Korean Job Discussion Forums

[sydchic21]

Hi there,
I am interested in teaching in korea but I only finish my degree in march and want to know do schools by that stage take people who only want to stay till the end of the korean academic year? I'm not sure yet whether I'm ready (or brave enough) to commit to a full year or even 6 months, I really want to sort of get my toes dipped in before making a full commitment.
I know what I'm going to ask has been asked time and time again but I will be finishing my degree (Bachelor of Music Education) and want to know whether I would have any chance getting work in a university, the hagwons just seem to take people for a ride judging from the forums...
One more question, horse riding in korea, seoul in particular... haven't found ANYTHING on the net. I'm a very keen show jumper and would really like to keep up my riding, is it possible to ride in korea?
Many thanks in advance!

[Gamecock]

Duck for cover. Here comes the barrage in 3,2,1...

Before you get nasty replies, let me just say nicely that with your music degree and no experience it is HIGHLY unlikely you will get a university job as they are VERY competetive positions. I don't know ANYWHERE that will give you a 3 month job. You can always come over and take a job and then put in your notice and quit after 3 months if you find it's not for you, but you'll have to pay back your airfare to your employer at the minimum. Honestly, living abroad in another culture isn't easy and it isn't for everyone. If you're as timid as you appear in your post, Korea probably isn't the place for you. As far as horse jumping...I don't know for sure, but I highly doubt you'll be able to do this as well.

[simpleminds]

Yo.

To question 1: No. A six-month is about the shortest you can do. At a hogwon.

Question 2: If you're not ready, you're not ready. You have to have a certain disposition to live and work here. Do some travelling first, if you've done none so far. Outside your country.

Question 3: Nope. Decent uni positions are already inundated with people with Master's applying for them. Many of them don't advertise, many use contacts, amny don't recruit people from outside Korea. Most people start here with a hogwon or public school job. From there, you must network.

Question 4: Seriously doubt it. I had a friend who was a riding buff; he never did any horseriding here. I think you can only do that on Jeju Island.

[Yu_Bum_suk]

You can rent a malnourished horse on Jeju-do for an hour or two, according to my friend.

Cruisemonkey just did a trip to Mongolia with a bunch of Koreans that involved a lot of riding. He said the Koreans were all kitted out with hundreds of dollars of brand new leather kit - some of them could ride OK and others hand to be guided by a Mongolian.

[John Henry]

no,

no,

and no.

[Hotpants]

If you just wanna dip your toes in the water, start with a summer or winter camp. They only require a month or so commitment and can help lead you to other positions as well as giving you a bit of money.

Re Horses.
I've never actually seen horse stables in Seoul, but I've seen a few horseriding places in Korea through the TV, including racehorse breeding in Jeju island. It's not a common hobby by any means. Most young people here are not outdoor types in general.

[Canadian Club]

I know of some riding places... horses here tend to be OTTBs or native ponies (Jeju).

Competitive riding isn't that popular though.

[sydchic21]

I LOVE that someone thinks i'm timid, can't wait to share that one with friends, I'm one of the most extrovert people on the planet! I've actually lived in hong kong by myself and have travelled around china quite a bit. I'd actually prefer to teach english in china but I have to face facts that I will have a lot of student debt and the pay is just too much more for me to ignore in korea. North east asia doesn't really scare me, bangkok freaked me out when i went there by myself. the only thing i dont know if im ready to do is to leave home for a really extended amount of time, but i have until march 2008 and even beyond to see if i'm really ready to face up the challenges. thanks for all your replies, you have all given me some food for thought!