Korean Job Discussion Forums

[demitri]

Hi guys,

As everyone seems to be aware the job market in Korea is a bit grim right now. Despite having 3 years experience (1 in Korea) I'm struggling to even get replies from recruiters, let alone a job. The looks and age are fine so it's all a bit weird considering how easy it was just a few years back.

Anyway, in search of an alternative I sent of some speculative apps for positions in China and am getting some decent responses. I'm actually trying to negotiate salaries to around the 10,000 RMB, which is significantly more than they offer in their original posts but surprisingly it seems that some are willing to negotiate. Is there a shortage of teachers out there?

Anyway, I figure that if you can secure a 10K salary for 25hrs or less with accommodation, then that doesn't compare too badly with Korea if you factor in cost of living. Am I right or am I talking out of my arse?

For those in the know are all the negative comments I'm reading about China true? Filthy everywhere, ugly women, terrible internet etc. For those who've lived in Korea and China, how do you feel about them in comparison to one another?

[fustiancorduroy]

I have never worked in China, but I have visited twice. To answer your last questions, China is dirtier than Korea, no doubt. There is much more smog in Beijing and Shanghai than in Seoul. I also remember walking by a shiny new apartment complex in Shanghai only to come across what was literally a mountain of garbage right next to it. Having said that, Beijing and Shanghai are far from filthy and are likely to become cleaner as time goes by.

Chinese women, on average, are not as good looking as Korean girls. They don't dress as well, are shorter, and seem to place less emphasis on being attractive in general. But I admit that I saw more than a few good looking girls, who were dressed very similarly to Korean girls, I might add, on my second trip to China in 2010 than on my first in 2008.

The Internet in China is censored, especially blogs, social networking sites, and any site that contains information that portrays China in a negative light, though I believe facebook was uncensored not too long ago. And it goes without saying that connection speeds are slower there than they are in Korea.

Overall, if you are interested in going to China, I think you should just do it. You should enjoy yourself provided the above factors don't sound unreasonable and you find a decent job. If you want to stay in Korea, however, I do know of a job opening in Busan in the near future. PM me if you are interested.

[demitri]

Hi Fustian, thanks for the info. I can't PM due to lack of posts apparently. Could you PM me details.

[Oreovictim]

I'm glad to hear about your current situation. Well, I'm not talking about your troubles with finding work in Korea but with the hits that you've been having from recruiters in China. (I've done four years in Korea and will soon look for work in China.)

I've been to China once, and I was only in Shanghai. I was there for a week, and by the end of my trip, I could feel a heaviness in my chest. But here's the thing. When I was there, the Expo was going on, and a lot of factories were shut down to alleviate the air pollution problems. I remember hearing that after the Expo, air pollution levels tripled. I can't imagine what it would be like to live there now that the Expo's finished. I've met lots of expats in Korea who have been to Beijing, too. They all liked it but said that the air quality is horrible, as well - even worse when you consider the yellow dust season.

I also know several foreigners who taught in Korea and are all now in China. They said that, yes, the internet isn't as fast. Some of them also can't stand the food, but at least you'll have more variety than Korean dishes.

The other negative thing, and this is if you choose Beijing or Shanghai, is the constant scamming and begging. This guy has some good videos about it. He'll tell you about the tea scams, the art scams, the shopping scams, etc. Best advice he's given- if an extremely attractive women goes out of her way to talk with you, you're warning bells should be going off.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVcu3JQvzYo

And about the women . . . beauty is subjective, sure, but I find Chinese women more attractive than Korean women. (Well, at least let's just compare Shanghai women to Seoul women.) Some Chinese women have a really nice taper to their face. The Chinese call it "seed face," I believe. Also (and again, this is just my observation), I didn't see as much hair loss on the women in China as I did in Korea.

Keep us informed on your decision. Best of luck!

[demitri]

Cheers Oreo. I should have mentioned, if I am going with China I will be going for one of the cleaner cities. Definitely not Beijing, Shanghai. Actually I've ruled out much of the north east as the pollution maps have the whole region highlighted as red. Red meaning danger, don't breathe.

The south/south-west parts seem to offer the cleanest air. Can anyone confirm this?

[Ribena]

I can say that after visitng China the air pollution was so bad that I am in fact officially dead.

[sojusucks]

OP, you're right about the Korean job market. Now that GEPIK is imploding the job market is flooded with teachers with experience.

[Oreovictim]

[Ribena]

From some of these posts one would think that some men just went overseas for easy access to women they couldn't get back home due to physical and personality defects.

[AlastairKirby]

We don't really do ourselves any favours when we include women as a factor in choosing a country to live.

With China I would be more worried about how developed where I am staying would be. I would worry about pollution. Quality of housing. Opportunities for studying the language. What kind of sights and activities I could see in that city/province. Getting lots of action would be meaningless if you lived and worked in a job and a city that you despised.

Pretty much anywhere you go in the world there will be beautiful women... except Crawley.