Korean Job Discussion Forums

[wjf1]

Based on what I have read it seems that the majority of ESL teachers in Korea are there for the money. Was money your main motivation too? If countries like China and Japan offered the same monetary incentives would you have still gone to Korea?

[bucheon bum]

My initial motivation was money. If Japan had the same monetary incentives, yes, I would have gone there instead. China? Maybe.

[xCustomx]

Ability to save money, travel to other countries, the fact that I studied Korean while in college and wanted to improve a little....If the cost of living wasn't so high in Japan I probably would have moved there

[simonandmartina]

I had taught in a Hagwon in Toronto for two and a half years. After graduating from Teacher's College, and opportunity presented itself, and it seemed like a great opportunity.

So I guess interest and a sense of adventure drove me here.

[carleverson]

girls!

[AsiaESLbound]

It's actually because jobs are available due to the actual real demand to fill them. These recruiters are not bluffing like many HR offices back home do for public relations attention. You can apply for jobs elsewhere, but not actually get a job despite being qualified or even more than qualified due to a lack of demand and excess competition. People go where the jobs and money are to be had.

[BringTheRain]

Cuz I didn't travel much when I was younger.
For more international experience.
The working hours in Japan for the job I originally came to do seemed longer.
China has a crappy government and the news I read about there scares me.
Korea had shorter hours than Japan and I liked the cultural and political environment here more than China.

I didn't come for money cuz the first job I got didn't pay more than a college grad would've gotten back home anyways. And the worldwide economic situation was better when I first arrived here anyways.

[reactionary]

[air76]

The first time it was just by chance...after 5 years of working at home for a year and then traveling for 2 months I finally decided to make the jump and actually live somewhere for a year. I started applying for jobs in Japan, not because I wanted to teach or anything, just because it seemed like a good option for something to do for a year and I'd talked to someone in a hostel in Mexico who had taught in Japan and it sounded good. A recruiter for a job in Japan said that he couldn't get me that job because it required at least 1 year experience but that he had a job in Korea....it started in 3 weeks, had a free flight and free apartment and he explained how I'd save more in Korea in year 1. Money wasn't a huge issue at the time either way, but it sounded like an alright deal.

The second time it was 100% about the money...after teaching in South America we wanted to get back to making good money...so we came back to Korea to work hard and save like homeless people to amass some capital to start our own business and get out of teaching forever. 9.5 more months and that goal will be complete.

[yellowdove]

to be honest, it was to get away from a job that i couldn't stand, and for my husband and i to start a life for ourselves. money was a secondary factor.

i would have considered japan and china if they had the same benefits as korea, just because i didn't really care WHERE i went, just as long as my husband and i could have jobs and be comfortable.

[ThingsComeAround]

I went to a Korean church and naturally gained a few close Korean friends.
The pastor noticed that I was going through some "rough times" with regards to work, future expectations, and recommended I come to Korea.

So here I am.

[mj roach]

tired of ex/patting in c/amer
asia seemed like a good jump
looking for airfare deals in a paper
left behind by a tourist from dallas texas
saw an ad offering free ticket/housing/job/pay
seemed like a no brainer at the time - except for
a year out teaching in bkk thailand been here since

[BringTheRain]

It's also nice dating girls 5 or 10 years younger than me when I am still in my 20s. I don't think most 20 year olds would give me the time of day back home.

[fugitive chicken]

Spent a year at home in California attempting to get a teaching job, but after many teachers I subbed for were laid off, I realized that nothing short of a miracle was going to get a new graduate with no experience a job. Living with my parents with a mound of student loans, I needed a job more stable than substitute teaching, and Korea presented itself. 1.5 years later, I'm still here with a little less debt and still very little hope of getting a job in the states.

[ticktocktocktick]

Going abroad was due to my old soul sucking job, and to see a bit of the world.

Korea was for the money. I just couldn't justify working for peanuts elsewhere.