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Korean Job Discussion Forums
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Garciua
Joined: 16 Sep 2011
Location: Iceland
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 Posted: Fri Apr 06, 2012 12:02 pm Post subject: |
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| Gorf wrote: |
| I honestly think that after the start up costs of the landlord gift and the deposit, you can save more in Japan on 250,000 yen than 2.1 million won in Korea, even with (relatively) higher food costs and whatnot. Leave Japan once the yen goes back to 130 per dollar. Right now it's only getting better and better. Your typical newbie makes the aforementioned 250,000 yen, which is about $3200 USD. After taxes, you're left with about 2500. If you can't save at least $1000 of that $2500, you gotta be crazy. |
Are teachers earning that low a salary in Korea? Where I live a industrial worker makes roughly 3.3-4.0 million won straight out of high school depending on the job. Though that's before taxes and we have pretty high taxes.
The difference in salaries between Japan and Korea seems pretty high? I mean are Japan really THAT more expensive? |
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roguefishfood
Joined: 21 May 2011
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| Posted: Fri Apr 06, 2012 2:36 pm Post subject: |
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| ttompatz wrote: |
Why do people stay in Korea? Short, simple answer is the money OR they are tied here by family (married into the culture).
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Are you really so cynical to think no one stays because they are just happy here? I like the food, the kids are bright and hilarious and treat me like a celebrity, my co-workers are kind and seem to be happy with me, the administration at my school is fair and on the ball, the apartment they set me up in is swanky, my neighborhood is just the right mix of urban and small town. Sure I get the foreigner stank-eye sometimes but on average people seem warm and friendly and helpful. Money is definitely a factor in my happiness... but I don't even spend half of what I make (despite being foolishly unconcerned with saving a lot) and my quality of life is WAY better than it was at home.
I've lived (albeit for a fairly short time) in Tokyo, it was a blast too and I would love to go back as a vacation, but I don't think I'd trade in what I have right now for JET.
I wholly agree with judoka, that most ESL teacher expats are genuinely happy with their lives here, but that the minority of people who got screwed or had a bad day or are just cranky people is much more vocal in terms of posting. Don't you think? |
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youtuber
Joined: 13 Sep 2009
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| Posted: Fri Apr 06, 2012 4:33 pm Post subject: |
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OP
In terms of money, both choices are bad. Korea ain't so cheap. |
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Weigookin74
Joined: 26 Oct 2009
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| Posted: Fri Apr 06, 2012 11:18 pm Post subject: |
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| Internet is listed as 40,000 yen per month? Do you mean 4,000 yen? That would be 400 bucks a month for internet. I do the Olleh KT deal and get cable and internet here for 40,000 won a month. |
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earthquakez
Joined: 10 Nov 2010
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| Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2012 8:09 pm Post subject: |
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| judoka wrote: |
| True, getting into JET is not easy and they pretty much treat you like a baby putting you in 5 star hotels and paying all trasportation up front and all that, but expenses are high here and I am sure it will be a nicer life in South Korea where things are cheaper and I can save more. To give you an example, I had to pay key money, which is like a gift to the landlord, of about USD equivalent $2,000. And rent is about USD $380 per month. This is money I would have saved in Korea. |
Sorry, you sound like a young spoilt JET.  Apologies if you're not young but you sound spoilt. I lived for a fairly lengthy period in Japan and every time I moved I paid around 2,000 to 2,500 pounds GRB (4,000 to 5,000 American dollars) for deposits.
Key money is not the only deposit most people pay. There are other fees in Japan that are normal when renting but as a JET you were spared those other costs. As for the $380 US rent - lucky you! The places I lived in ranged from 500 to 650 US dollars per month for rent and they were nothing startling regarding quality and space.
Saving depends on how you live. Going out and getting smashed a lot in more upmarket bars and buying coffee and lunch/other meals every day especially if at cafes or better kind of restaurants will eat your money alive in Korea. You can eat cheaply at the small restaurants and some Korean chains but as I tell people, cheap Korean food can be very poor in ingredient quality and some of those smaller places are not very hygienic in terms of cooks coughing/sneezing/smoking around the food.
The last time I visited Japan (relatively recently), food prices were overall better than in Korea at supermarkets, foreign restaurants such as chain restaurants, and other restaurants apart from the small restaurants I referred to before. Inflation or rather the deflated Korean won is hiking up everything - I am not joking when I say that almost every month food prices are having an extra 100, 200 or 300 won added. That's like 10, 20 or 30 US cents. The point is prices for food are going up regularly.
