Korean Job Discussion Forums

[ajp]

I'm currently 27, about to graduate with an MA in Psychology and am debating going back to teach English in Korea for a year.

I feel a little silly going back to teaching after spending all this time and money on a graduate degree, but the fact of the matter is there's little that really entices me about staying in my home country (Canada) and starting a career. I had intended to go all the way to a PhD, but I got a little burnt out after realizing that I wasn't all that keen on my area of specialization.

I feel like doing another year-long sting in Seoul will allow me to decompress a bit and save some money (I have debt and am broke) while travelling, meeting interesting people and figuring my shit out. But I'm also getting older (I'd be 29 when I finished my contract) and am not too sure about how wise it would be to add another year of "ESL Instructor" to my resume when it's not something I want to pursue in the long-term.

I'm not gunning for a uni job or anything like that-- I worked for Avalon my first time around and found the experience pretty good. Basically if I could get a hagwon job where I'm teaching for about 5-6 hours a day and comfortably banking $1000 each month I'll be happy.


Anyway, I thought some of you may have been in a similar situation and may have some sage wisdom to impart.

Thoughts?

[bcoral99]

I'm in the same boat as you. I'm actually going to do my Masters and hoping that in a couple of years the job market here in Canada will be better.

I guess if you have no plans in pursuing a Phd or finding a job in Canada then going to Korea to pay off debt and figure stuff out isnt a bad idea. If you want something different you could also go to Taiwan or China for a different experience. My friend taught there and he enjoyed it. It is cheaper to live and travel in Taiwan compared to Korea and the salary is about the same if you consider cost of living, traveling, exchange rate etc.

[Hugo85]

Better to be employed in Korea than unemployed in Canada I say.

bcoral, the job market is pretty much back to normal in Canada

[bcoral99]

Hugo, I don't know where you are living but the job market is definitely not the same. Unemployment rate is 8 percent in and youth unemployment its 16%. That is not normal.

Yes better to be employed anywhere than trying to find a job here.

[C00LAS1CE]

[bcoral99]

Well, more and more companies are starting to pay for rent and flight now. No, its not difficult at all. Same procedure as you would for Korea. Obviously, it will take time to find a decent job depending on your credentials but that's the same in Korea or anywhere for that matter.

I'm just suggesting an alternative to Korea. It might be fun to experience a different culture especially since the op had said he's lived in Korea before.

[ajp]

The job market in Canada isn't really a problem for me actually. I could find a decent job here. That's my dilemma, really-- at my age isn't it a little silly to pass that up to go teach ESL?

I thought maybe some people may have been in a similar situation and could share how they felt about their decisions.

edit: yeah, Taiwan could be interesting. Learning manderin would be a big plus, and apparently your employer doesn't own your work visa?

[whitestboyalive]

To be honest, you'd just be finding yourself in the exact same position as before you got your MA. Before you got your masters, there should have been a good plan to a) get into your career field and b) make enough money in that career field to pay off your debt.

But as your MA is in psychology, I understand it might be difficult to do option A.

If you don't mind finding yourself in the same position, and want to have some fun in Korea again, yeah, come back. After one year here, you can find a better job (in a university perhaps) since you have the MA.

But it won't help your job prospects back home. Just sayin. You are 27 which is a normal age to get a career started and still make a little less money. By the time you are 29, 30... etc... it would be optimal to be making more money and in your career field... even if you aren't making a whole lot, at least you have a good foothold / start. So if that matters to you, don't come back to Korea.

Good luck!

[Swampfox10mm]

Unless you were out of options I wouldnt come here. Try finding something at home. Try to build a career first. You can always come back here. The korea teaching glass ceiling is what it is, unless you marry into this culture and join the rat-race Koreans are clamoring to North America to escape. Then it becomes an all new rat-race with more work, bills and less sex.

[Gongdeokguy]

[soupsandwich]

[Draz]

[Moldy Rutabaga]

I taught here for several years, went back to North America to complete a doctorate, and then came back here because I could not find work. In my case I didn't mind because I have a good job here, and if there is some kind of strike against having Korean teaching on your resume it surely outweighs unemployment or a Taco Bell career.

In your case, OP, to me 27 is not old. I suppose career-wise it would be best to find work in Canada and see Korea as a backup plan, but if you are as excited to come here as your post suggests, that's no crime. There's nothing wrong with coming here and having an adventure and making some money. Why can't you have fun? You're certainly less likely to do this when you're older and possibly married.

I do think you sell yourself short in not looking for a university position. You are not going to become tenured anytime soon, but you could certainly look at instructor positions, which would pay a little better than hogwans and which would give you more holiday time.

[myenglishisno]

I'd do it. I'm 27, still in Korea (my fourth year here) and having a great time.

The thing is that being in your late twenties does make you the oldest person around and it's kind of a bummer. I've been meeting groups upon groups of foreigners within my hagwon chain (my branch and others) and aside from a couple people that have 'higher rank' and more responsibility than me, I think I'm one of the two or three oldest in the entire company (which employs more than fifty foreign teachers).

So yeah, if you're like me and insecure about your age it can bring you down a bit knowing that you're older than everyone else. Just keep reminding people that you're only doing a year and that you have an MA in something. That makes it sound more legit.

For me, I'm starting an MA this year (distance education) and I keep reminding people that. That and the fact that I make more money at a hagwon than anyone I know in Nova Scotia is making, including my friends with MAs and specializations.

[ajp]

Thanks for the input everyone. Solid advice on both sides, I think. I guess I'll just have to consider my priorities over the next month or two.

I'm surprised to hear that you're the oldest teacher with your company, myenglishisno. At the school I taught at 3 of 7 foreign teachers were 28, 31 and 31. I always figured there are two main waves of people that come to teach english: people in their early-mid twenties who just got their degrees and people in their late twenties/early thirties who have worked for awhile and decided to take a year or two off to do something different.