Korean Job Discussion Forums

[gavinhudson]

I got this question from my cousin and wanted to share my answer here in case it's helpful:

Phew... Living in Korea, as anywhere, has its pros and cons. In general, I like to say that Korea is a "middle country". It's influenced by Buddhism and Taoism, which encourage the middle path and by Confucianism, which is based on discipline and moderation; the mountains aren't too high or low; the sports aren't too extreme or too few; the nightlife is decent, but not wild; the food is a balance of the five flavours; etc. I'll make a quick list of each off the top of my head here:

PROS:
1. Koreans are the most honest people I've ever met and it's a really safe country to live in. You're not going to get special "tourist prices" or ever feel ripped off.
2. The countryside is beautiful and the numerous national parks are too.
3. Korea's a country of low mountains, so hiking is plentiful.
4. You can save a lot of money living and working here.
5. Korean food is great (especially if you like spicy food, seafood, and meat).
6. Korean girls will often want to talk to you, especially since you speak English. Some of the other guys I've talked with share my opinion that it takes a while to find Korean girls attractive since there's some aesthetic acclimatization to do, but now I find that Korea is full of attractive girls.
7. [Removed by Mod for violation of the TOS]
8. I really enjoy outdoor sports here: I've got a ski season pass, just finished a marathon, there's SCUBA, wind/kite surfing (although not as much wind as some countries), hiking, etc.
9. Health care's inexpensive.
10. There are plentiful lakes and rivers.
11. There's a lot of local and organic food.

CONS:
1. Korea can be kind of a dull place, compared to other countries. Koreans don't really like to stand out, go crazy, change their look or bodies in ways that are different from other people, etc. One way to compare US culture and Korean culture is to say the former is a heterogeneous society somewhat influenced by Puritanism and the other is a homogeneous society heavily influenced by Confucianism. For instance, in the US, bars are obliged to close by 2PM, but there's a lot of variety in the nightlife; in Korea bars stay open all night, but many are just a way for businessmen to let off some steam.
2. From at least North Korea's point of view, America is a colonial power in Korea just as Japan was, so there's that sensitive issue to consider.
3. There's barbed wire all along the otherwise picturesque coastline to stop N. Korean spies.
4. It's hard to really make Korean friends since Korea has a pretty closed culture and there's a strong "us vs. them / Korean vs. foreigner" cultural mindset. On the bright side, people have an incentive to meet you since many people want a "foreign" friend who can help them improve their English, so you at least have your foot in the door to friendships. On the down side, it's hard to really develop these past this stage into real friendships.
5. There's almost no non-Korean food (except for the ubiquitous McDonald's, Pizza Hut, etc.). I mean Thai, Mexican, etc.
6. You'll stand out. The statistic I've read is that Korea is made up of 98% Korean nationals; the other 2% are mostly Chinese.
7. There's a lot of unnecessary packaging, esp. with food goods.

[PRagic]

I was young, and I made some good friends over the course of my first year. We shared a couple of apartments, got through work, and had a great time of it when we weren't working. I still keep in touch with some of my Korean co-workers, too, and it has been about 18 years since that 'first job'.

Every 4-day weekend was spent going somewhere, most of us were studying, all of us were dating up a storm, every mountain was climbed, every pub visited. Everyone resigned for at least one more year, some for more. Everyone who had debt paid it off. Everyone who left took a monster trip through Asia and went home with some coin.

Thought some positive input might help as this thread is probably going to get hammered.

[Samurai Blur]

[oldtactics]

I LOVE Korea and I'd be staying in a second if I could find a non-teaching job. But alas...

one note: I completely disagree about the "hard to make Korean friends" point though - All the Koreans I've ever spent time with have been welcoming and invite me out every time they go out. Maybe harder to make 'deep' connections with people, but I think that's more because of the language barrier than the culture.

[Captain Corea]

I disagree with almost everything on your list.

[nomad-ish]

i can't really vote, because after my first experience here i actually did come back (a couple times in fact). i think there are a lot of good points about living and working here, and sometimes although the lessons are hard to learn, they ultimately make you a stronger person. however, that being said, i can't see myself living and working here in the long-term.

[seonsengnimble]

[redaxe]

[Konglishman]

[Underwaterbob]

Must know pro that violated the ToS!

[mayorgc]

Pros:

Lots of pretty Korean girls. (If you're into Korean Girls)
Best Korean food on the planet. (If you're into Korean food)
Cheap/efficient transportation.
Free Housing. (For English teachers)
Internet is fast and prevalent.
Generally safe from crime/violence. (For men)

Cons:

Void of international/foreign food. (McD, BK, KFC doesn't count)
Really strange/wonky prices in the market place. (+40,000 krw for electric fan)
Koreans drive like maniacs.
Many streets are filthy. (Too much spitting)
Women get treated like crap sometimes.
Discriminatory consumer practices towards foreigners.

[joltaxt]

Now I want to know what #7 was

[Captain Obvious]

[Old Gil]

Koreans are honest if you're a customer, like really really unfailingly honest. They're also the kind of people to return a wallet or even cash if they can, which is really nice.

Not great people to do business with though. The concept of 'it's not personal it's business' does not exist here.

[redaxe]