a landlord. If you had read the whole thread you would have seen that I have a solution.
It's easy, in Britain they're called ARLAs (dunno what they're called in the States) and they're property management companies who find tenants, deal with all maintainance and tax issues etc for a commission. So you just hand the keys to them and then pick up the check every month.
For times when the property is be empty. I'll store up a nest egg of cash too

[beast]

OP, what you want to do, is exactly what I did do. I am 37 years old now, but I came to Korea in 1995 with the same dreams that you have now. I saw so many people with the same dreams fail. I thought I would fail too. I stayed with the program however, and now i am doing very well. But think about that timeline, that took me fourteen freaking years doing this shite to eventually be where I wanted to be when I was twenty five years old. It takes time and a whole lot of patience bro'. It ain't for everybody.

[hiua25]

Beast.

Thanks for the message. It's interesting to read about someone who's actually done this.


The salaries are much higher in the Middle East and there tends to be more vacation time as well. So for those reasons the ME appeals to me more than Korea. Also the ME is geographically closer to the UK so it's no problem to fly home for a few days for a short holiday etc.

Do you work in a university or public school or even a hagwon?
I must admit I couldn't hack working in a hagwon long term.

Are you glad you've done it now?
How have you tried to stay in touch with home?
What are some of the problems you've experienced that you maybe hadn't envisaged when you started out?

Cheers

[hiua25]

update on this

I start my course at uni in September.

The plan is still on! Except that I'm thinking that I'll only work in the M.E for a few years (maybe 4) and save enough money to buy a small apartment. Then rent that out and keep that money as my pension.

Then I'll work back home during the summer every year at a university or language school, and go travelling for 9/10 months of the year with that money.

I like this plan!

[jahson4]

OP, that's not a bad plan. I'm 25 as well, about to turn 26 the end of this month. However, I don't feel like I'm drifting, so my perspective regarding life in general is quite different. Though, I've considered the MA TEFL/TESOL/APPLIED LING route before.

If this is your goal, go for it. Just make sure this is what you want to do, for life. Remember that things don't always work out, and like others have said, a contingency plan is important.

My future is still a big question mark, but I do have long term goals, like: living in China, France, Argentina, maybe Uruguay, obtaining a Master's, and somewhere in between, finding someone to love. I'm not worried about it all, though. I've figured life is meant to be enjoyed, so I'm just trying to not take myself too seriously, yet maintain a persistent lifestyle, in hopes to bear the weight of days with a smile.

[hiua25]

a big thanks to those who posted encouraging messages

I've been thinking, six or seven years in Saudi Arabia might drive me insane. A heavy price to pay. So I think I might work for just a few years. Then take an extended break to travel. Then go back to it for a few years more.

Anyway, I'm about to start the course real soon. So the first stage of the plan is being implemented .