Korean Job Discussion Forums

[youtuber]

Average wage in 2005 was about 2 million.

Average wage now is about 2.3 million.


Back in 2005, 2 million was about $2350 CAD.

Now, 2.3 million works out to about $2100 CAD.


The combination of stagnant wages and horrible exchange rate means the average teacher is earning less than 5 years ago.

Awesome.

Have you started planning your exit? I have.

[charger]

Being a Canadian your situation is pretty anomolous; most currencies have devalued in the recession but the Canadian and Australian dollar have not devalued.

Hopefully the housing market will tank and we will see the Canadian dollar tank as a result. That's what I'm counting on.

[marlow]

I was gone when Busan public schools cut my extra pay for camps and after school classes from about 10M per year to about 2M per year.

[soviet_man]

[Sody]

Yuppers. The problem is threefold. Salaries remain the same for most teachers, inflation and recession. Or what is the economy like in Korea now a days? Is it still really bad?

I have met so many smart and qualified teachers in Korea who stay for too long. They make excuses like they can't get into another field or find a job back home. What they and many people on this forum need is a good shot of enthusiasm and confidence. Go get a masters degree or go to college and upgrade. Don't stay in Korea, you are just dying slowly.

Let's suppose that you manage to save 15 million won a year. I think that's a reasonable and manageable estimate for most. Or let's suppose a thrifty teacher is able to save 20 mil a year. If you stay for 2 years you aren't taking anywhere near 40 mil home after the exchange and inflation. You have no reliable work history or experience that will help you advance in a career back home. You lose more and more the longer you stay.

[VanIslander]

I made more money as a journalist back home in 2001 than I have any time in over seven years in Korea.

There's more to life than counting money.

[Mr. Pink]

Good luck getting a job back in Canada. While the dollar has gotten stronger, the job situation is still bleak, especially in former manufacturing centers such as Ontario.

Thinking of becoming a teacher? A recent report just announced that in the next 10 years they expect 500,000 LESS students. That means a lot of teaching jobs are going to vanish.

I made more in 2006 than I do now. However, I make more now than I was making in Canada and I save WAY more than I was saving in Canada. So it is all perspective, isn't it?

[.38 Special]

I know a talking dog who could totally rectify this situation...

[brento1138]

Very true! I know exactly what you mean. But let's also factor that Canadians have seen rising gas prices + ever increasing expenses / taxes (HST now in British Columbia) and wages haven't gone up since... like the 70s or something? Yet rent, housing prices, etc, have all skyrocketed. The house my parents built in 1983 was worth less than $100,000, we sold it for five times that, and now it's worth $1 million! Yikes. I'll never be able to afford that...

So we're all in the same boat. Actually, I believe I'm better off here than many of my friends back home since I'm able to save a decent amount, live a nice lifestyle, and work a job I love and have other jobs to go to if I wish.

The world simply has too many people and ever-depleting resources. I wouldn't expect an economic miracle like the 90s again, not for a while anyhow. I think we've got to learn to scrape by like many generations before us did. The times of plenty are over. The times of kids in Canada moving out at age 19 are over too, I've been hearing... it just doesn't work out economically anymore.

And the good times in Korea are over too. Won is down, now it's getting more competitive, many F visas getting the better jobs, and the nation's English level is getting to the level where in 10 years they won't need to hire foreigner teachers as often since there will be so many residents who speak almost perfect English. Even at my high school, there's been an influx of younger Korean teachers who speak pretty much perfect English.

So, let's not get too down here! It's better here than many other places... even though on the news I hear how "great" the Canadian economy is, the simple facts are that good, decent jobs (that are actually fun and enjoyable and with decent pay) are getting harder to come by and more competitive every day.

[AsiaESLbound]

Things do seem to get increasingly difficult with economics during this past decade. It hurts.

[World Traveler]

[Bramble]

I don't think I made more, but I definitely saved a lot more because the cost of living is so much higher.

[tigershark]

If you want to be a teacher in Canada, the next 5 years is the time to do it. With the emergence of All-day kindergarten many positions will become available. That is all.

[World Traveler]

How about in the U.S.?

[Konglishman]