Korean Job Discussion Forums

[tjg_marantz]

Hello,
I am posting this in the General Asia Forum as well. I am posting it here because of the sheer number of posters on this part of the board who may have experienced life elsewhere. I hope this okay.

My wife has her BA in Education and she will be teaching wherever it is we decide to go. I have no BA and so I will going as a dependant trying to find work once we are there. My question is which place would I have an 'easier' time finding a non-teaching job? Japan, Korea, Hong Kong or Taiwan? I am perfectly bilingual(english/french) and am working for HP right now in a non-technical position at dispatch.

We are still evaluating both options for her(job over the internet with airfare paid and so on or going there and her pounding the pavement once there). We are leaning on going over and her looking for work so that she can see the places she is applying to and talk to the teachers already there instead of hoping for the best from halfway around the world.

All four places have different positives and negatives and we are still contemplating all four countries. Could you please share how the job hunting went for your non-teaching partner? Is there a place where it is much easier than the others for non-teaching foreigners to get a job.

From the looks of it, in Korea, living on one salary seems feasible and sustainable for a while, while I would be looking for work. How is it for the other places? Where are th eupstart costs the greatest and what is a ballpark figure for those?

Any and all expriences and comments are encouraged and welcomed.

Thank you very much!

[tjg_marantz]

just a small bump to see if anyone missed it.

[Derrek]

Well, there's an HP office in Seoul, but don't think you could easily get a job there. You'd need to know Korean, I'd bet, and they'd have to prove that Korean couldn't do whatever job you wanted to do.

[the_beaver]

Might be able to get something on base or at your country's embassy.

[tjg_marantz]

I'm sorry, I am not sure what you mean on base? Military US base? Not sure I would want to work there with the way things are right now. Or is that overblown?

[the_beaver]

[tjg_marantz]

Well, I am not in Korea right now so obviously I am not 'living' the situation but it seems with the base layoffs and the sentiments towards some foreginers right now, do I really even want to try and work for the US Army, seems like, hmmm, awkward timing if you will.

Or have I misunderstood the situation in Korea right now.

[the_beaver]

[tjg_marantz]

super!

I am surprised not more people have dependants who are not teachers. I would have expected a bunch of replies here but it certainly looks like non-teaching dependants are pretty much on their own, hehe. Good thing I'm not scared of selling myself... euh, well, not that way