Korean Job Discussion Forums

[raiden]

I have been contemplating going to Korea for several months now. I know someone in Seoul who loves it, and he encouraged me and my boyfriend to give Korea a shot. I was always a bit nervous about the whole thing, but shrugged off my feelings until one day I panicked and put the idea of Korea on hold. My boyfriend had similar feelings, and put the job search on hold as well. Now I have to decide whether to go or not. Truth be told, I don�t have any real desire to go to Korea, or to teach. I would go for the money (student loans are killing me) and because I keep getting told about how much it would enrich my life, enhance confidence etc. My alternative is to stay here and work retail or something similarly unfulfilling and barely make ends meet.

The reasons I am scared to go to Korea are: I am introverted and scared of public speaking (teaching will either knock out this phobia or destroy me ), I am chubby and don�t have a real thick skin (I anticipate being called a pig), and I�m also nervous about being screwed by a shady Hagwon owner.

My question is should I go even though I am scared and don�t really want to? Will the experience of Korea be worth the risk?

By the way, I hope that nobody takes offense by me saying that I don�t want to go, or that I�d be going mostly for the money. I have a lot of respect for you guys, and if I go, I will put a lot of effort into trying to become a good teacher. I just feel the need to be honest because I�m really stuck as to what I should do. People around me are totally gung ho for Korea and think it would be a great experience for me, but they also haven�t read the horror stories I have. Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks, Raiden.

[Swiss James]

From everything you say I think you'd last a few months at best- sorry, but

[peppermint]

You know yourself better than anyone. If you really, really don't want to go then don't.

Keep in mind though, people tend to talk more about bad experiences than good ones- that's why you hear so many. Don't let us scare you.

You're probably a bit tougher than you think, and don't forget, you'll have your boyfriend and a friend already here, so that will help a lot.

Either way. . .

[ThisCharmingMan]

[Pyongshin Sangja]

Give it a go. It's a blast.

[sparkx]

[just because]

[Demophobe]

[Zenpickle]

I agree with Demophobe. As culture shock goes, this is one of the ultimate destinations for it if you've not done your homework. And as a result you'll isolate/insulate yourself within the foreign community and add to the negative circle jerk.

One guy who worked at my school spent his entire off time in Korea playing computer games. Never left his apartment until it was time for him to return home.

As an aside, I met an even worse case of cultural insulation when I lived in Germany. It was a woman who had lived in Germany for ten years and had no idea what schnitzel was (Germany's national dish).

I am optimistic that there's hope and that you can have a blast here if you study Korean history and culture more before making the decision. A lot of stuff on the board sounds worse than it really is. I work at a school that has a bad reputation, stereotypical money-grubbing bosses, inept planning, and frequent violations of labor laws, but it's far from being the worst job I've ever had. I love it here.

[tomato]

Hello, Raiden!

This are my thoughts on the subject:

Truth be told, I don't have any real desire to go to Korea.

Have you been to other cultures? And were you able to adjust?
For me, I didn't expecially care where I was--at home or abroad.
I just came here because this is where I got a job.
But once I got here, I loved it.

I don't have any real desire . . . to teach.

I'm prone to count this as a point against you, but let us remember the cliche "don't knock it until you've tried it."

Is it because you are "introverted and scared of public speaking"? For some reason, there are many teachers who are afraid of public speaking, but who don't regard classroom teaching as public speaking.

I will put a lot of effort into trying to become a good teacher.

You might enjoy it, then. You get out of a teaching job what you put into it.

My alternative is to stay here and work retail or something similarly unfulfilling and barely make ends meet.

If you see teaching as "fulfilling" compared with uncreative jobs, you might enjoy it more than you expect.

I am chubby and don't have a real thick skin (I anticipate being called a pig)

Those are two of my traits, too. Children pat me on the tummy and tell me I'm pregnant. (In case you're wondering whether I'm male or female, I'm male.)

That doesn't bother me, though. What bothers me most is adult Koreans treating me like a helpless infant just because I'm a foreigner.

If you weren't chubby, the kids would find something else to tease you about anyway. Notice my moniker and my avatar. That is because my
real name is Thomas, which sounds like "tomato" in Korean. The children call me a tomato because they like for me to chase and tickle them.

I'm also nervous about being screwed by a shady Hagwon owner.

I'm sorry, I can't give you any assurance on this one.

I wish I could give you a definite yes or no.
Here is a short inventory which I've written. I hope it helps you:

http://eslideas.hypermart.net/inventory.html

Don't go by the ratio of negative to positive postings on this forum. It seems that the Korea-lovers are more numerous and Korea-haters are more vociferous. Someone ran a poll asking "Are you happy here?" The yes votes outnumbered the no votes 3 to 1:

http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/korea/viewtopic.php?t=11885&highlight=

[ajuma]

Is it at ALL possible for you to fly to Korea and stay with your friend for a couple of weeks? Visit his/her school? See what things are REALLY like here? Maybe even be a "guest teacher"? It may be worth the investment. If you decide you hate it, you'll only be out some cash and some time. It won't be like making a comittment before you're ready.

[Saxiif]

[Tiberious aka Sparkles]

Hell, before landing in the ROK I didn't have any real inclination to travel abroad; I have thin skin; was a borderline agrophobe (isn't that what people who are afraid of situations in public are referred to?); and I hated flying. My 20-hour plus flight here was a nightmare. And you know what? It was all worth it. Don't listen to anyone telling you to stay put. You'll surprise yourself. I know I did. I'm now the president of a fortune 500 company.

(that last was a complete lie, but I meant the rest. Carpe diem)

Sparkles*_*

[SuperFly]

[Demophobe]