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Korean Job Discussion Forums
"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Teachers from Around the World!"
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T-J
Joined: 10 Oct 2008
Location: Seoul EunpyungGu Yeonsinnae
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 Posted: Sat Jan 04, 2014 7:26 pm Post subject: |
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| Ralph Winfield wrote: |
| T-J wrote: |
'91-'97 making 5 million a month with a 700 exchange rate and lower prices, 400 won subway, 800 won smokes, 900 won base taxi fare, 1,000 won brew....
Those were sweet days indeed!!!
Still good now but am glad I started when I did. Not sure... Scratch that, I'm pretty sure I would not chose Korea if I were starting now. If I were in my first years I'd more than likely be elsewhere.
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Are you an American of Korean ancestry?
Thank you. |
What a peculiar question. Why would you inquire about my ancestry?
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World Traveler
Joined: 29 May 2009
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| Posted: Sat Jan 04, 2014 7:33 pm Post subject: |
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It is a weird question, but maybe he was trying to figure out how you made that much money. A Korean American might have connections in South Korea and might have a head start on the language, which could help.
However, in the 80's and 90's in Korea, simply having white skin and being from the West was enough to make great money. Not just in Korea, but in Japan, Taiwan, the Middle East, and Latin America as well. (Now, no way.) |
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PatrickGHBusan
Joined: 24 Jun 2008
Location: Busan (1997-2008) Canada 2008 -
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| Posted: Sun Jan 05, 2014 4:28 am Post subject: |
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| World Traveler wrote: |
It is a weird question, but maybe he was trying to figure out how you made that much money. A Korean American might have connections in South Korea and might have a head start on the language, which could help.
However, in the 80's and 90's in Korea, simply having white skin and being from the West was enough to make great money. Not just in Korea, but in Japan, Taiwan, the Middle East, and Latin America as well. (Now, no way.) |
It took a bit (read a lot) more than "just having white skin" to make great money back then WT. However a lot of people like to reduce it to that for some reason. |
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World Traveler
Joined: 29 May 2009
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| Posted: Mon Jan 06, 2014 1:47 am Post subject: |
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Not true my man. Supply and demand. English is the most important language in the history of civilization and has been for quite some time.
| PRagic wrote: |
| Late 80s and early 90s were a blast. There were fewer westerners here, and opportunities were abound. You had to consciously try to not make money. Hugely unqualified people were getting paid great coin to do everything in ESL from textbook writing, to editing, to test writing, to recording, to teaching large scale test prep, to corporate training, hell, to even radio. |
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Weigookin74
Joined: 26 Oct 2009
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| Posted: Mon Jan 06, 2014 8:02 am Post subject: |
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| World Traveler wrote: |
| Weigookin74 wrote: |
| camps at schools in my area (different from schools I taught at during the semester) |
In 2006 you got paid extra for those camps though, no? Everyone I know who did camps back then got paid big bucks for them. (Now those camps are unpaid.) Some people I talked to said they made 40,000,000 won per year at public schools back then including the bonus money they made from camps. |
Nope. Out in many rural areas, they tried to nickle and dime you. But, I got loads of free time and slackness. So, I tolerated it I guess. Actually, I didn't really do too many camps. Did a couple of overnight gigs though and got paid a bit more for those. Mostly just reported to the ed office for a couple of hours in the morning. Me and the other waygook went for frequent coffee breaks and then took off to a nearby city for the afternoons.
As for salary, what was it back then? I think I got some rural bonuses and might have made just under 2.0 million a month back then. Got here late 2006. First breaks were in 2007. By summer 2008, the local ed office was pushing the day camps at schools and since then haven't looked back. Prior to this, not many camps anyhow. Moved to a bigger city in 2010, now just at my schools. I do two schools this year. I do some camps, but don't desk warm or anything. (But, I did teach some extra evening classes at the local town hall and got paid for those for my first couple of years.)
I think some rural areas just pinched every penny. Maybe up in Seoul and Gyeong-gi at the time did this? There were some neighboring areas where the foriegners had the full vacation time off. I didn't know about it until much later and by that time most of the areas started cracking down. Effn recession not making them desperate for waygooks anymore. Ha ha.
But, it's good. I stayed in the same province and went to the top level. So, I'm making more than a GEPIK anyhow. |
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Weigookin74
Joined: 26 Oct 2009
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| Posted: Mon Jan 06, 2014 8:04 am Post subject: |
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| Smithington wrote: |
Hooker Hill back in the late 1990's was an absolute blast. Start at Seoul pub then head up the hill to Stompers around 11pm. The hill itself was one big outdoor party with hundreds of people partying into the wee hours. It's hard to imagine today, but Hooker Hill was the place to be on a Saturday night. It was just a great night out. The beautiful women trying to pull you into the clubs just added to the buzz and entertainment of the place. But the hill was just the place to be if you wanted to enjoy your Saturday night, and sadly there's nowhere resembling the place in Itaewon anymore.
How the mighty fall.
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I seriously haven't been up there in ages. Are those girls all gone now? lol. |
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Weigookin74
Joined: 26 Oct 2009
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| Posted: Mon Jan 06, 2014 8:05 am Post subject: |
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I'll agree with you on that. Shortly after I got here, it started going down. #%$^@ |
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atwood
Joined: 26 Dec 2009
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| Posted: Wed Jan 08, 2014 5:07 am Post subject: |
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Well, the big thing was all the bars closed at 12 and they would come around and tell you to get out. Then you went to some basement after hours place and drank there.
I had a friend who did not mix well with alcohol. So in the winter in an afer hours place he was throwing wooden chop sticks into the gas heater. The owner came over to calm him down, giving him a free coke and cutting him off.
You don't see many people getting cut off from alcohol in Korea. |
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Jodami
Joined: 08 Feb 2013
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| Posted: Sun Jan 12, 2014 12:23 am Post subject: |
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| Edward- do you work at a uni? If so, and you're in the private pension find, then you can get all of it back. I was very pleasantly surprised, when I checked the final amount paid into my account. |
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wishfullthinkng
Joined: 05 Mar 2010
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| Posted: Sun Jan 12, 2014 6:52 pm Post subject: |
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| World Traveler wrote: |
Well, for Brits. Not everyone on in this board is a Brit. The most common nationality represented on this board is Canadian. Sucks for them. Sucks for Americans, too. (And the U.S. dollar is the most widely circulated currency in the world.) Sucks for the Irish (who use the Euro). Sucks for the Aussies. Sucks for the New Zealanders. Rules for the South Africans.
The won's value went up (relative to their home economies/poorly performing currencies at least, which have been crap) for: Brits and Saffers.
The won's value went down for: Canuks, United Statesians, Aussies, Kiwis, and the Irish.
Generally speaking, the won's exchange rate became worse for expats. |
it also helps that the cost of living in south africa is way lower than the other places you mentioned. i was in south africa a month ago and the buying power i had was incredible compared to everywhere else you mentioned. |
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