Korean Job Discussion Forums

silversurfer8 · Joined: 13 Jan 2012

Curious what mainly teachers plan to do once the roller coaster life style has run its course in Korea. Venture to Japan, Taiwan or China? Or tackle the more daunting task of finding work in your home country.
I've experimented with trying to find a teaching job in the United States and it's no picnic without having a license. Master's Degree and years of experience are great, but what are the keys to finding and landing a job in the USA?
Others have told me it can be quite frustrating and months of research still have them 'forced' to continue to be employed in South Korea and other friends I know in Japan. What are the best websites to find work? Or is it better to contact a million universities and academies in the area where you would like to settle down? My friends got me thinking and in no way do I want to make Korea my permanent home.
However, the alternative is finding work back home. What is the best avenue to take to increase your chances of getting employed as an ESL teacher or a regular school teacher in US of A???

xinster · Joined: 04 Jan 2012

Why would you want to teach back in the USA? What's wrong with being 'forced' to stay employed in SK?

myenglishisno · Joined: 08 Mar 2011 Location: Geumchon

Yaya · Joined: 25 Feb 2003 Location: Seoul

This topic has been done many times before but is still a source of concern for expats here, and that extends to people who don't teach English.

My advice is to ask what makes you happy. Many in Korea are happy, but many are not. Even the ones who are happy aren't sure that Korea is the place they want to settle down in, and I'd say that's the case for MOST expats who teach here. If so, I'd give Korea up to two to three years and save as much as you can (and travel) and then go back to where you want to settle and start building a career there. I'd say this is not the time to find work or start a biz in the U.S., but well, when opportunity arises, being there is better than being here to grab it.

You might love your hakwon and students but that doesn't last (unless you run a hakwon and that can be worse). You won't stay in your 20s and 30s forever and well, when you hit 40, that feeling can really bite.

Teaching elsewhere in Asia or South America is possible but wages are often lower. Going to graduate school is a process in itself and well, I'd say if you aren't committed to the area of study, don't do it given the admissions process, study and money involved. And PLENTY of people with master's and Ph.Ds are out of work. Another problem is the higher expectations you get when earning an advanced degree, and that's bad given the horrible job markets in Korea and abroad.

Here's an interesting article about whether a Ph.D is worth it or a big waste of time.

http://www.economist.com/node/17723223

So the answer to the OP's question is not an easy one. Grad school, going home to a horrendous job market, staying here -- it's your choice.

Times30 · Joined: 27 Mar 2010

Personally I see nothing wrong with making a career by teaching ESL. There does seem to be some stigma though that it's not a proper one.

I'm 28 so when I told everyone I'm going back to Korea I was pretty much pegged some kind of nomadic transient loser... not that I care what they think, but to those that do, just be warned it will happen.

Anyways, I fail to see how teaching ESL can't be a "real" job. From what I see, all my friends are stuck at their 35k jobs doing entry level work doomed to never climb the ladder. Most of them work in accounting, (fund accounting in particular) which is a wasteland of psychological despair.

Back home prospects are terrible. Really really bad. Few years of teaching ESL doesn't help niche you into whatever you want to get into either so you're stuck between a rock and a hard place.

But yaya has the point that at 40 your prospects go down the hole. Although I do know of people who are 40 and still manage to get jobs, you just have to build a firm network of friends and acquaintances to help get you by.

sublunari · Joined: 11 Jun 2009

The only friends I have who are really doing well studied computer programming, and have a serious passion for it. I'm thinking of following in their footsteps; it's the only way I see of moving up the social ladder in America. As for staying in Korea, by saving up and buying property, or running a hagwon, my wife and I could likewise move to the top of the pecking order. This would take several years to achieve, but by then this country could even be livable, while America might decay to the point where the drawbacks seriously outweigh the benefits.

Paddycakes · Joined: 05 May 2003 Location: Seoul

Dodge7 · Joined: 21 Oct 2011

Teaching in Korea forever as a life time job = LOSER
TRYING to go back home and find a REAL job, you know the one you planned on getting when you went through college = SMART.

nate1983 · Joined: 30 Mar 2008

fosterman · Joined: 16 Nov 2011

life after Korea is for most people the inevitable of returning sooner rather than never.

PatrickGHBusan · Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2012 4:31 am Post subject: Re: Life after Korea

The Floating World · Joined: 01 Oct 2011 Location: Here

PatrickGHBusan · Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2012 7:46 am Post subject:

Real life vs online forums = a chasm.

What gets posted online rarely jives with what actually happens in daily real life for most people. Such is the nature of the beast when it comes to anonymous online forums.

nate1983 · Joined: 30 Mar 2008

toby99 · Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2012 11:34 am Post subject:

Buddy of mine in his-mid 20's recently left Korea for Taiwan. Big, big drinker, if not a full-blown alcoholic. Was a reasonably sharp guy when he arrived on the peninsula a few years back, but now his only goal in life is to hop from Asian country to Asian country, teaching ESL, until his liver gives out. Is this a good thing? Depends who you ask; some might find it awesome that he is "living the dream", while others might view him as "wasted talent".