Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Son Deureo!]

A lot has changed here in the past six years. A few of the bigger changes:

Higher prices. Inflation has hit here pretty hard here in the past few years. Basic subway fare is over W1000. A dinner out of grilled meat is usually at least W10k for only 150 grams of meat. The aforementioned kimbap price of W1500. It all adds up, while our salaries haven't gone up much.

Westerners seem to be much less of a novelty. The "hello chorus" I used to get every time I walked out my door just doesn't happen any more. Less staring and shock at the sight of my pasty whiteness. Less strangers trying to strike up a conversation out of the blue.

More imports! Cheese, wine, decent chocolate, etc. You can get almost anything you want somewhere in the Seoul metro area if you're willing to pay for it.

Korea is becoming more multicultural. The foreign population is up to something like 4% of the population. A lot of it is Chinese and Southeast Asians looking for work, plus international brides. Not all Koreans like it, but overall it seems to be a positive development. There are LOTS of Indian, Vietnamese, and Thai restaurants to be found. There are 5 Indian restaurants just in my neighborhood, and I don't live in Seoul.

There's a glut of foreign teachers in Korea now thanks to high unemployment in the US, and with funding being cut for foreign teachers in public schools, there's bit less demand for our services as well. People seem to have a harder time getting jobs here than a few years ago. This is leading to....

The Western expat community here is changing. With the glut of English teachers, hogwon owners are getting what they've always wanted. Younger, prettier, femaler, Americaner teachers. I'm meeting a lot less Aussies, Kiwis, Brits, and even Canadian teachers here than I would have even 5 years ago. Also, with stricter checks of degrees and criminal records checks there aren't quite as many of the shadier characters teaching English here.

There have also been some important changes to visas here:

E-2 visas now require apostilled criminal records checks and apostilled diplomas. This means it takes some time and money to get started. You can't just sign a contract and get on a plane to Korea in less than a week.

It's now possible to quit your job without a letter of release, and then get a new E-2. You can either cancel your visa and start over from scratch, or get a bridging D-10 "looking for work" visa if Immigration allows it.

There's a path to permanent residency for expats who aren't married to or genetically related to Koreans. It's called the F-2-7 visa. You have to speak Korean, be here for a few years, and in most cases take some government Korean language and civics classes, but it's doable for just about anyone here on an E-2 who's willing to do the work. There are some very informative threads on this board about the F-2-7 and the Korean Social Integration program if you're interested.

[Stan Rogers]

Porn sites are now blocked in Korea.

[decibalsrising]

There are 9994838493929292919292929292929 more coffee shops

Seems to be the new trend these days

[JustinC]

I'm here. 'Nuff said.

[nautilus]

[Otherside]

[Kimchifart]

[Smithington]

It's gotten even dirtier.

[jvalmer]

I see more younger women smoking in public.

[jdog2050]

[cdninkorea]

[jdog2050]

[SwissJames]

Interesting stuff- cheers folks. Right- off to the airport!

[schwa]

[Adventurer]

How has Korea changed since 2006?

1)1330

2)More of a selection of beer, but Molson is long gone.

3)Much more foreign goods. It's easier to find cheese, good cereal.

4)KEB came on the scene and more banks became Western friendly.

5)The younger girls wear a lot more revealing clothing, and though it's not still not so common for some to show their shoulders it's happening.

6)Koreans embrace and show affection more in public.

7)There are fewer Coffee Beans and more of the other coffee chains like Tom and Toms.

A joint called Lemon Table has spread in many places. Taco Bell, Cold Stone are in many places in Korea.

9)I think the students tend to speak English a bit better than before, but it's still hard to find Koreans are excellent at English. More are moderately good.



10)Koreans seem friendlier to foreigners and don't tend to stare so much when compared to the past.


11)The subway in the Seoul area is so much better.

12)Korea actually has done some good things to promote tourism. We used to mock Korea's slogans all the time, but Korea has spent money on projects to make Seoul and other places look better. I'll give them that.

13)There are glass barriers at all the subway stations.

14)We don't rely on people to charge our subway cards anymore. There are machines everywhere.

15)More of the PC Bangs are smoke free.

16)Itaewon became somewhat gentrified in some areas....