Korean Job Discussion Forums

[shimmyshimmy]

I'm trying to decide between staying a 3rd year in Japan (currently working my 2nd contract year on JET)...or going to Korea.

I would stay a 3rd year in Japan if I enjoyed teaching Junior High but I absolutely detest it. I do enjoy teaching elementary so I am thinking about applying to EPIK/GEPIK/SMOE. Can I expect to be placed in elementary schools if I request it?
Another reason that I'm thinking about Korea is money...I NEED to save about US$10K in the next year because I would be going to grad school ($$ program) after my 3rd year abroad.

I can also save that much in Japan if I tried but it wouldn't be as easy...and I would also be taking away this "coveted" position from someone who really wants to go to Japan (which I'm ho-hum about). Everyone knows I pretty much hate my job here so there won't be pretty comments if I renew my contract.

So any advice?
Should I stay in Japan with a stable job and comfortable living environment, but dread going to work, or should I take the risk and move to Korea, enjoy my job and save money, but not know what I'm in for?

One more point...I have been to Korea and I'm familiar with Korean culture being an Asian-American from NYC with some Korean friends...so it wouldn't be a total culture shock for me.

[reactionary]

Isn't the pay higher for JET? And the cost of living in Korea (especially the cities) isn't that much lower than most places in Japan. Keep in mind the yen-won exchange rate is vastly different from 2006-2007.

Also, don't automatically assume you will enjoy your job at a public elementary school. That's not a given.

[Deep Thirteen]

If you have trouble saving over on JET, you won't save much on SMOE/EPIK/GEPIK (even with subsidized housing) unless you really change your lifestyle. Check the exchange rates right now.

Search for some other threads on saving in Korea, like this recent one:
http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?t=168130&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

I'm curious, what don't you particulary find appealing about your JHS?

[creeper1]

[reactionary]

A lot of people hate their jobs.

Guess what? Teaching may not be about money, but working IS.

"Leave the job open?" Give me a break.

[creeper1]

[reactionary]

You haven't lived in Korea (or the world) very long, have you?

Boss: Do you like working here?
Discontented employee: Yessir!

[lifeinkorea]

It can go both ways. I worked in Japan, and I prefer Korea. As being a tourist, I would go back to Japan. It depends on what you want.

[ippy]

Ive gone from jet to private dispatch to home for 6 months to korea. Truth is, if a job came up in japan i probably would have grabbed it. Once you give up that visa in japan, i promise you, its tough getting it back. The competition (at least for this year) was intense so most dispatches were recruiting from within japan.

Korea seems like a crap shoot. Much more so than in japan (though i admit with the collapse of nova youre seeing a lot more of those little slave driving eikaiwas cropping up... and also with jet losing its monopoly, youre also seeing a squeeze on teacher wages from competing dispatches that will probably push the 250,000 dispatch wage down by 10 or 20k by the next few years whilst demand for jobs stays pretty high). But it does seem like saving money here isnt a problem. Ive spent about 70,000 won in the last two weeks (by necessity), and though its not comfortable, its definitely doable.

But you also have to factor in the following into your decision:

Start up costs. Just moving and getting relocated costs more than you think. It can eat into whatever savings you have making things a bit self defeating when youre spending your first three or four months just getting back to where you were when you left japan.

Language. Being dumb and illiterate again blows. Even if your japanese is kinda bad, youll still have enough survival japanese to get around. Now imagine youre in korea, youre in a town on your own and you cant even ask the most basic stuff like "how much?" because the pimsleur youre riding through doesnt even cover it till around lesson 12 I dunno, it feels more frustrating the second time around just because it feels like all your progress has been wiped and youre back at square one (which of course you are). This also has a negative impact on teaching because suddenly youre massively reliant on your coteacher for translations again for even the simplest stuff (which i personally find deeply frustrating). Not only that, but you cant really banter with the students which pretty much made teaching a breeze for me in years three and four.

Endless comparisons with Japan: It oscillates. My first four days Japan could do no wrong, korea was dirtier, noisier, more invasive of my personal space, less innocent in the staring (and my how you get stared at). But as soon as i hit my school and started to understand things a bit more, i found i love korea. Japanese people are now crazy cold lunatics. I mean why the hell dont they go home when their workday is over? 5pm and whoosh! its a stampede out the door for korean teachers.

I expect this oscillation will be the template ill live by for the next year.

Positives though:

New scenery. New ways of life. Totally different culture. But youll also find loads of stuff you like in the combinis. Also, no matter where you are, youll probably be within an hour of a major city. Its almost like civilization. You build your cities all kind of equidistant from each other to maximise their resources Im rural, but a mere 25 minutes away from gwangju, two hours from daejon/busan, and 4 hours from seoul.

The intercity buses are AWESOME. The seats on them are fekking huge. Its like flying first class

School dinners are great. Cheap (2000 won) and you can eat what you like. It doesnt hurt that theres no sign of gray tofu in your miso soup, clearly out of date, rotting vegetables, or chikuwa. Instead its all tasty and all good for you.

I get paid OVERTIME for teaching classes within my normal work day because someone somewhere arbitrarily decided that these were "after school" classes and not part of the standard curriculum. Absolutely mind bogglingly unreal. As far as im concerned between the hours of 9 to 5 you can have me cleaning toilets if you really want. Christ cleaning time in japan often meant i was. But here even though im paid till 5, any class i teach after 2.30 is paid extra. Who made up this dream rule?
I know in japan they pay the after school club activities coaches an extra something something per month. But that amounts to around 15-30,000 yen a month. And jesus, the stuff they have to do for that money!!!

Winter break. OMG winter break. One month off to go snowboarding or languishing on a beach in thailand. If your school is nice, ive heard that the one month in february sometimes becomes two months after the winter camps over in mid january (which you also get paid an obscene amount of overtime for)

School. I may have been lucky, but coming here ive got a nice middle school with students who act more like japanese shogakko students. I mean sure, im new so theyre playing up, but it just seems kinda different from japanese schools. Maybe more innocent in a way The English level is just as terrible though

Gyms. In parks, outside where you live. Best thing so far. I have a 1km running track outside my house with 2 football pitches, a baseball court, a basketball court, three tennis courts and of course a set of random all weather exercise multigym equipment. Oh and not to mention the random open air aerobics sessions that crop up every night around 7pm-9pm. And i mean proper gym aerobics with a teacher and music. Not the itch ni san shi stuff you see people half heartedly working through at 7 in the morning at work in japan.

Transport. Cheap and reliable. Not much else to say really. It costs me 1000 won (about 100 yen) to go to gwangju by bus (about a 45 minute journey to downtown). Or i can do it in 15 minutes by train for 4000 won.

PCbang. Internet cafes. About 1000 won an hour and literally EVERYWHERE.

I dunno, thatll do so far. Clearly first stage of culture shock, ill hit the second stage "no, everythings crap!" soon enough But hope this all helps give you a bit more info.

Oh, guess i should add this. If you want a job in korea, you best get yoru docs sorted out, its a different visa process, so make sure you know what you need and do it asap. The criminal records check plus apostille is a pain in the ass, particularly if youre going to be doing it from japan.
Also, dont limit yourself to seoul or nothing. Theres some really nice places ive seen so far, and im in chollanamdo which is about as far south as you get

[Demophobe]

^ Great post. ^

[DrugstoreCowgirl]

[ippy]

[Demophobe]

[Bog Roll]

[Julius]