Korean Job Discussion Forums

[mithridates]

9/10. I have to stay here. It's like a curse, a very soft curse.

[eamo]

I have one or two serious issues with Korea and Koreans but overall it's the best place for me right now.

7/10.

[shawner88]

10/10 ....5 years later and I still dont miss home.

[Blind Willie]

I give it a 7.5 /10.

I give the third world nation I come from a 2/10.

[weatherman]

9/10 9 out of 10 days. 1/10 one of every ten days.

[The Man known as The Man]

[captain kirk]

Hey, I sure don't love Korea. Have a bumpersticker that says 'I love Korea'. That'd be just crazy. To love something or someone, really, it helps to be loved back. And the way things are re; 'foreigners' in Korea it would be kind of kooky, desperate, naive, and yes, goofy to be going 'I love Korea', look at me everybody, I love Korea'.
Yeah, but Korea doesn't really love you. Not really. It'll use you, and if you watch your step/manners one will be tolerated, rather grudgingly. Korea will get a laugh out of you, something different. One's foreign ways are amusing to Koreans. I dunno about you, but I wouldn't be loving that kind of thing.
Nor being deliberately miserable about it. No way. Korea's 'one's mother' when one's here. The water, food, people, the boss, the co-workers. It's all supportive. One's temporary homeland, so you love it. It's under, around you, supportive.
But Koreans aren't that supportive, when it comes down to nitty gritty, of each other/other Koreans, and the foreigner is a weird kind of anomally in a box with a role. It's pretty cool to have the chance to be in a foreign land like Korea, make money, and laugh it up with the students, have fun.
But on the whole it's not reciprocal like a true 'love affair'. How many ajoshis/ajumas/grandparents want a foreign husband for their daughter. Not many I don't think.
Seems it's necessary to weasel around that one. And it's a big bummer, that, IMO.

[VanIslander]

First year: 12/10 .... unbelievably amazing to me

Second year: 9/10 ... a great place with some trade offs

Beginning of third year: I thought 8/10 until I went on a trip to New Zealand in January. Now I'm of the mind that Korea is still 9/10 as long as I can make yearly trips abroad for variety's sake, shopping, visiting, etcetera.

But for the first time since 2002 I can imagine myself living outside of Korea without a sense of loss; I could just as well live there for ten years too with yearly getaways. I am truly ambivalent.

[funplanet]

other than being dirty, noisy, crowded, and dysfunctional...I'd give it an 8/10...

the place grows on you like a fungus

[Paddycakes]

I generally like the place... but the quality of most of the buildings (especially the washrooms) really gets me.

Everything (generally) seems to be built as cheaply and as quickly as possible. There's very little in terms of real quality. Of course there are some notable exceptions.

I worked at a brand new middle school last year, and the place wasn't very nice. Very shoddy construction in some places.

If Koreans could just bulldoze down about 90 percent of their country and replace it with new, quality stuff then the place might be ok.

[Hollywoodaction]

It would be difficult to rate Korea. I guess the best thing I can say is that it's home.

[Badmojo]

[the_beaver]

[Randall Flagg]

I have really enjoyed my time in Korea so far and have no plans on living anywhere else in the near future.

I'd give it an 8/10. I deduct 2 points for the lack of marijuana and the harsh penalties that may come with finding some.

[bosintang]

as an expat: 7.5/10 (B - solid but not wonderful)
as a local: 5/10 (D - marginal pass)
as a tourist: 2/10 (F - thanks for coming out)