Korean Job Discussion Forums

[grant gerstners]

A concern emerges for me upon reading the recent thread about being "tall and hairy", somehow that discussion included mention of being an overweight westerner in Korea. Having spent time in different countries, I'm well aware that people in, e.g. the USA have become MUCH heavier in 3-4 decades. The difference leaps out from the page when comparing pictures of teenagers in high school yearbooks from the 60's and 70's versus from the 2000's.

I've been examining Dave's for a couple week's now, reading lots of threads and just recently began posting.

I have had the idea of teaching in Korea since August and gave it more thought in October. In the past two and a half weeks I've been reading the forums here and sending out resumes with a photo of myself.

I hope to teach in Korea but I AM overweight--and short, but otherwise healthy. The photo I send out mainly shows my face and shoulders, but my heaviness is apparent just in my face.

Is that an obstacle to getting hired? I would guess not, at first, since I have already heard back from recruiters who have seen my picture. If I get a job in Korea and show up there, will my weight be an issue?

On top of that, I'm 47, which is a lot older than the typical ESL teacher in Korea, or so I've gathered.

[Actually, one motivation I have for wanting to go to Korea is that the first person I spoke with face-to-face about teaching in Korea was a middle-aged woman who had just gotten back--to the USA--from her first teaching experience in Korea, with plans to go back.

She said that her body composition changed while she was in Korea and she slimmed down.

I tutor English for immigrants individually and in groups and enjoy it a lot, and really do want to do ESL abroad---so the weight loss possibilities are far from my only motivation].

p.s.I DO believe there's something about some countries which makes their citizens prone to obesity. But, that's a separate topic. For example, the high-fructose corn syrup in American beverages--even in the catsup. On a trip to London in 2004, and looking at a catsup label, it indicated glucose as the sweetener, instead. Mercury amalgams are common as dental fillings in children in the USA, while being banned in other countries. Fluoride and chlorine are added to drinking water in the USA, but not in some other countries.

[mattdsoares]

I'm 23 years old, 6'1" and about 280. I'm built like a defensive lineman, wear a 54 jacket and 44 pants. I'm a big guy. Not disgustingly obese, but built like a truck.

I had no problem getting a job in Korea. While I'm sure there are prejudices there about size and weight, I found that presenting myself in a professional manner in phone interviews and any contact with schools trumped that. I received multiple offers and chose the best one.

Granted, I leave for Korea in a few weeks, so I don't know the reaction when I get there...we'll see. However, I know people currently there, and according to them there will be no issue with being overweight. Friends and colleagues may point out to you that you're fat or should try and lose weight, but it's more of an open observation and not a real judgement. That's just how they are. They don't mean to make you feel bad, and won't discriminate against you, but you'll probably get some comments. According to my friends, being overweight will not limit you in terms of making friends or anything, but be prepared to either shrug off the comments or make an effort to lose the weight.

I myself am seeing the move as an opportunity to seriously drop some pounds.

[Oliver]

I lost a lot of weight in Korea. If you stick to Korean food there really is no way that you can't lost weight.

Mix up the Korean diet with regular cardiovascular exercise such as jogging or swimming. Doing that you'll see the pounds drop.

[Nuggets]

To be honest, it might affect if you get employment like anywhere else in the world. Everyone stereotypes, and has preconception about everything, that's how the human mind is wired. There will always be people that look at you and treat you differently because of how you look, I am guilty of that along with many others.

The truth is, people that are considered attractive get treated better. I mean, you have 2 highlighted negatives about you - 1. You're overweight, 2. you are a bit older than a fresh college grad. To be realistic, because of the job market you do have a much lower chance of being hired.

BUT, don't let that deter you from trying! I'm a healthy Asian, being Asian itself doesn't really fit the preferred ESL teacher image (blue-eyed, blonde, female). But, I kept trying and I finally got the position I wanted.

Also, about losing weight: I've worked at GNC before and I've come to a reinforced conclusion it's all about diet and exercise. It sounds really obvious, but this advice is always ignored and people look for the easy way out and that answer usually resides in a pill. Just drink water/juice, eat less and healthier, and do a little running/biking/swimming. You'll look better and you'll feel better.

Being in Korea will force you into a certain diet, albeit one that is much healthier than the typical American diet - I'm guessing that's how your friend lost weight.

Now, this is going to sound really mean - but hear me out. Again, working at GNC had me draw up a conclusion about overweight people, that they are overweight because they want to be. It might not make sense from the get go, but how can someone overweight say and think they want to be thinner and then go and eat way too many hamburgers, fries, and wash it down with surgery drinks? To me, when you actually WANT something you put effort into it, because in the real world you can't just 'think' away weight - make sense? It's like saying "I want to win the lotto," and then you don't even put down money to buy the ticket. I know that sounds like a strong opinion, and I believe in it - so I hope that helps.

[mattdsoares]

[Nuggets]

Well, I know what you are trying to say. But I am saying in this situation, actions speak louder than words. I'm not contending your claim that most obesity is from an inactive and unhealthy lifestyle aside from genetics which is actually pretty obvious in itself.

