Korean Job Discussion Forums

[PARAMDUNGI]

All of us left the US for one reason or another. It's easy to forget those reasons when you find new things to complain about, like rude ajummas or open sewers. However, it's important not to idealize America when you're abroad. You will be disappointed when you return. If anything, things seem to have gotten worse here. I'm heading back to Korea as soon as possible. When I tell people about my time in Korea they ask questions like "how is that possible?" They can't imagine a life outside of their car payments. The point here is that the grass is not always greener. Enjoy your free apartment. Enjoy teaching your own language. Enjoy the 100% job security. Have fun. It's a good life.

[Gibberish]

Personally, I don't honestly see America as having changed at all in the past couple of years, and I doubt it will change any time in the future. As is always, America will continue to be exactly the same as it was before, with people being chicken littles about the economy and the state of America. People are constantly saying the end is near for America, or that we're headed for the big one, that America's time is over. Most people realize that and just ignore that doomsayers, I think. America will retain its stranglehold on the world as a consumerist nation, and things will trudge right along, business-as-usual. I'm sure this is where someone comes out of the woodwork to make a sad post about losing their house/job/family/dog and to call me an insensitive, bubble-living jerk.

But, hey, enjoy your time in Korea too, because it's likely that, surprise: nothing, for the most part, will change there either.

[Pa Jan Jo A Hamnida]

Couldn't find work back home? Anyway, I just left Atlanta after a nice holiday. A lovely city with great people! Back in Canada soon.

[Captain Corea]

Not all people 'left home' because they were unhappy.

[shinramyun]

[Goku]

Let's do an imaginary activity,

If we lived in America, what would be doing?

Mon-Fri going to work 9-5 waking up, going to work doing some boring tedious job such as typing at a computer putting in numbers (actually this is what I was doing before I came to Korea). Afternoons involve going home, making dinner and watching TV. Maybe you would have a social life, but it wouldn't last long, people have jobs and their own families to take care of. Assuming we're out of college people are hooking up and getting married. Life is the same bland thing. in 10 years time you will settle down, get married and probably be working off credit card debt.

In Korea,

You work Mon-Fri yes, but as a teacher and with students. Everyday is different and lively and the world around you seems bizzare. You meet new people everyday. Not always good, but different. Everything is foreign and you have new experiences. You make enough money not to be worrying so much about "mortgages" and bills. You have plenty of liquid cash to burn anyway you want. Some things you aren't comfortable with, but let's be honest, if you were perfectly comfortable and content at home, would you have come to Korea?

Every time I get an email from someone at home I get a glimpse of the future I could have had. A mundane boring job meeting the same people doing the same thing in a predictable linear path. Coming to Korea changes everything, especially your perspective of the world. It's invaluable experience and will probably even change your personality.

And the economy... if you're from America, it's slim depressing pickings. I think unemployment rate is still 10% right? well if it is, that's seriously bad. People like us can't high paying jobs like we do in Korea with just a bachelors degree. The money we make and more importantly can save is a lot different.

[Captain Corea]

[eIn07912]

I agree that a lot of us left because we were unhappy or just bored to tears state side.

I get phone calls or emails from my mom or brother back home, and I swear to christ, I can't tell a difference from the one this weekend to the one 6 months ago. Everybody is doing the same thing they were before.

As for the people I graduated high school or university with, that are on the same age level and educational level as myself, I wouldn't change lives with them for a million dollars. It's exactly what people said before: mortgage, car payment, credit card debt. Some are married, sleeping with or seeing the same spouse, day after day. Some have kids and their life revolves around them. All of this in the same town, working at the same job, having the same weekend activities, day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year. Blah. I want none of it.

Sure, tons of things here can get old. Teaching can be a little boring from time to time. But at least if I want to go to Thailand on one of my many 3 or 4 day weekends, I can. Or if I want to try and see 3 different girls on the weekend, I could.

There's also the free time to be productive. At home, to make the kind of money we do here, would leave little-to-no free time during the week. Here I can work out 3 or 4 days a week. Go shopping. Join a book club. Learn different kinds of martial arts. Work on that novel I've never been able to finish.

So, I've always tried to keep that kind of stuff in mind. Especially when I went through my "I hate living in Korea" phase about 8 months ago. Even then, I still didn't want to live back in Alabama. God help me, if it weren't for the family there, I'd never return.

[Yaya]

[PARAMDUNGI]

[PARAMDUNGI]

[English Matt]

I really do think that some of you suffer from a major imagination deficit. You know, you don't have to go back to the exact same town that you grew up in. You don't have to continue doing the same old, same old you were doing before you came to Korea.

I understand that the US is in a very deep recession at the moment and that things probably wouldn't be great for many of you if you went back right this moment. But my goodness people, you can retrain to do other jobs, you can go back to University, you can emigrate to other countries (or just move to the other side of your continent wide country), you can learn other languages.....there are many, many work visas you can get to go and work in other countries and many study abroad opportunities that are partially funded by your government (such as Fulbright scholarships).....You didn't leave an apocalyptic wasteland, nor is Korea the one, shining light left in the world.

Use the money you make here to retrain and accquire the skills you need to do the job you want to do, in the city, country and continent you want to work in. For many people TEFL and Korea are ok, they could be doing worse but they could also be doing a lot better.....but most people I know have a dream....however it does seem like a lot of people who come to Korea check these dreams at the airport.

So many of the same people come on this board and are clearly unhappy here but then justify their decision to stay here long term ad nauseum on the boards by trashing their home country. It's not easy by any means to get a job you will be happy with and want to do.....but by no means is it impossible.

[typo]

[saw6436]

Alot of what most of the posts above describe is the life of a person with responsibilities beyond themselves (wife.husband,kids,morgage). The same descripiton can apply ANYWHERE, not just SK vs USA.

[poeticjustice]