Transportation is cheaper in Korea especially train travel but then again, Japan is made up of islands and is a damned long place. Of course it costs more especially if you travel from southern places up to Tokyo. Korea is thankfully a smaller country and you can travel from Jeollanam Province in the south up to Seoul in the North for far less time and money but then again, Korea does not begin to match Japan for variety and number of different interesting places and locations.
I always found something new in Japan and I loved the differences in each province which the Koreans also claim to be in their provinces but it really has nothing like the abundance of different features in Japanese provinces, the genuine tourist attractions on the scale of Japan. In some ways cheaper Korea is less interesting with far less to explore than in some ways more expensive Japan with far more to offer.
Last edited by earthquakez on Sun Apr 08, 2012 9:47 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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earthquakez
Joined: 10 Nov 2010
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| Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2012 8:10 pm Post subject: |
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Triple post so edited.
Last edited by earthquakez on Sun Apr 08, 2012 9:44 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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earthquakez
Joined: 10 Nov 2010
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| Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2012 8:11 pm Post subject: |
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| Triple post so edited. |
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earthquakez
Joined: 10 Nov 2010
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| Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2012 9:51 pm Post subject: |
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| Weigookin74 wrote: |
| Internet is listed as 40,000 yen per month? Do you mean 4,000 yen? That would be 400 bucks a month for internet. I do the Olleh KT deal and get cable and internet here for 40,000 won a month. |
 40,000 yen is around 400,000 won - as you said about 400 American bucks! The OP means that internet is around 4,000 yen which is about 40 bucks American and is 40,000 won Korean. |
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earthquakez
Joined: 10 Nov 2010
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| Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2012 10:10 pm Post subject: |
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| ChrisM wrote: |
| Gorf wrote: |
| I honestly think that after the start up costs of the landlord gift and the deposit, you can save more in Japan on 250,000 yen than 2.1 million won in Korea, even with (relatively) higher food costs and whatnot. Leave Japan once the yen goes back to 130 per dollar. Right now it's only getting better and better. Your typical newbie makes the aforementioned 250,000 yen, which is about $3200 USD. After taxes, you're left with about 2500. If you can't save at least $1000 of that $2500, you gotta be crazy. |
Are teachers earning that low a salary in Korea? Where I live a industrial worker makes roughly 3.3-4.0 million won straight out of high school depending on the job. Though that's before taxes and we have pretty high taxes.
The difference in salaries between Japan and Korea seems pretty high? I mean are Japan really THAT more expensive? |
Everyone including the OP is forgetting the exchange rate. While Brits such as myself in Korea are earning a bit above the rate (100,000 won or so more, 50 GBP per total salary before deductions) through the exchange rate in GBP, other wayguks such as Australians are losing about 300 dollars off their exchange of their salary from won into the dollar.
When you think of the welfare states in both the UK and Australia, the money in Korea isn't worth it objectively speaking. You don't get much less on the dole for the work you do in Korea teaching English, and given how much a strain it can be for a foreign teacher in a public/private secondary school without a Korean co-teacher to teach 32-40 Korean kids solo (as well as put up with having to deal with group dynamics of 20 or so Korean teachers) it's not really financially viable to work in Korea from the standpoint of money alone.
In the UK and Australia (I lived and worked there for a while) your welfare (social security) benefit is topped up in different ways. In Australia this includes phone allowance, rental allowance, reduced utilities, concession fares on transportation etc, in the UK sort of the same and more generous housing allowance for some. None of this is taxable if you are not working part time.
You end up making a bit less than somebody working in Korea and I can cite another example of what can be difficult work - in a hagwon, dealing with fractious kids, pushy, complaining parents, and a boss who will do anything to keep customers. Add in back to back classes so some teachers are doing 6 or more in a row, split shifts that take your life etc, and you can see why the pay is peanuts in a way for somebody who can get money from the welfare system of some countries and not pay tax. |
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edwardcatflap
Joined: 22 Mar 2009
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| Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2012 10:46 pm Post subject: |
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The current UK Job seeker's allowance rate for single people over 25 is 67 pounds fifty a week, which is 121,000 won at today's exchange rate. This works out to 484,000 won a month net, compared to the 1.8 million? net people on 2.1 million a month get in Korea. People get free accommodation here just like they may get in the UK from housing benefit. though the government has plans to change that by forcing single people to live with their parents. Anyway, however you try to spin it, this
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| You don't get much less on the dole for the work you do in Korea teaching English, |
is way out.
Also the days of people claiming dole for sitting around at home scratching their bollocks are long gone. The way things are going, It's only a matter of time before you might end up having to do something worse than teach kids for your 67 quid a week. |
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