Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Privateer]

Instead of wasting time posting on Dave's anyone here could be out milking the private tuition market for well over 3 times a hagwon salary. I'm not cos I'm too laz.....I mean it's illegal and so I'd never do anything like that of course!

[forgesteel]

The town I live in is too small. Everyone knows everyone else. An example:

I started to meet with one of my students on the weekends: no money changed hands, ever. I figured they could teach me some Korean, and I could talk to someone who had English down well enough to carry on a conversation. My nosey roommate saw us one day, and decided to tell my director I was doing privates. Without bothering to look into the veracity of the claims, my director started to use extremely inappropriate tone, volume, etc. of voice, accusing me of breaking the law, threatening to fire me, etc.. Not cool, considering I was doing nothing illegal.

[Ilsanman]

I think we may live a lot better than most Koreans here.

We are in a different tax bracket....we pay between 3 and 5 % tax only. We should be paying 18% for how much most of us earn.

Also, I think we are a lot smarter with money than most Koreans. We don't throw out our old furniture onto the street without even trying to sell it, for example. I got me a brand new table last week, at the expense of Mr. Kim or Mr. Son.

[joe_doufu]

[joe_doufu]

[Demophobe]

[Veronica]

[Veronica]

[JongnoGuru]

[Ilsanman]

Maybe it's too broad, but I only know one foreigner here in Korea who spends money like water. And he's an idiot for different reasons too.

I laugh when I hear some Korean say 'The Korean economy is so bad right now'. Could have fooled me, the way people foolishly spend money.

Yes hookers, brand name shit, spending several millions of won to legally change their son's name because a fortune teller told them its a good idea (true story), plastic surgery, overpriced cars and gas, brand new furniture, too many vacations, etc, are all a waste of money.

[fusionbarnone]

Here in China everything seems dirt cheap where life is hard for the peasantry generally. Chinese ladies practically throw themselves on Korean guys because they offer the promise of a better life(korea is seen as the asian success story). As an interesting aside, one Korean friend found his chinese girlfriend having once returned to Shanghai was no longer returning his calls. Instead, he advertised for female chinese interested in "learning" Korean in exchange for Mandarin.
He got a lot of takers and laid at least twice a week(never bedding the same gal twice). Thus, many of these "ladies" see hope for a better life in one of these "rich" Koreans.

Anyway, looking at the hardships here, one has to ask oneself; if you had absolutely nothing, no home, no job, how will you rise above the rest?

Those that have done well in this country(China) just amaze me; what with the high number of luxury cars/apartments, someones/many seem to be winning.

Li Ka Shing(went to work in a plastics factory at 12 to support his family after his dad died) to become the richest man in asia. Then there's Liu Yongxing(from the province I'm currently in) whose brother and himself(age 35) sold their watches and bicycles to buy quails for breeding. Discovering bio-diversity by accident; they feed quail poop to the pigs- pig dung to the fishes- fish dung(????) to the pigs eventually branching out into stockfeed to become China's first billionaire.

Consider that the population/competition(1.5 billion in China) is intense, I think we have a far better opportunity to live or provide for the future, well. I'm currently attempting to strike up a deal with Google and once becoming familiar with the board, I couldn't help but notice the youthfulness of the knowledge industries new wealth, who were able to spot opportunity and to bet(calculated imagination) all on it.

Wasn't there also a made for television program which featured a competition between 3 top business people and who by the end of the day would earn the most(from nothing) would ultimately win. I've seen one make $90,000 by the end of the day. So, how do most people we know spend their time?

We obviously have more opportunity than many chinese(many back home too) And working definately helps so there is at least a financial vehicle(better than most). How about the time span of the contestants and what they achieved? Make's one consider a different perspective concerning time. Someone once did a study on the theory of compounding interest. The gains were unbelievable. And according to a study of the worlds wealthiest, the most monied came not from export, manufacturing, but banking and related financial services.

I think what most people with wanting and motivation really lack is real world information. Information that encourages critical thinking with solid info from the pros with proven track records.

Donald trump is currently offering an MBA in a day, his current ofering at www.trumpuniversity.com along with other courses that address informational and strategic shortfalls most people seem to lack. Sounds too good to be true? I think the "Donald" has recognized what movers and shakers really need without the lengthy degree with costs, at a price people can afford, with the best talent in every business, as your advisers.

As for wages, I've been told by korean friends unrelated to teaching, 1.8, 2 mil are close to factory wages(not sure about the supplied accomodation, but student friends get accom when they work outside their provinces). And, German engineers I've talked to, tell me that their starting salary is 10 mil(including car, etc).

ESL teachers have the opportunity to save and they should really be doing that combined with a timetable for achievement, the right information/education, and an extreme self-reliant attitude(not reliant on fortune tellers, lotto, unproven people, misplaced loyalties,palmistry, karma,etc,etc) an attitude not prone to blaming the world or others.

ESL provides travel, resonable remuneration, accomodation, other perks is a damn good start.

Opportunity looks different when one becomes determined and responsible after seeing poverty elsewhere too.

[joe_doufu]

Well said. I believe the figure in China is now 250,000 U.S. dollar millionaires. The USA remains the land of a million millionaires, but China is catching up fast.