Korean Job Discussion Forums

[bnrockin]

To be honest, things could be better...

I taught in Korea for a year, then was working for an international business in Thailand for a while. The job was killing me as far as hours were concerned, so I quit and tried to look for a non-English teaching job overseas...pretty much anywhere but have not had much of any luck.

Upon coming back to the states, I found it very boring and dull for me and just wasn't the same before I left to live overseas. I am dying to get back abroad.

I don't dislike Korea, in fact, quite the opposite, but I do dislike teaching kids and I dislike the way a lot of teachers are treated in Korea. I know there are reasons for it, but I feel that we are treated like cattle/children/commodities. I know if I go back to Korea to teach, I'll get the $$$ but I just wonder if it is worth the year of misery.

I mean, things even got really crazy after I left. It is like all the foreigners are treated like tolerated criminals. They are drug/disease tested, background checked, interviewed by embassies, and then they have that annual waygook round up where they are treated like kindergartners and lectured about the most pointless crap ever. Why don't they just make me wear a pin of an American flag on my clothing all the time so they know I'm a foreigner. It all makes me want to puke.

So my question is...do you think it's worth it?

[pie eater]

Its obviously not worth it to you. So why are you contemplating going back?

There are a lot of annoying Koreans thats true but there are a lot of nice and kind Koreans also - its just the jerk off Koreans who linger in the memory. But if you want a cash injection - have you ever thought of Saudi?

[bnrockin]

The issue isn't Koreans as a people. I really like Korean people and have tons of friends that are Korean. It is just the government and the school owners that treat us like kids.

[giraffe]

Well sounds like you're out of luck. Either deal with it or dont go at all. I'm not quiet sure why you're asking if its worth it or not especially since you've already been here and experienced it for your own. I think you have all the experience to make up your own mind.

[summer33ny]

There are other places to teach besides Korea. But if it's teaching you don't like... I don't know what to tell you. Unless you have a specialized skill, English is all you have to offer to them.

If you do decide to come back to Korea why not teach in a more pleasant area? We live in a rural area 40 min away from Mokpo and we find the Koreans here to be very nice and always going out of their way to do things for us... Last night my husband went to buy a pizza and the owner drove him home because it was raining. When we go to our favorite restaurant a little outside of town--if there are no other customers.. the owner will leave his restaurant unattended to give us a ride back so we don't have to call a cab. We just don't experience that rudeness and overt xenophobia that others experience in other places here...

Maybe you will have a different experience if you come back. But then again.. you will still be in Korea.

[andrewchon]

You should not eat dirt for the money. You'll absolutely loathe yourself afterwards. Sounds like you're yet to reach the depth of existence. Go search for something you'd like to do or you like doing.