Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Dermot]

I'm thinking of teaching english abroad and I was set on teaching in korea, however with cuts to epik and the seemingly longer working hours for hagwon etc would I be better off considering teaching in china or another country? I have completef a tefl course but have no real teaching experience. I'm really looking to save money for a masters in education back home but I'm also interested in living and teaching in a foreign country and making friends with both locals and expats alike. Im 22 and being able to have a good social life outside of teaching would be key. Any help as to wether china or korea would be more suited for me would be much appreciated.

[happyinhenan]

I have taught in both places so it all depends on you.

In my opinion, teachers who are successful in Korea tend to be able to let the small things go, if you are one of those people who need to get the last word in or always like to think they are right or like to debate for the sake of it - then you are going to have a miserable time of it. Especially if you are only 22 years old, Koreans are rigid regarding age and treating older people (even by a year) with deference and if they are younger, talking to them without respect - I remember the first time I was at the airport after landing in Korea, the recruiter picked me up and he goes 'What year was you born in?

'1972?'

Ah, what month?'

'March'

'Ah, I was born in January, and then he goes into some spiel about how
one should pay proper deference to people older than yourself as this would be right in Korean culture - the *beep*!'

If it is just a money issue, well, there are a lot of jobs in China paying what they are now paying in Korea.


China has its own set of issues also, the better paying jobs are in training centres and are probably not the best places to work, probably the best job for you would be a well paying public school job that pays 10-12000 RMB a month with free flat and amenities.

Don't be one of these fools who wants to see the 'real China' end up in a city in Henan province and are climbing the walls because you actually miss Starbucks and western cheese and they are two hours away in Zhengzhou (I live in Henan and like it, but I realise most people wouldn't be able to hack it for long).

If you are into clubbing and pubs, then probably a bigger city in China like Shenzhen would fit the bill, they have a reasonable paying public school programme that would fit the bill. Google 'Shenzhen public school programme jobs' and good luck.

[Dermot]

Thanks for your reply! I've read similar things online about korea. I'd like to think I'd be able to accept things and let them slide instead of needless confrontation. I've got a few questions!

Did you use a recruiter for korea or china? I know it seems to be the normal thing done in korea. Also does ireland qualify as a esl country in china? Might sound stupid but that it's not mentioned a lot in job offers etc

Also one of my biggest fears is getting to korea and the hagwon being a disaster and I end up getting fired or leaving early. Is this a common thing? And how's the job security and standard of schools in china compare?

Yeah I'm under no illusion that it's going to be easy, so I'm pretty sure I'm going to need some western amenities to keep me sane saying it's my first time living in Asia. Sorry for all the q'S but it seems better coming from a person who's done it and not a recruiters website haha

[happyinhenan]

[ttompatz]

OP:

Apples and oranges. Try fruit salad.

Apply to jobs in both and take what comes. If you start in Korea and don't like it, then move to China, Japan or Taiwan.

If you land a job in China and don't like it then you can always go to one of the others.

Don't limit yourself at this early stage.

.

[jazzmaster]

Korea is becoming a lot more difficult to get into. The decent public school jobs have dried up, and wages seem to be stagnating. If you have an Irish accent that is another strike against you. Korea is all about blonde, young, female, North Americans.

China on the other hand is easier to get into, and easier to move up to better jobs. The downside is that outwith the big cities China is still relatively un-westernized. But for the brave of heart China currently offers a lot more than Korea.

[metalhead]

How bad do you want to see Asia?

I'd go with China - way more varied than Korea, fascinating country, easier to move up/progress in job-wise, while Korea you can always visit to check out (every city really is just a copy of any other city in Korea). Jobs in Korea are generally pretty crappy with a toxic work atmosphere, the pay is not good compared to the high cost of living, the people in Korea aren't as friendly/welcoming as the Chinese are, of course if (like others have mentioned) you end up in a rural-ish part of China that would be hell, too. Try cities in Jiangsu Province (Nanjing, Suzhou, Wuxi etc) as it's a rich province in China, close to Shanghai but not as expensive as Shanghai, lots of things to do, many expats and so on.l

[nicwr2002]

Try for Korea unless you want to have limited internet access and breathe pollution 24/7.

[happyinhenan]

[ippy]

VPN is essential. Just pony up the cash. Its not just blocked sites like facebook, its generally all sites that handover to any non-chinese network.

When looking for a VPN, make sure to pick one with a network as close as you can to China. That means Japan, Korea, Thailand, Philippines etc. I went with strong VPN, which was... okay... but servers mainly in UK and US meant super slowdown of service. Switching to Dutch servers helped. Switching to Japanese servers with express VPN also helped a lot in my final month.

As for the OP question.

China.

Market is in your favor. Even without experience you are an asset. But do some research. Theres a lot of decent development. Any city above 1,000,000 is going to have a decent night life or a decent set of creature comforts. Also look for University towns. Look at a pollution chart as well to help narrow your search. Right now pollution is going to be rough, so its a good time to see what parts get the worst of it.

http... aqicn.org/map/china/#@g/32.8036/107.2612/4z

Youre not escaping it for sure, but the absolute worst areas can be generally avoided.

A few advantages to china:

1. Low cost of living: 7000RMB savings = about 1.3 mill korean savings.
2. Job and finish for most part. Very few jobs with office hours. Once you teach your classes, youre done.
3. You can pretty much pick your gig. If you prefer teaching small classes, go private schools. If you want to teach middle school kids, then theres a job waiting for you (BEGGING for you). If you want to teach uni and make up the rest in privates, then do that Its all there. A bit of research goes a long way.
4. Expectations arent unrealistic. Kids are amazing.

[nicwr2002]

[happyinhenan]

[nicwr2002]

[happyinhenan]

[nicwr2002]