Korean Job Discussion Forums

[World Traveler]

It is very relevant. Are you mad you learned something new?

[LHolter]

KiwiRob: major cities (I.e places that pay more) will not issue a visa to a person under 24, because to be considered an "English Expert" (part of the visa) you must have 2 years relevant teaching experience after college, putting most people at 24. In smaller, rural areas (which pay less) Z (working) visas are approved for people younger than 24. So it's not impossible for teachers under 24 to secure a job.

Now, that said, many underaged teachers in places like Shanghai and Beijing work at private institutes (which pay anywhere from 8000rmb to 12000rmb usually) on F visas (business visas). It's technically illegal to accrue income on an F visa, so if the school does not pay you, you don't have the option of any kind of legal recourse.

If you are like me, I am American who graduated college early and have been substitute teaching, student teaching, and public ally and privately tutoring, but is only 22, none of those are great options. Because A) though I have teaching experience, I am still not of legal age and B) working in a rural area of China for 6500rmb or less will barely cover my college loan payments and the credit card debt I will put myself into buying a plane ticket to China.

I'm not saying it can't be done or that China is all bad, but South Korea is probably easier for newbies like myself to set myself up and save a bit of cash and then go work in China in two years (when I am 24 and legal to do so). South Korea definitely has faults too, but just like China, it's not all bad either. The best thing in both cases is to do the necessary homework to land a secure job.

[nicwr2002]

[byrddogs]

[cam83]

[TheUrbanMyth]

[PatrickGHBusan]

China is the rising ESL market, no debate there.

As ttom said in another thread:

1990s it was Japan
Late 1990s but mostly early 2000s, it was Korea
Now its China.

The ESL market shifts and this is normal. Korea is no exception. This does not mean it will no longer offer good jobs, it does mean the jobs will eventually require more from applicants.

China is catching and surpassing Korea in terms of wages but a lot of the market is much like Korea was in the mid 1990s to late 1990s: the wild east.

Pollution is horrid there and on many levels. Korea has its pollution issues too.

Right now China is Korea 15 years ago: they accept any applicant except for a few select programs like the NET scheme in HK for example.

Finally one needs to be careful of stories that paint China as better than Korea on all accounts (the reverse would also be something I would be wary of). Typically such stories are from people who have an ax to grind with a place or with people....

[Dodge7]

Good for you OP, have fun in China. The culture is better, food and people don't gawk at you and as xenophobic as Koreans are. Just what I have heard. Korea is going down to the pits soon.

[young_clinton]

[EZE]

[Jodami]

Bye bye

[PatrickGHBusan]

[Mw182006]

Thanks for the warning OP (even with the hyperbole overload), but I still plan to spend my first ESL year in Korea. I figure I can give China a year or two to try to clean up the pollution a bit before I start looking that way. Money isn't everything, and I expect to spend < $50 on getting my docs together. Not exactly a whopping sum, but I imagine it would be more expensive trying to do it abroad.

P.S. The majority of China-Daver's are adamantly against using recruiters in China. They take a cut of your salary and don't do much more than what you could do by contacting schools directly. Good luck!

[3DR]

http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=100142&sid=cc0dc1a6d52efe9020ce0bc73da48a19

lol ok

[2i2dk1ny2i3]