To not want to exercise and not wanting to eat healthier is like making the choice to not be healthy - no matter what your lifestyle may be. Do you get what I am saying?

Another example, I can think and say I want to get a master's in Chemistry. But I sit at home all day in my parent's basement playing video games. Because I didn't put an effort into it, I've effectively SHOWED that I didn't want it.

You may not say and think you DON'T want to be healthier, but you you aren't really showing it either. It's almost hypocritical - I don't mean to come off as offensive, but that is my view.

[mattdsoares]

[Nuggets]

I ran this through a friend of mine, and he gave me some analogy with strippers, sex, and std's. Then he threw the same tv analogy at me.

I formed this conclusion way back after being jaded by fat people walking into GNC and first asking which pill works best, I continue to explain to them diet and exercise, being ignored and then asked again which pill works the best again. Maybe I was trying to relate my experience to the OP, if he was truly worried about his weight for whatever reason, maybe he should do something about it.

I guess health in my value system ranks pretty high, and when I see overweight people sipping diet soda and think they can eat anything after that just pisses me off. It's only because I care! But, as you say, I can only think from the mind of a healthy person, I won't ever know what goes on in the mind of an obese one.

But, anyways, good debate.

[grant gerstners]

I am currently conducting informal self-experimentation using a digital thermometer, because body temperature correlates with metabolism and metabolism (high or low) correlates with body weight.

I recall that in the early 90's, when I was in my early 30's and more active, my typical oral temperature reading was 99.6 degrees (F; not C), a full degree above what is considered average, but still within normally encountered ranges in healthy people, and normal for me, at the time. I was 140 pounds, sometimes less.

Earlier this month, the reading, on waking up from bed, was sometimes below 97.0 and by 3pm still only up to 98.3 or so. Also I had been largely sedentary with only the occasional mild physical activity, mostly just going for a walk.

So I have been experimenting with foods and somewhat more vigorous activity.

Complete vegetarian eating seems to do nothing for raising my body temperature--but that is a tentative conclusion open to revision. Raw coconut flesh seems to help; cooked meat, too. Some people say spicy food will do it, and I have been trying wasabi sauce and other spicy hot condiments.

In recent days, sardines with sesame oil or butter, and cheese, plus Louisiana hot sauce or wasabi, even before exercise, has gotten my body temperature quickly up to 99.1, persisting through the rest of the day until I get ready for bed (back to below 98.0).

I recall shopping at GNC in the 1990's when they offered items containing ephedrine combined with caffeine and salicylic compounds (common one was called Ripped Fuel by TwinLabs, marketed to weight lifters but used by other shoppers as well).

[Salicylic acid is a degradation product of aspirin, which is why old bottles of aspirin can have a mildly acid quality in the nose if you gently sniff at the open bottle].

Ephedrine in GNC and other products is now banned, except for flu and cold medications--but those sometimes contain pseudephedrine which may not have quite the same effect--and the sale is regulated and scrutinized. It's complicated by ephedrine being a natural product from plants and plants typically make many different versions of some compounds, not all having the same biological activity.

Just combining coffee (caffeine) and two aspirin has an effect on my body temperature, though I think the effect wears off after a few days; we'll see.

Anyway, I've lost 5 pounds less than a week and will continue my experimentation.

I agree with the distinction between desire and motivation.

My suspicion is that the diet in Korea makes a big difference. My "inner scientist" motivates me to get personal confirmation by living in Korea. AND I want to teach ESL.

[Nuggets]

I don't want to sound cocky by stating the obvious, but I think if you spent the same time exercising as you did with your experiment - you would come up with better results.

The pills at the store only get you hyper, so that you could exercise more. So, you could eat them for a month, do nothing and only lose 1 lb. I know it's different for everyone, but rule of thumb is to do something physical that makes you sweat.

I mean, it's great you're making SOME sort of effort and trying to implement a regimen in order to deal with your weight, I see it as just someone else looking for an easy way out. Don't be offended, I just don't want you to try every little easy thing and then not have it work for you and turn into that person that goes "I've tried everything!"

I guess I should ask, what is so scary about doing some physical activity that drives you to sweat? I'm taking this stance as a person of complete ignorance, please enlighten me.

Oh, and it's a fact that as a person ages, their metabolism slows down, so maybe that can illustrate why there's a difference with your body temp.

[Oliver]

I'd have to agree that a combination of exercise and a healthy diet is the best way to lose weight.

I find that a combination of cardiovascular work such as swimming and jogging works well. It's good to mix things up a bit.

The Korean diet works well with regular exercise.

[Nuggets]

I have to say, I LOVE Korean food. I can eat forever and not get full, I eat like my mama doesn't feed me. Kimchi is the greatest. Yum.

[Rory_Calhoun27]

[jiberish]

Some schools actually ask for good looking people. But often thanks to recruiters it doesn't matter. It is usually not a case of the best person for the job but the first person to apply. I wouldn't worry about it. Plenty of overweight foreigners in Korea. Just if you are self concious about it you might want to get over that. Because if they think you are fat they will probably tell you.

[nomad-ish]