Korean Job Discussion Forums

[JongnoGuru]

Rapier, I've met my share of tale-telling expats in Korea offline -- and the tallest of those tales were about their non-teaching, pre-Korea income & exploits -- but I wouldn't really know about the claims made by posters here. I did once overhear someone at a table right beside mine in Itaewon telling his friends how he earned 8~9 million won/month teaching kiddy privates in their apartments in Gangnam. Tax-free, unreported, and on a tourist visa. Oh yes, and how his super-rich, super-fine Korean girlfriend had just bought him the shiny new Korando he arrived in, even though she knew he was sleeping with whoever he wanted. She made a brief appearance before they left, and I can attest not only to her "fineness", but also to her rather distressing youthfulness. He looked about in his mid-20s, while she looked too young to be in college. "Daddy owns a school". (This wasn't so long ago, so if the person I'm talking about happens reads this, I invite them to correct any mistakes or fill in the gaps! )

Did I believe him? Yes, I did. (He gave such a zealously detailed lecture on scooting funds out of the country that people at surrounding tables stopped talking and began scribbling mental notes -- you could tell! ) But obviously there's no comparing illegal to legal income, and if the former came with no risks we'd all be running drugs, wouldn't we? It would surprise me if even 5% of expats working/teaching in Korea legally earn anywhere close to those figures. Though I don't presume to know much more about the teaching market than what I read on Dave's.

[seoulkitchen]

Jongnoguru, I must confess, that was me you overheard.

[Grotto]

[Ryst Helmut]