Korean Job Discussion Forums

[canuckistan]

For the average expat, living and working in Korea is a fabulous opportunity to see Asia on your downtime, as well as save some money/pay off those pesky student loans etc.
I know if I had to pay for air tickets to all the places I visited in Asia while living in NA, a lot of my trips wouldn't have happened, nor would I have been able to spend as much time visiting them.

[PolyChronic Time Girl]

I didn't come to Korea for the money or because I was unemployable. Honeslty, I had no idea the money was so good here. And I really liked my last U.S job I had before I came here I decided to try one year in Korea because I needed a break from my Master's, and because I never travelled anywhere and really wanted to experience a new culture and Korea was an easy one to get to first. Actually, I was planning to join the Peace Corps and I thought a one year stint in Korea would help me get my feet wet with the expat life (because Peace Corps is a hardcore 2.5 years straight). But now that I'm married and liking the money, I don't think I'll rush to join the P.C soon......sad to say, but the easy money and lifestyle of Korea has kind of killed my idealist, hippy spirit to save the world and live in mudhuts....but maybe one day.
I was only planning to stay one year and return to my Master's.....but you can't time life because I ended up falling in love and marrying a Korean. Now it's almost three years later since I first arrived.

[JongnoGuru]

Guangho, I haven't seen any affirmative responses to your question. An anonymous poll might produce a broader range of more honest responses to questions like that. The Beaver's "possibly" comes closest to an affirmative, but what he's calling "social obligations" in the West I'd simply call "routine" for most people.

My guess is that most posters would be reluctant to admit they're "avoiding" (shirking) their "obligations" (responsibilities), even if you qualify these as social obligations and even if you ask them on a semi-anonymous online message board. (Nearly as bad as saying they're avoiding flipping burgers.) However, if you'd asked, How many here came to Korea specifically to avoid a routine life in the West?, by God, posters would be tripping over each other to answer "YES!! YES!! ME!! ME!! PICK ME!!" Then they would launch into long, disparaging accounts of their lives or the lives of their friends in the West.

Why? Because fleeing one's obligations (even defined as social pressures) sounds uncool. Sounds weak. Sounds lacking of testycles. But "escaping routine"? "Fleeing the humdrum"? Now THAT sounds cool! That sounds ballsy! Hell, that sounds like a frickin' Dos Equis beer ad!

[numazawa]