Korean Job Discussion Forums

[weatherman]

Found these, well worth your time to read articles in some of the more popular Korean blogs. I'm sure some of you have already read them, but I think they are worth posting here to, for they offer good advice:

First up is Ruminations in Korea:

http://www.jsharrison.com/korea/2006/03/21/the-plight-of-english-institute-teachers-in-korea/

Lots of good advice such as:

[spliff]

And here I thought this was gonna be a joke...

[UncleAlex]

By all means, conform to cultural and societal norms: Accept being
cheated by your boss, live in a shabby little room with intermittent
hot water and no heating system, and don't grumble if you have to
work 12 hour days at a busy hagwon or be paid late all the time. If
you're denied your severance pay at the end of the year, then take
it like a man by refusing to notify the Korea Labor Board. Chances
are you'll be well-liked and respected by your employer who will then
not give you any more trouble.

[Homer]

Unclealex..perhaps there is a difference between adapting to societal norms and sitting there while you get cheated on...those are two very different issues.


As for the advice given...it makes sense. I do think that most of us, when we arrived here did not have 6 months living expenses in the bank

That seems like a good idea but not a very pratical one for most newbies just out of university.

A good rule of thumb however is to have enough cash for a flight home and perhaps a 1000 bucks over that. Just in case something happens.

[Ya-ta Boy]

Well, fooey on you!

I disagree (sort of) with both blogs. I didn't read either one. Maybe I'll read the first one, but the second one has no clue. None whatsoever.

Briefly, my experience is that you need to make a good-faith effort to know the local customs and adapt SOMEWHAT to them. But no need to compromise yourself in the process. As long as you make a sincere effort to act with some manners and courtesy, the locals will welcome you with open arms and not give a lick if you don't follow their local rules to the letter. They are not rubes here. They enjoy meeting people from outside as much as we enjoy meeting them.

The chances of getting ripped off here by your boss are far higher than they should be. I can agree with that. But the quote does not mention that employers here are ripped off at least as often as they do the ripping. Chicken and the egg.

[Homer]

But the quote does not mention that employers here are ripped off at least as often as they do the ripping. Chicken and the egg.

Shhhh...you are talking common sense again...that just won't fly...remember employers are all part of some evil organization out to pillage and enslave poor innocent waeguks...

[Karabeara]

A successful relative of mine, and a lawyer, is working on a new blog. His first entry will be, "Why some lawyers can't make it at home, and have to work overseas."

I've heard there are a lot of starving/poor lawyers out there. Surely, Korea doesn't draw the cream of the lawyer crop either. Lawyers can be here because they are crazy about asian girls, or pervs, or even chasing after easy money (gosh, imagine that).

There are also respectable lawyers here.

Although much of what this guy said holds true, I felt it was almost more of an attempt to boast that he's not an English teacher than much else.

[Otus]

I thought what both writers had to say was both good and original. But the good parts were not original and the original parts were not good.

[Smee]

So if the foreign lawyers are so dismissive of foreigners, what exactly are they doing here?

[JongnoGuru]

[UncleAlex]

Homer, I'm perfectly aware of the difference between societal/cultural norms
and the practices of a crooked employer. I'm alluding to the above quote of how
we bring problems onto ourselves and twisting it a little. By the way, I have
been criticised by Koreans, notably colleagues of mine, for complaining about
being given an apartment with sparse hot water and no heating system; Korean
friends of mine once tried to discourage me from taking a crooked boss to
the Korea Labor Board for holding back pay and denying me my rightful severance pay.
I had the impression on those occasions that it would be the Korean thing to do
if I were to ignore my plight and forget about dealing with my employer. By my
passivity I would certainly be left with unsolved problems.

[Homer]

Ok Unclealex...thanks for clarifying that.

You are right about having to take things into your own hands here...then again that is kind of a universal law if you want things done anywhere!

[BigBlackEquus]

My friend has that heat issue with water in his apartment. He has the typical electric water heater set-up. The thing will only put out so much hot water at a time, and it's not enough to make for a very powerful shower. What he was doing wrong was opening the valve too much, and allowing the hot water to flow too quickly through the heating unit before enough could get hot. To get a nice hot stream of water, he has to reduce the flow coming out of the shower head by closing off the valve a bit.

Of course, this means his shower isn't too powerful, which sucks. It's liveable though, and at least the water is hot enough for a shower.

The weird thing is that it's boiling hot for 10 seconds when he first turns it on. Ouch.

[ontheway]

BBE,

Your friend's hot water is "typical" it is probably gas and not electric. His problem probably comes from a control valve on the water pipe at the input to the water heater unit.

Try this test. Turn on the water on cold, all the way on. Check the water flow. Now turn the water on hot, all the way on. Check the water flow. (do not worry about the temperature of the water coming out, just compare the flow levels.) If there is a lot less water coming out on "hot", then there is a water control valve on the system. You might be able to adust this valve to get a greater flow of water, or have a plumber remove it.

[buymybook]