Korean Job Discussion Forums

[YoungLi]

I have a few questions for those people who already moved to S. Korea for an ESL Teaching position:

1.) How did you go about moving your belongings? Has anyone used the "shipping container" method? Please give details.

2.) Has anyone shipped their auto over or currently owns an auto in Korea? I've heard that the driving is dangerous there, so is this a good or bad idea to have an auto and why? I really LOVE my LR Freelander that I just bought in March and I hate to leave it behind or sell it.

3.) Why is it that so many employers offer a round trip airline ticket? Is this a Korean "law?" What if you like it so much you don't want to return home but maybe take a vacation in another country and come right back? Do I HAVE to go back to my country of origin?

4.) I wonder how common it is for teachers to renew their contracts with their employers? It seems like turnover is quite high. Am I wrong? If not, why is this?

5.) I would really like to get a Japanese Chin puppy (something I've wanted for years). The employers/schools offer housing. Is this something I should discuss in an interview? Or should I not even think about having a pet in an apartment? Will landlords allow such pets in apartments or should I not even THINK about having a pet? I'd like some feedback from teachers who managed to keep pets in S. Korea.

6.) I thought I saw something about high speed internet access being available in S. Korea. This is something I want, especially to connect with lingo phone service. I checked into this recently and all I can say is WOW! So I wonder if I should bring up high speed internet access being available at my apartment in an interview. Any thoughts about this?

[Ya-ta Boy]

[denverdeath]

[Son Deureo!]

[YoungLi]

Ya-ta Boy.... I noticed that you seemed quite negative in your post, especially about Koreans or Korea in general so I decided to view your other posts. Good Lord, you have 2,748 posts to your name! I take it you don't have much of a life over there. You must be absolutely MISERABLE from what I've read. I'm taking a grain of salt with your post. Thanks anyway.

denverdeath and Son Deureo thanks for the helpful information.
1 and 2) About my belongings and car: I cannot put them in storage... that is NOT an option for me. I can get rid of most of it by giving it to charity or selling but there are going to be some things that just will not fit in a tiny suitcase. I don't think I would ever mail anything at $50.00 for only 20 pounds! Moreover, I am fully aware that they are notorious about loosing things. However, I am seriously considering using a shipping container method that my Indian friend told me about. He's checking into this for me right now getting quotes. He advised me to ship the car in the container with my belongings and it should only cost about $1,200 at the most. This is very reasonable. I was glad to read that quite a few soldiers ship their autos and belongings to Korea.

3 and 4) About the airline tickets and high turnover: I was pleasantly suprised to read this, "With some employers, you can get a cash equivalent on your return portion which could solve the problem you mentioned." The turnover of teachers is most alarming to me. I mean if these types of jobs were offered here in the USA, people with degrees would be clawing each others eyes out just to get interviews! It makes me wonder if teachers really appreciate the opportunity given them or if Korean employers/immigration are EVIL - the later of which I seriously doubt.

6.) About the Japanese Chin puppy: I've had cats all my life and they do not adjust well to change. Also, it's a misconception that cats are quite. I've had cats that would "talk all the time" and would not shut up every time I got on the phone. The last one I had kept peeing on the carpet, especially when I had to use the phone. This behaviour problem would not stop so finally I took him to the pound. He got a really great home and I keep in touch with the new owners. Nine months later, I still miss the cat VERY much.

I've always wanted my own puppy. A Japanese Chin can be litter trained VERY well. I know friends who have them. They aren't noisy at all. Dogs generally adjust well to most changes. My concern would be the reaction of Koreans towards a Japanese dog. I know that Koreans generally aren't too fond of pets and being this is a Japanese dog to boot I wonder how people would generally react to me and to the dog being that it is a Japanese breed. Moreover, I wonder if even bringing up the topic would be conceived of as weird - I guess that's the best word to use here.

[Ya-ta Boy]

[Ekuboko]

[Anasazi]

I don't think Ya-Ta Boy was being negative either. His posts sounded realistic to me. I'm relatively new to Korea (second month), and I think you've been given excellent advice.

I didn't have the stuff or the cash to use the container method; mostly it's used for businessmen who move households. I have a large apartment for a hogwan place. It's big enough for a bed, a desk, an armoire, a table, three units of counter, a refrigerator, and a bedside table. That's it. No extra furniture, no armchair, no sofa. (Maybe a set of shelves.) My armoire is just large enough to hold the clothes I jammed into two suitcases.

Most people I know live in a space about half to three-quarters my size. Are you going to find your own, large apartment? If so, consider the expense. It's not New York City rates, but it's not cheap to have lots of space in big cities. Do you want to pay 1200 (or 2400) dollars only to throw away a bunch of stuff when you get here?

I don't own a car, but you're getting good advice. Public transportation in most cities is excellent. Driving conditions are not. I'm told that often new cars get scratched and dented, sometimes on purpose. It is dangerous to drive. Repairs may be expensive, difficult and inadequate, depending on how much experience the repair people have had with your type of vehicle. Are you an American? Americans don't get automatic international driver's licenses.

A sidenote, which you should probably ignore because it's Friday and I'm feeling quite irritable:
Responding to serious advice with things like "I take it you don't have much of a life over there. You must be absolutely MISERABLE from what I've read" does not generally endear you to advice-givers. Just because someone is unhappy (your assumption, although not necessarily wrong) does not mean they give bad advice, or that they're lying to you.

I like Korea. Does that mean I give better advice? I don't post often. Does that make what I have to say better? If you ask for advice and don't like the answer, you should thank the person and ask for clarification, or keep your mouth shut.

You also sound pretty judgmental about turnover. There's a host of reasons for high turnover, from the difficulty of living in another culture, to people's reasons for coming (paying off loans, earning enough to travel, etc.). I hesitate to describe any group as "EVIL" - I'll leave that to the cowboys of the world, but there is a well-established pattern where Korean employers come out on top, to the detriment of their foreign employees. Asking people to "appreciate the opportunity" without having taught here or lived here is going to push buttons. Hard.

So, my turn: It sounds to me like you want people to give you the answers you want to hear: You want a dog, you want your car, you want things to work out at your school. That's understandable. But shutting down people who don't give you those answers will not help you make good decisions.
(End rant.)

I wish you the best luck finding a job that won't screw you over. (I know that sounds like a small thing when you're over there, but here it's a big thing.)

[hypnotist]

Why is putting stuff into storage not an option? Even if you have to pay for it, it's likely to be cheaper - and certainly more convenient - than shipping stuff over.

[YoungLi]

[denverdeath]

[guangho]

[YoungLi]

[ribena berry]

Yataboy wrote:
I thought that was clever in your response how you changed the focus of my negativity from its intended target to Korea. That was well done.[/quote]

Ya- TA- boy: You have a clever way with words.

I happened to strongly agree with your 1st responce to the post Ya Ta Boy.
YoungLi, you asked for advice:- Don't ignore it if its not what U want to here.

Good luck, and I REALLY like your quote (I'm personally quittin the rat race, on the sudden realisation- I'm not a rat!! Thank god!)

[chronicpride]

Late breaking out of Vegas- OP's odds on doing a runner after 1 month is paying 3-2.

Sure hope everything works out, as this country is known to be much more tougher to adjust to than the anonymous advice from people on an internet forum.