Korean Job Discussion Forums

[mithridates]

I was thinking about that today...when I worked for a hagwon during the summer I had an okay time, but there were some things about my life that I didn't like, such as the house I was in (no mosquito net on the windows and no air-conditioning, couldn't sleep). I also had to be at work from 12-8 every day which gave me little time to write. I wanted to write more, wanted to play in a band, etc. etc. but never really had the time to do so. I didn't feel very energetic during the day after a sweaty night of 30C, being woken up time after time by the whine of a mosquito, or dreaming that my hand or foot was itchy. I remember thinking in those dreams: I hope this is just a dream about an itchy hand, I'll just scratch it and it'll get better, I'll just scratch it again and it'll get better, scratch it again and maybe better, scratch it again, and again, again, again, again....it's
not
a
dream...

Wake up!

Where is the little f*&ker?!

And try to kill the bloody mosquito...I slept terribly that summer.
There were some people at my hagwon that spent the whole year moving from room to room (roommate's no good, hallway has people tramping up and down, etc.), arguing with the director or somebody else, and generally having a miserable time. Before they knew it a whole year was up and they hated Korea...had I spent a whole year at the hagwon I don't think I would be very content right now.

Here's the situation: You have a lot of money saved up, a nice house in a reasonable part of town, you work twenty hours a week and have no / little stress. What would you do here for two years?

Also, what did you want to do but couldn't because of the working or living conditions?

[ohahakehte]

[mithridates]

Is his name Wendell Phillips?
Wait, actually I don't think he lives in Korea, that guy...

[Mr. Pink]

Why live in Korea if you are a writer?

Never quite understood that unless you are writing a book about some aspect of Korea...but how long does it take to complete such a book?


I think my current job is alright...be nice to have a bigger house but then that might make me too comfortable.

If money wasn't a problem I think I'd just study Korean at SNU in the mornings, hit the gym in the afternoons and study at night for a year.

[purrrfect]

If I could, I would spend more time hiking up the many mountains in Korea, and I would devote a lot more time to studying Korean.

I'd also make more mini-trips to surrounding small towns and enjoy wandering around the various small side-streets.

Also, if I had ample free time, and money was no issue, I'd spend a lot more time with my interests other than teaching: my writing, my music (guitar and violin), singing (I have to admit, I love going to Norae Bangs!) and dance.

Actually, if I could wean myself away from the vice of television, I'd have ample time now for all these things...

[ryleeys]

Ideally, I'd become fluent in Korean... have a good group of close friends I could hang with a few times a week for dinner or drinks... I wouldn't mind teaching adults instead of kiddies...


But that's about it.

[VanIslander]

Korea is an ideal place for a writer. Teaching about language provides insights if you look for them; the hours of work at a typical hagwon, 3 p.m. to 9 p.m., are short, on your feet (immobility's a scribe's vice) and aptly situated in the midafternoon and early evening, since most writers do their work late at night or early in the morning; and there are fewer unexpected distractions here, as you can pre-plan the times you communicate with family back home and expats around here. Plus writers have always been well served by distancing themselves a bit from their subject, both in time and space.

As for an ideal apartment, I think I've got it made after making the necessary changes. As soon as the mosquitoes came, I bought a net for my bed. As the temperature rose, I told the director I must have air conditioning because I cannot sleep otherwise, and without sleep I cannot teach, so... the landlord installed it two days later. When the T.V. channels decreased, I bought a VCR. When my clothes overwhelmed the meagre rack, I bought drawers and a space-saving second rack. When the table became cluttered everyday, I bought a desk and found an old bookcase. I spent less than five hundred thousand won over the last year to make the place perfect for my needs.

Gaps to be filled in my ideal life in Korea include access to a scooter and van (to borrow instead of own, less worry and hassle) as well as an intelligent, career-minded, fluently English-speaking girlfriend.

That's all it'd take for my ideal life this year and next.

One's ideal life for the future is another matter.

[peppermint]

Is the girlfriend "to borrow and not own" as well?

It had to be asked..

[VanIslander]

I guess it'd be more of a lease with future option to purchase

(Um, the relationship I mean, not the person)

[peppermint]

I know, I just couldn't resist.

[weatherman]

If I was independently wealthy, I would love to live in Korea. Have had this conversation with others, and they all thought was weird. I would probably sleep in late and hit the gym in the afternoon, study Korean after that and then meet friends at night. Sounds boring to most, but I could it and be happy.

[kangnamdragon]

I agree with Mr. Pink. Even if I won the Lotto, I would stay here. I would study Korean full time, hit the sauna and gym daily and travel around the world during school vacations. I'd also buy a phat sports car for the Korean women...

[ohahakehte]

[mithridates]

I write here because I write in Korean...it's a bit silly, but since I already stand out by being a white guy who knows Korean I'm more likely to be paid attention to, and so far have had six pieces of mine in the newspapers here.
This is interesting...a lot of people want to study Korean more, a lot want to work on music, and a lot want to write. Pretty much the same as me, except that I'm working on Chinese now...
It's always been my opinion that the main problem with the system here is not so much the salary as the uncomfortability of it all, being tied to a hagwon for a year and precious little around oneself when it comes to personal development and learning the language / adjusting to living here.
Everybody here seems so innocent on this thread.

[katydid]