Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Cave Dweller]

Has anyone on this board decided to make Korea your permanent home? I want to ask many people who have done so, as I am considering it for myself.

No, this is not a trolling thread, please don't degrade it into one. Korea has many faults but also a lot of bonuses over western countries or otherwise.

[yfb]

This photo pretty much sums every lifer in Korea:

http://www.quickmeme.com/meme/3t07fw

[edwardcatflap]

[KimchiNinja]

I have contemplated, but decided against it.

But I will retain ties here, so I have a place to jump back to if needed. If all hell ever breaks lose in the world, which it might in our lifetimes, this is an isolated place to hide out.

[Cave Dweller]

I definitely prefer the lifestyle in the west, the food, a lot of other things.

There are also a lot of pet peeves about the west that don't exist in Korea.

Being a lifer here does not signify failure. If someone has been here 20+ years and works for 2.1 a month, that's failure.

[hogwonguy1979]

wife and I ( both of us american) were there from June of 96 until last December, I taught university the entire time and wife did until she went corporate the last 5 years we were there. there are a few people we know who arent married to Koreans who have been there as long as we were but I could count those on the fingers of one hand. Not sure if that qualifies as a lifer but it should

It was a hell of a ride, we might have stayed even longer if it wasnt for aging parents here we might still be there, work 30-34 weeks a year and spend the rest of the time here or in SEA

[Cave Dweller]

It is tougher for those who have kids and don't trust the education system here. For a DINK couple, it is paradise. You will always have money and can live very well.

[Ditch]

Been here since 1998, but I keep saying 5 more years, then that's it. Married a Korean, have 5 year old son, and our roots here seem to becoming deeper and deeper. It's gonna make the eventual move, all the more complicated and expensive.

If it wasn't for the fact of having my son go through the hellish nightmare of Korean high-school, and even middle school, we'd probably stay here much longer.

Though Canadian high-school with all the gangs, drugs, and teachers who are often on 'strike', the Canadian Educational System isn't looking as appealing as it once was. Nor is the Canadian Medical System. Compared to Korea, Canada is way behind. Just a myth/propaganda that the Canadian Health Care System is one of the best in the world. Not a chance. I had better service with more modern technology in Thailand!

[Weigookin74]

The guys who came here when the getting was good may have either done well for themselves here or started to do well and are now faltering. Korea isn't what it was.

Some still can make it here. But Canada isn't what it was either. I think up until 10 years ago, Canada's economy was crap. Now the western part is booming and there's a lot of jobs. Ontario is huring because of Liberal mismanagement and New Brunswick just put in the same party of idiots. So, don't expect the east to improve, either.

Sask cities seem to be booming without the costs of Calgary or Vancouver. Being here, save some money to finance the start up costs and then go home if you're not making it here. By home, I mean not Ontario or the east. If you're making it here, then stay. Not a failure in that case.

[cj1976]

I'm kind of in limbo. I don't particularly enjoy being here, but it would be much worse if I went home to the UK.

[FDNY]

[le-paul]

If I kill myself soon, I will have been a lifer

[cj1976]

[Yaya]

Korea isn't really a place where non-Koreans (including gyopos) can live for life. Despite all the talk of making Korea a hub of this and that, well, wishful thinking won't make Korea what it wants to be, not to mention xenophobia, Korean behavior, discrimination and the like.

Yes, having children in Korea will definitely make being a lifer much harder given the horrible school system here. Yet I'm not convinced that North America is the answer unless you have something good lined up. Many who have left are itching to return, and some have done just that (myself included).

But Korea after 40 is a scary place given the relative lack of welfare benefits for the elderly -- Korea has the highest poverty rate for the elderly in the developed world -- and age discrimination. Ironic that Confucianism preaches about respecting the elderly, yet Korea does anything but that (Korea's suicide rate for people 80 or older is three times the national average, which is third worldwide).

So unless you have a fallback plan that doesn't involve teaching, don't be a lifer in Korea.

[banjois]