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Tulipsaki
Joined: 17 Apr 2014
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 Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2014 11:33 am Post subject: Will a J.D. be a problem? |
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I'm looking to take a sabbatical from my career as an attorney, but have found that for non-law jobs, being a lawyer means no one wants to hire you. Partly, I get viewed as overqualified, and partly, no one can understand why I'd want to leave the law and do something else.
So, can anyone, and especially but not limited to anyone who stopped practicing law to go teach English in Korea, tell me if going there with a J.D. and some years law experience would be a hindrance to getting a job?
Thanks in advance. |
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Sector7G
Joined: 24 May 2008
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| Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2014 1:51 pm Post subject: |
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Step into Dave's, where the initial consultation is free, and we won't take a fee unless we win your case. 
Seriously, I don't see how it could be anything but an asset, probably netting you a way better than average job. |
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ttompatz
Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea
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| Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2014 3:20 pm Post subject: Re: Will a J.D. be a problem? |
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| Tulipsaki wrote: |
I'm looking to take a sabbatical from my career as an attorney, but have found that for non-law jobs, being a lawyer means no one wants to hire you. Partly, I get viewed as overqualified, and partly, no one can understand why I'd want to leave the law and do something else.
So, can anyone, and especially but not limited to anyone who stopped practicing law to go teach English in Korea, tell me if going there with a J.D. and some years law experience would be a hindrance to getting a job?
Thanks in advance. |
You are just like every other BA holder when it comes to be an "English" teacher; under-qualified and inexperienced but with your JD you likely come with an inflated sense of ego and self entitlement (or would be perceived as such).
IF you want to work in a public school job it bumps you up to level 2.
Hagwons likely won't want to even consider you since "skirting the fine line" is something they regularly do and doing it to a lawyer is "risky".
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almosthome
Joined: 16 Nov 2012
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| Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2014 3:48 pm Post subject: |
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| I recall recently seeing some business English institutes specifically advertising for NETs with legal experience. |
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Sector7G
Joined: 24 May 2008
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| Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2014 3:58 pm Post subject: |
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| almosthome wrote: |
| I recall recently seeing some business English institutes specifically advertising for NETs with legal experience. |
That is what I was thinking too - something involving adults. |
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Hokie21
Joined: 01 Mar 2011
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| Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2014 4:32 pm Post subject: |
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| In my two years here I've worked with two former attorneys. In both cases it was at a hagwon and they were treated no differently from any other foreign teacher.....their pay was based on their teaching experience. From what I've seen in the hagwon sector there isn't any discrimination against attorneys, but there aren't any added benefits either. |
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Sector7G
Joined: 24 May 2008
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| Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2014 5:25 pm Post subject: |
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| Hokie21 wrote: |
| In my two years here I've worked with two former attorneys. In both cases it was at a hagwon and they were treated no differently from any other foreign teacher.....their pay was based on their teaching experience. From what I've seen in the hagwon sector there isn't any discrimination against attorneys, but there aren't any added benefits either. |
I understand that, and agree...as far as it goes. I mean if they chose to work at hagwon, how else could it be? But not sure why they would want to do that. Did they ever say? Yes, I realize that is a question the OP has already worried about getting for wanting to teach in Korea. But I still think the OP could do better than the average hagwon gig, at a place that would value his legal experience.
Anyway, I think we agree it should not be a hindrance, which is all the OP was worried about. |
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Hokie21
Joined: 01 Mar 2011
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| Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2014 8:01 pm Post subject: |
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One never wanted to be an attorney....their parents basically gave them the option of law or medicine....they went with law and then did it for a year and hated it.
The other I'm not sure, I think it had to do with her being half Korean and wanting to see Korea? |
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young_clinton
Joined: 09 Sep 2009
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| Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2014 10:45 pm Post subject: Re: Will a J.D. be a problem? |
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| ttompatz wrote: |
with an inflated sense of ego and self entitlement (or would be perceived as such).
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I mean really, you don't come in with that attitude every time you post? |
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Njord
Joined: 12 Jan 2006
Location: South Korea
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| Posted: Fri Apr 25, 2014 6:28 pm Post subject: |
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| There are not many of these positions, but you could look for a job coaching mock trial. |
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jsk
Joined: 31 Oct 2008
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| Posted: Sat Apr 26, 2014 4:52 am Post subject: |
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I had a JD (and 1.5 years of being an attorney) when I started in Korea. I think it helped rather than hurt when I was looking for other jobs. I would've liked to have done something law-related rather than teach English when I was there, but my Korean was insufficient and many of the places hiring foreign lawyers as consultants seemed to be most concerned with where you went to school (I went to a decent state school but not a Top 15).
Be prepared if you decide to go back to practice law to have every interviewer inquire about why you went to Korea as if you're insane. I've been back working in the States as an attorney for approaching 4 years now and I still get asked about that. |
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Sector7G
Joined: 24 May 2008
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| Posted: Sat Apr 26, 2014 6:21 am Post subject: |
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| jsk wrote: |
I had a JD (and 1.5 years of being an attorney) when I started in Korea.
Be prepared if you decide to go back to practice law to have every interviewer inquire about why you went to Korea as if you're insane. I've been back working in the States as an attorney for approaching 4 years now and I still get asked about that. |
So what did make you want to do it? The OP says he wants to take a sabbatical, which makes me think maybe he is burnt out a little. But you went over after only 1.5 years........
In my case, I was a real estate agent back in 2007 when the housing market started to tank(as did my marriage). At that time, I had never heard of anyone going to Korea to teach, and when I saw the ad on Monster.com, I remember thinking it was a scam. How could anyone teach without teaching experience? |
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edwardcatflap
Joined: 22 Mar 2009
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| Posted: Sat Apr 26, 2014 7:32 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| Be prepared if you decide to go back to practice law to have every interviewer inquire about why you went to Korea as if you're insane. I've been back working in the States as an attorney for approaching 4 years now and I still get asked about that. |
Yes I imagine guys like that would find it very difficult to understand the concept of someone doing something for motives other than cash. |
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jsk
Joined: 31 Oct 2008
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| Posted: Sat Apr 26, 2014 10:20 am Post subject: |
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| Sector7G wrote: |
So what did make you want to do it? The OP says he wants to take a sabbatical, which makes me think maybe he is burnt out a little. But you went over after only 1.5 years........
In my case, I was a real estate agent back in 2007 when the housing market started to tank(as did my marriage). At that time, I had never heard of anyone going to Korea to teach, and when I saw the ad on Monster.com, I remember thinking it was a scam. How could anyone teach without teaching experience? |
I was in a similar situation. I was working for a small firm doing construction/real estate work in an area that was one of the hardest hit during the housing market crash. The work (and pay) dried up and I really dreaded going to work every day with little to do, plus I didn't have anything going on in my personal life. Most people thought I was crazy for deciding to go to Korea, but within a couple of years 3 of those people were also in Korea teaching English (one of them who is still there and probably will be, permanently).
I consider myself lucky to have a lawyer job again in the U.S. The job market for attorneys is pretty awful, especially for someone who disappeared for a couple of years in another country and came back. My wife (who I met in Korea) and I have actually talked about possibly moving back to Korea someday when my loans are paid off and I finally decide I've had enough of law. |
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Tulipsaki
Joined: 17 Apr 2014
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| Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2014 9:48 am Post subject: |
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| Njord wrote: |
| There are not many of these positions, but you could look for a job coaching mock trial. |
That sounds a lot of fun. But I expect the kids doing that would need to do it Korean. Still, I'll keep an eye out.  |
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