Korean Job Discussion Forums

[v88]

I've had a great time here in Korea but now it's time to think about moving on. The problem is I'm finding it tough to leave. Given the low tax rate here, my relatively good pay, short work hours which allow me to pursue other things and long holidays I'm a little worried about making the switch.

I'm able to save a lot of money here compared to my friends back home. Despite my relatively low wage (approximately 40-60$/hr) I'm able to save more money than friends back home who earn significantly more than I do. Mainly because taxes are so low and I don't spend as much money on things like cars, appliances, home renovations...and what ever else my friends seem to be blowing all their money on. I seem to live a relatively frugal life, yet I go out more than my friends do and travel more. I also work a lot less.

I know that if I return home to my profession of choice I will take a hit in wages for the first few years but will be earning as much or more within a short time. The problem is..will I save any money? Will I have a life at all? I honestly don't know how my friends back home make things work. My best friend has a 6 figure salary (more than double mine) yet lives in a house with fewer square feet than my apartment and has paid less money down on his place in 10 years than I have in 3. Sure he drives a Lexus, has all the toys he could ever want in his house and has a nicely renovated place, but is it worth it?

I've heard from a number of co-workers that life back home is tough and many people I know who have returned home (Canada, The UK, Australia...) are back again in Korea for the foreseeable future.

Of course, things in Korea are promising to get better in some respects (mainly in quality of life) but are getting worse in others. Housing prices have skyrocketed and food is much more expensive while wages have stagnated (compared to the doubling of the GDP per capita over the last ten years, wages have barely increased at all). ON top of that the Korean population is aging rapidly and it's predicted that the number of students enrolling in Korean schools will start to drop, decreasing the need for teachers. Japan's low birth rate eventually lead to the closure of many schools and an excess number of educators in the country only a few years ago.

Just wondering what everyone else thinks of the situation. Do you feel trapped here?

[bcjinseoul]

If you have a plan or a job lined up, tons of money saved up, a great idea, acceptance into a grad school or professional program...then yeah, go for it. Move on, why dontcha.

If you're willing to take ANY job, such as working at a call center, waiting tables, trying a sales job, making $10-12 an hr doing boring stuff behind a desk, driving a taxi, working at a kindergarten or after school program for ten bucks an hour....then yeah, you'll get something...but is it worth it?

Probably not.

There's no point in coming back, even with $100K saved up, if you don't have a PLAN, even if the economy is STRONG, and it's not in most countries.

Over the years, the people I know on facebook who worked their butts off in high school and college who became pharmacists, aerospace engineers, biophysicists, database administrators, physicians assistants, CPAs and what have you, well, guess what...they never went to Korea or any other foreign country to teach English...they already had a great paying, meaningful, awesome, interesting job in their own country, as supposed to the 95% of teachers I met over the years in Korea (between 2006-2010) who majored in, say, political science, photography, creative writing, English, history, philosophy, psychology, art, music, communications, sociology, anthropology, and what have you, couldn't get a good paying job in their own country and (surprise, surprise) came to Korea as a dead last resort to pay off their debt and figure out their next move. After 2008, of course, everyone came here in a landslide like fashion, as if Korea was the new Japan.

If you got the right degree, plan, network, savings, set of job skills, etc, good luck. If not, best go straight from Korea to the classroom again, assuming you have tons of money saved up....and if you don't, do yourself a favor and STAY in Korea for a few more years.

[qcat79]

interesting insight bcj. it seems like the only non-koreans i meet over here with engineering degrees, etc (hard sciences) are usually eastern europeans working for samsung or the like. occasionally, you'll see some chinese here studying, say, medical science or dental science, if not korean.

so hurray for the hard science degrees. that's what happens when universities willy-nilly start offering b.s. degrees that the real world doesn't care about.....women's studies, african-american studies, psychology, poly sci.

however, i don't fully agree with you on the 100k in savings part though. if i had 100k in savings, i could vastly expand my options on what i could do. many people stupidly throw their money into a house, but you could live off 100k for years without having to work hard. you could go study a language in a cheap country, be a beach bum, volunteer, hitch-hike, etc.

to the poster?

i'm curious.....why are you leaving korea? are you feeling guilty that your life isn't moving forward by living out here in korea as opposed to being at home?

