Korean Job Discussion Forums

[wjf1]

I keep hearing that culture shock is one of the biggest problems when first moving to Korea. Is it really that bad? I am moving to Korea in a couple of months and I personally can't wait for a change of scenery. The more I read about the difference in culture the more excited I get. I don't really see culture shock being a problem.

How was the culture shock for you when you first moved to Korea? Is it something that you can't really prepare for?

[Welsh Canadian]

[Forward Observer]

Reverse culture shock. I'm convinced that it's only significant the first time you go back home. This is my second time coming back after a few years in Korea (3 first time, 3 second time), and I can hardly feel anything but relaxation and serenity.


Gawd American store clerks are the slowest molasses on earth

[edwardcatflap]

[Sadebugo1]

[air76]

[Sadebugo1]

[air76]

I have lived in Korea twice...the first time I only lasted the one year, and by the time the year was up my girlfriend and I hated Korea with a passion and couldn't wait to get out of here. Ironically it was a great year in my life, but I hated Korean culture and didn't want to live here.

As is the case with many folk, we ended up coming back a couple years later. Although our decision was entirely based on finances (we wanted to save money for a couple years to get out of teaching) we ended up having a pretty great first year back. We knew what we were getting into before moving back to Korea, so there weren't any shocks to be had. We already knew the things that we liked and didn't like about living here and so we made it work. Now, we certainly never strayed from the course, we knew from day one that we were coming back to Korea to retire from teaching and it didn't cross our minds to consider Korea as a long-term option.

Now, 2 months into our 3rd and final year back, we're back to hating it again. We don't quite hate it on the same level as we did in 2004, but we're certainly fed up with the culture once again. We have amazing jobs, so that's not an issue, but it's just time to go and to truly never return. I am not going to get into every little thing I don't like about Korea, but as I said in a different post. We just feel that Korea sucks the life force out of us, and that every day we live in Korea a little piece of our soul dies. It's the polar opposite of what happens when you're in a place like Brazil or Spain, those countries make you feel alive, this country makes you feel "bleh." In my opinion, that is.

I think that there is also a huge distinction between liking Korean culture and liking living in Korea. A lot of people enjoy the easy lifestyle and stress-free living (in terms of finances) but still can't stand Korean culture.

It's a nonsensical argument as one of the primary reasons that jobs in Korea pay so well is the fact that they need to pay more to attract teachers, but if the same compensation package could be had in Brazil, there would soon be a very small number of teachers sticking around Korea.

[Sadebugo1]

Again, very well said! I catch flak for being overly critical of Korea on this board but I just can't help it. My overall experience there was so difficult that I left Korea thinking I just couldn't cope with living overseas. Then, I went to Saudi and enjoyed it for the most part. I also worked in Thailand and then Slovakia, Japan, Djibouti, Afghanistan and Georgia all for the US government. Believe it or not, I liked Afghanistan better than Korea even with the rockets coming in every two or three nights! Of course, I didn't like the rockets but loved the students and people in general. Georgia is reputedly one of the more difficult places to live in the world. But, I loved it so much that I'm considering retiring there in 12 years. So, contrary to popular belief, I don't think not being able to cope with Korea is inherently a weakness of mine as others have claimed. It's just an incredibly difficult place to live!

Again, thanks for your cathartic post.

Sadebugo
http://travldawrld.blogspot.com/

[Forward Observer]

I have to agree with the whole Korea life force sucking idea. I feel recharged now that I'm back home.


We just feel that Korea sucks the life force out of us, and that every day we live in Korea a little piece of our soul dies. It's the polar opposite of what happens when you're in a place like Brazil or Spain, those countries make you feel alive, this country makes you feel "bleh." In my opinion, that is.

[Zulethe]

Culture shock? What a joke.

I just got back from a huge multi-plex where I watched Iron Man in 3D. Then I had a huge steak at out-back. Today I'm going to E-mart to buy imported cheese and wine.

