Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Lucas]

[happiness]

[cmxc]

"English teachers here are alcoholic womanizing losers who are unemployable at home?"

Let's bite the bullet. Let's say that the Korean stereotype of English teachers is spot on 100% accurate.

WTF does it say about Korea that it imports every year thousands of such individuals to teach children language skills?

WTF does it say about Korean women that they would be attracted to such low status individuals?

WTF does it say about the Korean labor market that such unemployables are able to find ample opportunities for work here?

I can't for the life of me understand how Koreans think they are insulting foreign English teachers with such stereotypes. Koreans are only insulting themselves if such stereotypes are true.

Don't they realize this?

[World Traveler]

English is the most important and useful language in history. Koreans need to learn it. (If all they can get is a mix of losers, well they will have to make due with that.) Do Korean women go gaga for English teachers? Not really. Most would not want to date one (or even talk to one). But English is valuable worldwide (whereas Korean is not). Some might talk to an English teacher to get free English practice in. Some are interested in Western culture. Some might be interested in the dashing good looks of the guy, etc. But those would be in the minority. Most Korean women (especially the hot ones) won't give Western English teachers the time of day.

[edwardcatflap]

[World Traveler]

Yes. And from what was written on the international forums of this site and elsewhere online. And from people I've talked to and what I've observed.

Interest in Westerners varies according to country. Japanese girls: interested in Westerners. Same with Taiwanese, Chinese, and pretty much every South East Asian country. It is not true to the same extent in Korea.

[edwardcatflap]

More than half the Westerners I work with have either Korean girlfriends or wives. Some might be considered to be 'hot', others less so, though in general I'd say it was a higher proportion than with the Western Wags. Can't compare it to other Asian countries but compared to some countries in Europe I've worked in , Korean women are very interested in NETs.

[World Traveler]

[edwardcatflap]

[Weigookin74]

I came for the money and got addicted to the slackness and free time that rural EPIK use to be. Most of the people themselves were xenophobic arrogant A holes with C blocking galore. Some cool cats, you'd occasionally meet in Seoul. But, the semi-permanent vacation working here use to be made life pretty tolerable in spite of that.

Then the recession flipped it all around and caused the won to go down and average wages to fall flat and even decrease for many. Since then, working, even in many rural areas, has come to resemble a full time job. Still not as bad as one back home, I guess. But more strict than before. I do actually like meeting the kids most of the time, as they'll say random things in broken English that crack me up and I blurt out my own quick witted respenses of sorts. So, it's fun.


Somewhere during the last 2 or 3 years, the locals became pretty nice too. Most Koreans can't seem to be friendly enough to me. Don't know if it's jsut me but lots of the xenophobia and arrogance has disappeared. So, it makes Korea more liveable on a personal level nowadays.

That said, for me, I stuck with one province (though I transferred from within it). Wages and the payscale for the levels kept getting put up until about 1010, when EPIK realized it didn't need to be desperate for foriegners anymore. I kept climbing the payscale, though it did take me some time to recover from the fallen exchange rate and the higher transportation costs I faced moving to a bigger city.

Personally, due to the above, the hit I took at the end of 2008 and early 2009, took me until about the end of 2011 to recover due to EPIK raises. This brought me back to where I was before the exchange rate nosedived and moving to a bigger city gave me some mroe increased living costs. Then, I got my final raise a year later and then over the next year the exchange rate went up again (2013). So, for 3 years, I got a bit of a kick in the teeth, then got back to where I was and then started going up again.

If the exchange rate keeps rising, then I'll make more money from that. But once my loans are paid off if ever and I have to keep the money in Korea, then it will feel like a non raise. It's a raise for me as long as I can increase the amount of money that lands in my Canadian bank each month. This I've done partly due to raises, increased belt tightening, and a slowly recovering exchange rate.

So, for me, Korea has continued to work out. But, if I left my job or it disappeared, I'd be pissed if I had to go to a 2.0 million hakwon. That'd be the ultimate insult. I think a Canadian should give them the finger and go work in Northern Alberta for a eyar or two and just suck it up. AN American could do the same by working in Montana or where ever the oil fields are there. The work sucks and too many guys and not enough women. But, getting enough money to start a life ought to get you thinking long term.

In my case, I've mostly gone up (except my student loans and CC debt has taken longer than I would have thought to get rid of). If I weren't going up, I wouldn't have stayed. I also haven't account some overtime on offer sometimes. Not much but adds to the bottom line along with being a Level 1+. Also, I don't live the cheap backpacker lifestyle, but one of modern semi western convenience. (I even drive.) Might be why it took me a while to get the CC debt down, but I have turned the corner and maybe in another year the total debts will be manageable enough.


Don't know why so many waygooks would stay for years upon years getting lowballed with salaries. I sure wouldn't have. I have nothing more than a good old Business Undergrad degree, but lots of experience and a darn good local rep as a teacher. I'm prob in the low 3.0's range each month which isn't a huge bragging effort by any means as there are guys working their tails off making 4 or 5 million or more. But, 2.0? WTF??!!


Please, please, please...do yourself a big favor, if you marry a local, make sure she works too. (A good job all the better.) You will be miserable working day and night making your 5 million hustling for it to feed your wife and kids if they do nothing or not much. Korea is expensive for families. You meet a girl that pulls the "I'm a pretty girl" routine on you, run like hell in the opposite direction or you will be financially drained forever more. (Most of the time.)

Another, late afternoon, deskwarming rant from yours truly.

Anyhow, that's my 2 cents worth.

[Weigookin74]

[Weigookin74]