Korean Job Discussion Forums

[World Traveler]

http://www.englishtoolbox.com/teaching.html

Great article, and the reason I post it is because of the following excerpt:

Having sex with foreign women or children. It�s a sad fact of life that some men travel overseas to engage in prostitution with local women at lower cost and risk than they can at home. Becoming an English teacher is just a way for them to extend a sordid vacation from weeks into months or years. What those who do this in Africa or Asia forget, however, is that in pursuing anonymous sex away from the prying eyes of family, friends and the authorities back home, they are just the opposite of anonymous in the local environment. The white Westerner who patronizes brothels in such areas is going to be far more memorable and identifiable than the local African or Asian customers are, because he is the exception to the rule. Therefore, when he strolls the streets, he will quickly be recognized as the man who likes to buy prostitutes; it�s only a matter of time before that information becomes widely known at his school. Of course, that�s not the worst thing that could happen: prostitution is often controlled by gangsters and pimps who see the foreigner with something to lose as fair game for intimidation and extortion. Imagine for a moment being suddenly confronted in a prostitute�s room by a group of menacing men demanding something from you in an unknown language: how much would you pay to get out of there unharmed?

There are also some Western males who have difficulty relating to women from their native land, and think that Asian women are �different� (meaning more submissive and less demanding). These men have obviously never met a Korean female, one of the toughest sub-species of Homo sapiens on the planet! Nevertheless, this myth is widespread, and encourages many Western men to travel to Asia to find a fantasy girlfriend or wife among the locals or�worse�among their students. Needless to say, such relationships are almost always doomed to failure. The same is true for men from affluent countries who teach in poorer countries such as Ukraine, Russia or Southeast Asia. While the women there may be open to dating or even marrying their relatively wealthier suitor, it�s almost certainly because they are looking for a ticket to�and citizenship from�his homeland. Once there, they tend to quickly divorce the hapless husband and claim as many of his assets as the law allows. This mutual victimization would be pathetic enough without it also involving the profession of English teaching: as with the itinerant backpacker, the whole TEFL community is tarred with the same brush.

Some Dave's posters posted they pay for sex in Korea, which shocked me. The article gives reasons not to continue that behavior (or not to start, if you haven't already, but are considering it).

[cabeza]

I don't think that's really saying you shouldn't teach overseas.

It's just saying don't bang hookers and don't hook up with nutty Korean broads. A mantra for life, really.

[Zackback]

People are going to want to know what I think so here goes:

Sad that anyone would come to Korea or I guess pretty much any other Asian country and have to pay for sex. There are so many available chicks all over the place so just pick one and make her yours. No problem.

[ttompatz]

OP:

What a load of absolute shlte.

You really should quit hanging out on the "hill".

.

[edwardcatflap]

[joelove]

well, that was a steaming pile of self-righteous crap.

[Julius]

[Paddycakes]

The overwhelming majority of English instructors are not here to bang hookers... they're here to pay off student loan debts or they're jobless/aimless/unemployable back home.

A couple actually like teaching, but they're few and far between.

Besides, who needs hookers when you have Internet Dating and all those clubs in Itaewon.

The pot bellied sexpat scene is mainly for older white guys from Europe or the States who have no game.

[World Traveler]

Maybe some of you guys misinterpreted the title. It wasn't saying don't teach overseas, it was saying don't teach overseas if you are coming for the following reasons. Anyways I think visiting prostitutes is wrong and I think it gave a clear reason why not to. And ttompatz, there is prostitution all over Korea, not just in Itaewon on Hooker Hill. In fact in other places it is even more dangerous to partake in (in terms of being identified and having the community know you go to those places). Someone could easily see you walking in or out. (I hadn't considered foreigners stick out more; that's something new I learned from that article.)

[ttompatz]

[some waygug-in]

[Fox]

So if an bigoted, sex-crazed, fussy eater who hates his country and wants to escape from his financial problems shouldn't teach overseas, what exactly should he do? Go into politics? Seems like such a man's options are mightily limited.

[Waygeek]

I don't think OP meant it as 'don't teach in Asia', I think he meant 'please don't come here to teach for these reasons, come because you want to teach'.

[Otherside]

[everything-is-everything]