Korean Job Discussion Forums

[cuckoo for kimchi]

I am kind of new to reading these forums.....they are actually pretty interesting....nay....some down right hilarious......not just on this site...but a couple of others I have read. No one says anything good about Korea.
Granted I would not say my experience here has been always the most enjoyable all the time..(screaming kids that don't listen, boredom, loneliness, getting the occasioanl bout of the s^%ts, coffee being way overpriced...finding a good cup of coffee, haven't had good pizza since i have been here, getting stared at, people staring in my basket at Homeplus, living in a pathetically small one room,etc). It has not been all bad.
Somedays I love *"teaching"*, some days I hate it. I have been teaching an adult class...they have taken me out for drinks on many occasions, gone out of their way to take me places, helped me in situations where I need someone to translate---because I am a dumb foreigner who cannot speak Korean.
There acutually HAVE some good times had here (not in a bar).
PLEASE someone share good experiences....so as not to scare all the foreigners from coming here to *"teach"*

*I know---it is not teaching really, it's babysitting.

[SuperFly]

During my first week in Korea I was lost in the subway (1995). I asked the first Korean guy I saw for help. He turned out to be Korean American and he hooked me up and was really cool about it. Nice guy, I was so shocked that he spoke perfect English...nice guy.

[ChopChaeJoe]

People are generally friendly to me. If not friendly, then at least tame and polite. If I need directions, someone is going to help me, probably even guide me to where I need to go. I like Koreans.


Now there are many things that bother me about Koreans.... but then this is not the place.

[dulouz]

I have plenty of good things to say about Koreans and Korea.

Number 1 is shipbuilding. I'm an ole salt, I know a good ship when I see one.

There are more but I'll leave you in suspense.

[seoulsista]

I think it's just not in people's nature to get on a board and say lots of positive things about Korea. I don't know that if it were any other place in question that people would get on and talk about it's positives either. Alot of people want to come here and gripe because they don't want to seem like an ass in front of all the people they know.

I had a good week. My school was off but I wasn't willing to pay the outrageous prices for a ticket anywhere so I went to a couple different parks, went hiking a bunch. Sometimes I am down on Korea but this week was great. I spoke to a bunch of different people in Korean and English sometimes a combination of both. Took some pictures , which is always strange but nice. But I am not going to come on here and talk about it because I know no one could care less. It's pretty mundane and not very remarkable and what response would people give me?

I did on the other hand see a guy beating his girlfriend from my window today. That's something I might post about. That's negative. But to come on here and say "I had a really nice conversation with an ajossi and ajumma about the four distinct seasons of Korea at the park today!" Yawn.

[Son Deureo!]

There are plenty of good things to say about Korea, and Seoul.

Restaurants are so cheap that cooking is optional.

Healthier diet. I lost a lot of weight in my first year without even trying.

There's always a job available (at least for us). They may not always be the best in quality, and there are a lot of dead ends if you're thinking long term, but unemployment is never a serious concern.

Population density = convenience. You never have to walk very far to buy food, get snacks and booze, rent a video, or get any number of other things. Plus most things are open late if not 24/7.

Koreans police themselves. You may have to worry about getting cheated by your boss, but you won't have to worry about getting mugged on the street.

Great public transportation and cheap cabs. You don't need a car.

Because this is a small, compact country, there is a wide variety of easy weekend getaways that are very doable in a regular 2-day weekend.

Great vacation destinations within a $500 or so plane ride.

Low cost of living plus low taxes means easy saving potential. I save about $1000 per month, and I don't feel like I'm denying myself very much.

Women. Gorgeous women everywhere you look. Dating them has its pitfulls but damn are they nice to look at.



Most of these have been covered multiple times in other threads, but hey, you asked, so why not go over them again. Korea is definitely not for everyone, but there is a lot to like about it.

Don't take my word for it, come on over and see for yourself.

[Grotto]

cheap and efficient public transportation
good food at very reasonable prices
kickass folk villages
nice beaches(cold oceans)
friendly and safe
you get to leave in a year

[W.T.Carl]

I truely enjoyed my last sojourn in Korea. Although I worked for a pirate, I was treated semifairly ( it helps if your a pro at what you do- they seem to respect that). Most of the people I dealt with were great, from the guy who ran the local Chinese place to the teachers and admin at the schools I was farmed out to. The beer was good and so the food. And the females were very interesting. Yes, I LIKE KOREA AND THE KOREAN PEOPLE.

[dulouz]

[SuperFly]

[dulouz]

[Grotto]

[Alan_Partridge]

[Roch]

[Grotto]

I have had some decent brews in the States. There was a really nice one that I had in New York State John...something or other

I was more in shock that anyone could call Korean beer 'good' Its pitiful!