Korean Job Discussion Forums

[gobbledygook]

Hey guys,

Has any of you lived in both Japan and Korea? I'm thinking of relocating there (probably Tokyo) after Korea, but am not sure if I'd enjoy Japan as much as Korea from a cutural perspective. So would love to hear from some of you here who have the experience of living in both countries. I know language and living cost will be the two factors to watch out for. but in general, which country do you prefer and what do you find the most difficult when living in Japan? Is Japan a lot more foreigner friendly than Korea?

[Dodge7]

[viciousdinosaur]

[Seoulman69]

[Dodge7]

[lemak]

[Seoulman69]

[Dodge7]

[Seoulman69]

[Dodge7]

[Seoulman69]

[Pablo]

[Deleted]

[kraggy]

Is there much of English Teaching market in Tokyo? Is the money enough to survive on? Possible to save any at all?

[Dreyden]

As far as I know the teaching market in Japan is smaller than here in Korea, especially if you want to get into Tokyo proper. That being said, you can find a job there if you look hard enough, and having experience here in Korea will probably help a bit.

One thing to consider is that most teaching positions in Japan do NOT provide housing. Even if the school offers some housing allowance, you still have to find an apartment on your own. Fortunately, it is much easier to find a housing arrangement on your own in Japan than it is here in Korea (which is next to impossible due to key money and other issues).

Cost of living is also higher in Japan, so keep that in mind if savings is one of your main goals for overseas teaching.

From what I've seen and heard, most people who do well in Japan are those who are in for the long haul and want to spend the rest of their lives here in Asia. This is especially true for people who want to start families since they are usually forced to move out from provided housing anyway.

Also, while I agree with the poster's above who say that Japan has a much richer culture than Korea, I'm no sure if that's what the OP meant by "culture". From the sounds of it he was referring to maybe "lifestyle". Unfortunately I can't comment on that since I've never lived in Japan.

Anyway, that's all I really know. Like I said above, I'm not speaking from actual experience so take what I say with a grain of salt; hopefully someone who has actually made the switch between Korea to Japan can offer something a bit better.

[Darkeru]

I'm currently working in Japan - originally worked in Korea, coming back now.

One thing to consider; everyone wants Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, etc. Tokyo especially. There's more jobs, but a lot more competition too. You'd have a better chance if you were already in Tokyo. It also seems that many jobs give a big preference to people who already have a visa to teach in Japan. Some places also give a higher rating to Japanese work experience, over work experience anywhere else; same as Korea.

For me, I prefer living in Japan in some ways (culture, language, etc), but Korea seems to work out better financially (paid more here, but everything costs more and most jobs require driving or expensive trains). People are politer here, but it's also harder to connect with people I've found. In big city Korea, I can find people to make friends with easily - in big city Japan (when I do go there), people tend to keep more of a distance even if they're a lot more helpful with stuff like directions.

In Korea I often ate at restaurants, saved enough for a trip to Japan, bought a big TV, etc. In Japan I can't afford to eat at restaurants too often. They didn't pay for flights either, though as you're in Korea it's not as bad.

Japanese language seems a lot easier to learn (to speak/listen only) and the locals seem more accepting to hear a foreigner say it. In Korea I had some times when I tried speaking Korea and the locals tried to escape.

The best company for ALT work seems to be Altia. They're also harder to get into though, but do go over to Seoul occasionally to recruit. I've also heard good things about Borderlink, but their pay is pretty bad (210,000 Yen a month). Most ALT companies seem to help arranging housing at least though.

Regarding hagwon (eikaiwa) work, I've not heard of any chains that are good. Plenty that are bad. Presumably the rest are decent or somewhere inbetween. AEON is supposedly decent for the most part. I've heard GABA isn't terrible, but better suited for someone on a working holiday as the amount of lessons/pay can change unless you take a contract with a lot of lessons (I think it was 40) per week.

Overall I prefer working in Korea, but Japan makes a good holiday.

http://jobsinjapan.com/?loc=JJA_EFL_Teaching <-- good place to check