Korean Job Discussion Forums

[mukukja]

The news came yesterday: my little provincial college will not have an English program next year.

The dean gave me the word yesterday at about 1 pm. Initially, I felt a bit sad but after a few hours I felt strangely elated. I have loved my time here, but having no spouse, no kids, and no job means this 무국자 is heading back to his stomping grounds.

I am going to a 외출중 for a bit. Since me old pa has some land, I am actually going to live in a small shack removed from the world for three months or so. Just to trim the fat from my mind. At which point I might get into some organic farming. I trust this is not the normal recourse for Korean revenants.

All you who have passed your ARCs to the clerk at immigration with no thoughts of return, how did you feel?

[Illysook]

I'm thankful for most of my experiences here and I've grown a lot as a person because of Korea, but enough people have worked to make my life difficult here, that I must admit that I'll be handing my ARC card in on Monday with much pleasure.

[silkhighway]

I had lots of different feelings..relief, nostalgia, fear and apprehension about what would come next, and a sense of existentialism wondering what my time in Korea meant, if anything. I'd replay those feelings for the next year, but the feeling faded away as I started to move forward in my life. Five years on, part of me has remained in Korea (I'm here on Dave's). I still have the occasional emotional flashback (partly thanks to following this discussion board), but I've definitely moved on, and spending another year in Korea is not appealing to me at all. My advice is if you know in your heart you're done with Korea, then have patience and stick it out at least a year. If you return to Korea, return on good terms, because you want to return, not because you feel you have no other option.

[PatrickGHBusan]

[allovertheplace]

[Yaya]

Unless you're a senior citizen, you can also be comfortable in the thought that you can return to Korea and likely pick up where you left off. I personally thought the ESL industry in Korea would improve but that was back in 1994 and 17 years later, Koreans are still struggling with English. That means good news for people who do want to come back.