Korean Job Discussion Forums

[KwardBound]

Hello,

I am new here. I won't sugarcoat this. I am potentially going to teach in Korea solely for money. Or, more or less 90% savings, 5% teaching, and 5% other. I have read around a bit and I gather that 60% seem to hate their life in Korea and 40% like it.

I would prefer to go to Japan again, but I really need to save money.

Here are my questions. If you know of a link that will very accurately answer my question, then please direct me there. Thanks.

1.) Korean companies pay airfare, housing, and my salary. Do they also typically pay for my transportation to and from my apt/school (or at least reimburse me like GEOS used to do in Japan)?

2.) How many of you have actually been randomly physically or verbally assaulted? Please share an anecdote.

3.) How many of you signed a contract, got paid on time every pay period, and received your year-end (contract completion) bonus? (i.e. How many have received anything they've been promised?)

4.) Who among you has walked down the street w/ your Korean girlfriend and NEVER been given an evil, critical, or jealous stare?

5.) I still want to study Japanese. Will I be able to find enough Japanese folks living in, or passing through Korea so that I can speak with natives?

6.) When I was in Japan I worked at a school during the day, and I used to work at a night club 3 days a week. What are the odds that I would be able to do this in Korea (This is actually very important to me.).

7.) Are the local women really that hard to crack? Are the female foreign residents "normal", or is there a vicious stereotype that is associated with any of the major groups?


*BTW, these questions could probably get their own individual thread, but as a newbie, I thought I would just group them here to avoid front-page clutter.

[wormholes101]

http://pics.livejournal.com/twoflower/pic/0002e4dt

[smartwentcrazy]

Go teach in Japan. Korea is not the place for you.

[PatrickGHBusan]

Even if there are FAQs here that you should read before asking questions...here goes

[Senior]

[nomad-ish]

[sulperman]

[Underwaterbob]

[KwardBound]

After the first 2 responses, I thought I wasn't going to get any help whatsoever, but you guys pleasantly surprised me.

1.) Its good to know that companies don't pay for transportation. It makes it easier to design a budget

2.) Its true that I will only get individual answers rather than 1 concise answer, but that is actually what I was going for. No one is the same, but alot of you may have had similar experiences and from that I can form my own opinion. As I'd been in Japan, and never been physically assaulted, I was just wondering if those Koreans that do hate foreigners were bold enough to fist fight.

3). this lets me know what the typical norm is. I prefer for it to be positive and negative responses here. I feel that if it was too 1-sided then that would raise some eyebrows

4.) Once again, I have read the stereotypes, and I just wanted to see if any of them have been witnessed by you firsthand, and then how you went about dealing, or not dealing with it.

5.) I'm currently not in Japan and I don't plan on living there again for the time being. As I said at the outset, I am looking at Korea as a money source. Will I learn some Korean? Naturally. But if I want to continue with Japanese, why should my location halt me?

6.) Technically it is not legal in Japan either, but I did it for about 4 months with not one problem. I didn't really have much problems in general with the police and every time I did I cooperated accordingly. Plus, there was a thread here about how K-cops are about as useless as J-cops.

7.) I'm a yong man who has traveled somewhat. I have heard sterotypes. You guys, unlike me, have experiences. If the sterotypes are untrue, then you can tell me. I ask for information, because this is information I will actually use. By stereotypes, I mean, are American women in Korea too _________? Are Thai women in Korea too _____________? Or are they normal (good ones, bad ones, and a healthy mix of in-between.)?

[KwardBound]

Another quick thing. These E2 visas don't really allow private teaching, right, but people do it, no?

For those that have helped me, I really appreciate this and further info.

For those trying to keep me away, don't worry too much. I would leave until March-April 2011 anyway. And if I get a good amount of money before that, I may not even need to make the trip. So, I'm about 50% sure I will be going to Korea.

[Gaber]

1. Nope. Shouldn't be far or pricey though

2. Me, never

3. Always

4. *shrug

5. Think you'd be hard pressed

6. It's illegal, and if you're talking about bar work... it's possible I guess, but far from common

7. There are plenty of worthwhile foreign girls here, assuming your worth a damn yourself. Korean girls aren't my area of expertise

[mcviking]

1. No.
2. Don't get drunkenly retarded and stay away from people that are drunkenly retarded and you will avoid 99% of all potential fights and conflicts.
3. I have almost always got paid on time. Sometimes I got paid a few days late because it was a weekend pay date. Generally they pay you the Friday before.
4. You will see things if you look for them. I have done this myself in the past, if you look for trouble you will find it. If you look for a mean mug adjoshi/adjumma you will find one. Again see Rule 2.
5. Many college students I know in Busan are also studying Japanese. It won't be impossible, but it is odd that there is not more Japanese culture considering how close it is. You can find Japanese tourist in shopping districts and casinos. Pretty hard to tell the difference unless you hear them speaking.
6. You might be able to pull it off, but K-immi "don't mess around." Your 50,000 bucks extra a night won't be worth it.
7. Some guys have all the luck some don't. If you aren't morbidly obese, socially retarded, or just plain creepy, you can find a date. Don't expect your teenage Asian girl fantasies to come true though. Foreign girls well its just like home except they are here, many of them come with boy friends though.

[Milwaukiedave]

[jomiro]

[edwardcatflap]

1) been answered
2) Once, verbally by a drunk Canadian/American for looking at him in a strange way (I was looking at him in a strange way because he was completely off his face at 1 o'clock in the afternoon)
3) always
4) never
5) I see tons of Japanese in Korea. Bus loads of them stop in Itaewon towards the end of the strip. There's a Japanese cultural place where they probably have Japanese lessons on the floor below the British Council in Seoul.
6) been answered
7) no, yes.