[litebear]

I think if you have the money for a graduate degree it could be one of the best ways of moving home. It would give you a real purpose and something to throw yourself in to and stop you worrying about the hows and whys of moving back. It also gives you a set period of time to research/network etc in your chosen field to help you find a relevant job after you finish up.

I kind of did it backwards. I left Korea cause my Missus got transfered here but I started studying part-time after we arrived. (as well as being lucky enough to find a job that I enjoy!) Studying gives me a real sense of purpose Just my two cents!

[Mr. Peabody]

[v88]

[Mr. Peabody]

[Charriere]

This thread is ringing bells with me, too.

Having left Korea in the summer 2010 to study economics at master's level in the UK, I now find myself wanting to return. I don't feel down about this decision, in fact, I'm looking forward to going back.
As UK university fees aren't as high (this statement is valid until summer 2012) as they are in the US, I was able to further my knowledge in an area in which I have an interest without going into debt. If I had found a job that really caught my imagination, I would have been prepared to go for it 100%. For whatever reason though, it wasn't to be.
I've come to the conclusion that while subjects such as economics are very interesting (or at least it is to me!), as a graduate you really will be up against it unless you're from one of the very top schools ie Oxbridge, LSE in the UK.
Therefore I now find myself with a distinction (the top grade) at master's level, and options limited to accounts work, entry level bank jobs and the likes. This does not appeal. Consequently, I have no problem returning.
Another problem affecting me, and I'm sure others in my position, is that I never completed moved on from Korea. I still regularly check this site and keep in contact with my friends who are still in Korea. Had it have been a two year programme, who knows.

As previous posters have said, without a plan and a strong will not to return to Korea, the urge is often too difficult to resist!

[SallyLH]

I think that if you know you're ready for a change and you know you want to do something different then you're maybe only putting off the inevitable by not leaving Korea soon.

Accept the fact that your life isn't going to be as comfortable for a few years after you leave but you'll be working toward something you feel more passionately about and you will eventually earn more money and get to the lifestyle you're used to. You have a good degree so I'm sure you'll eventually earn a fair amount of money. Plus you could always look into coming back if you really don't like life back home.

[bcjinseoul]

[youtuber]

Coming home is tough. Your friends have moved on. Your Korean experience isn't valued by employers since it is so common. Also, it is very difficult to find any meaningful employment that pays a decent wage. The fact that we have been out of the western labour market for a few years doesn't help at all.

Going to Grad School should be a careful decision. Unless you have prior related work experience, a graduate degree will still only qualify you for an entry-level position. And you will be in massive debt.

Then again, teaching in Korea is a dead-end job with few prospects of advancement. And living in Korea is infinitely frustrating.

So what is the best decision? Beats me. Both choices have pros and cons.

[loose_ends]

OP looks like you are looking passion in your life, at least from a career point of view. Unfortunately jobs that satisfy the soul don't always earn a lot of money, at least not at first. Money comes and goes, it always will. I left Korea with 6 figures and now I have about 1000 bucks in the bank. I've found my passion and I am happier for it. All the money I left with actually caused me more stress because I felt like I had to do something with it. Well now it's gone and I really don't give a flying F**k. I love my job and I no longer define my success by how much money I can save.

I say take the plunge and get out of Korea. It sounds like your destiny is calling and it isn't in Korea.

[young_clinton]

As far as the answer to your title......................nope. Look around you especially at the ESL jobs in other countries, does it look like you're going to get any better?

[The King of Kwangju]

As someone who left Korea 11 years ago, and who has seen many leave, and many stay, all of the sentiments in this thread have been expressed before by others, and myself.

So: don't leave Korea to have more fun, or make more money. You probably won't (at least at first). Leave Korea for other reasons: family, culture, politics, love, or ambition.

[TheUrbanMyth]