Tomorrow I'm going to go to a huge water-park on my brand new motorcycle.

It's just so different from the west that I'm in complete shock. I don't know what to do.

[pavement burns]

air76 you have written a thoughtful post. Before coming to Korea as many other newbie graduates I had never really been anywhere else before and considering the antipodal cultural values systems between places like Canada and US versus Korea I was not surprised to read that virtually 50% of all newbies never made it past the first year. Therefore the first year was an accomplishment in successfully negotiating my own intolerances which needed stretching. Following a second year in one location there seemed to be a change of employment venue which assisted in making the experience more rewarding. At the time I felt I could probably work just about anywhere following it. Even at that I knew the challenges in advance.

The stresses of those first two years of hagwon employment are probably some of the hardest I had and I am glad I was younger to have dealt with them at that time while I made a few friends for life who have never let me go. Yes Korea can be a bizarre and strange place but in the meantime things change back home as well and my own country has it's share of idiosyncracies too. That was fourteen years ago. Korea was still growing at around 15% a year then. Now it is around 2-3% and it seems a lot quieter (5 times) everywhere.

My own country has many challenges as well. For one, it has perpetually graduated more humanities students than it has really needed. In such cases, students have the choice to relocate in their own country which is more common and if they have greater cross-cultural tolerances to other countries for their employment. If not being at the front of the line in terms of remaining locally employed makes a person a misfit in their own society they may attempt to weave a way into another non-local part of it but I believe some individuals have become far too politically correct to allow for greater employment mobility based on merit. I think it is becoming more challenging there too even to just hold a working poor job. The cost of living has increased everywhere and I am just happy to have a job I still enjoy and the opportunity to work, save money, study and take relaxing holidays.

I guess the hardest part of relocating from Korea is in finding an employer in another country I would want to work for and hiring at the same time as my contract expires. In some countries contracts are meant to be honoured even if challenging to complete one proves value. I am noticing that satisified customers make a big difference in who may employ you in future internationally as well as what specialisations you may choose to pursue. Distance course course consisted of books and cassette tapes before I came here.

Value systems are different country to country also perhaps generation to generation and can there be more friction than there is between X and Y (especially those folks who think a year entitles them to my job) and some share whilst others do not share similar perspectives which make one feel in agreement or disagreement with the majority. Rather than misfits I would suggest many who make long term arrangements to comfortably reside in foreign lands represent the atypical wings (wingnuts?) of a parabola in terms of commonalities within their own cultural values groupings. These "wingnuts" are the edges of a society's normal and average cultural values which range from extremely averse to extremely tolerant of other societies. For those who are unable to tolerate cultural differences Korea is not the place for them. They should just go somewhere else they may find more comfortable. Perhaps most of them never remove from their own maternal lands. Happy Mother's Day!

Cheers, Pavement Burns

[Jeju Rocks]

How big was the culture shock?

Mine was bigger than a bread box.

Sorry, but I watched too much of Match Game when I was a kid.

[Paladin Brewer]

I've been here for about 2 and a half weeks, so it is still very fresh for me. The only advice I have is, learn as much of the language as you can prior to coming. I was naive and thought, for example, if I needed stuff to mop with, I would see the "Mr. Clean" guy, just the text would be in Korean. No, not like that at all. The more language you know the better. Especially learn things to order food I think, beef, chicken, how much?, etc. I think most of my shock comes from my inability to read anything. That and I'm in a rural area so it is hard to find things sometimes.

[anjinsan]

I ws hit hard with culture shock at about the 6 month period, during the rainy season. When you got it, you'll know it. The big posts above stated
the situation very well, so I'll be brief here. I've been here ten years now and my family and friends are all Koreans. Love the place and the warmth of the people (when you are allowed in the group), but still gotta admit these people are weirdos. It tells me something when Japanese and Chinese pals tell me "I don't understand these people!"

Anywho, it will hit you, and you will survive (or just leave).

Have fun!