|
Korean Job Discussion Forums
"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Teachers from Around the World!"
|
| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
mishlert
Joined: 13 Mar 2003
Location: On the 3rd rock from the sun
|
 Posted: Thu Mar 18, 2004 2:43 pm Post subject: |
 |
|
I agree that life here is not all that, but after being here for 4 years and feeling settled in, I don't plan on moving again. My c0-worker, who had been here for 10 years, thought I was crazy thinking like that and decided to move back home with his Korean wife. Well, I just got an e-mail from him in which he wrote:
| Quote: |
| Meanwhile, life here is about 100 times more expensive that I could have ever dreamt. |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
the_beaver
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
|
| Posted: Thu Mar 18, 2004 5:08 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| saharzie wrote: |
| Quote: |
the_beaver wrote:
mindmetoo wrote:
But is there any english teacher here that claims teaching in Korea is the career choice of a life time?
Me.
Never get 5 months paid vacation back home
|
If the best part of your job is the amount of time you get AWAY from it, then it does not really seem like the perfect career choice. I think most people view a stint in Korea as a chance to gain experience, travel and make some money. Those who stay for a long time either really love teaching or must have some problems adjusting to the 'real' world. |
Nope, 5 months off is just a perk. The short hour work week gives me lots of time to prep fully and I can plan much more effective classes here than most other places and, because I can really throw myself into the classes, it's really satisfying.
Having said that, who wouldn't like a job with 5 months off? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
ryleeys
Joined: 22 Dec 2003
Location: Columbia, MD
|
| Posted: Thu Mar 18, 2004 5:14 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Mr. Pink wrote: |
I don't think it is ALL THAT.
However, is being chained to a desk job in a cubical back home any better? |
Abso-friggin'-lutely.
Some people are capable of going 10 hours a day teaching and come back for more. Others, it kills to do that. Some people enjoy sitting in front of a computer all day using their brains to solve problems. Others, it kills to do that.
I am now convinced more than ever that I am completely looking forward to going back to America and getting a job working for the government, "chained toa cubicle". There is nothing I enjoy more than the type of intelligence analysis that I am trained to do. Frankly, this gallavanting around the world simply isn't for me. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
desultude
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Location: Dangling my toes in the Persian Gulf
|
| Posted: Thu Mar 18, 2004 6:49 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Quote: |
ryleeys
| Quote: |
Mr. Pink wrote:
I don't think it is ALL THAT.
However, is being chained to a desk job in a cubical back home any better? |
Abso-friggin'-lutely.
Some people are capable of going 10 hours a day teaching and come back for more. Others, it kills to do that. Some people enjoy sitting in front of a computer all day using their brains to solve problems. Others, it kills to do that. |
Most people in the world, and definitely in the U.S., are tied to jobs they endure, at best, get a two week vacation a year, and, if they are lucky, can take a little trip every few years. If you have a good gig, great. Most people don't.
I am surprised at the people here who don't realized how incredibly privileged we are.
Everyone here has an education. That is a privilege not widely shared.
We have health insurance, pension funds, and most of us have free, decent housing.
We get to travel a lot. Not everyone here has a university job with five month's vacation, but all of us can travel when we do have time, and most of us can finish a job, travel for a block of time, and return to another job.
Personally, I am not good at all at sitting at a desk. I'm even happier waiting tables! I've driven trucks, filled vending machines, managed condominiums, tended bar, been in business for myself, and had a lot of other jobs, but this is by far the easiest and most lucrative. And I do love teaching. Any time I have been stuck at a desk, I've gone almost suicidal in no time. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
ryleeys
Joined: 22 Dec 2003
Location: Columbia, MD
|
| Posted: Thu Mar 18, 2004 11:33 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Hey, some people here definitely have it good. My situation isn't that bad... director is strict, but doesn't screw me over.
I'm not unhappy that I put my career on hold for one year I guess... but I am really looking forward to settling down in a place I like and getting a steady and dependable job. It's not something I endure, it's something I look forward to. 9-5, 2 weeks vacation, and the salary I'll be making doing something I enjoy definitely beats chasing around little rugrats. 1 kid is great, 2 are okay, but any more than that and I have problems. What can I say, it's been my dream for 4 years now to get a government job. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Zed
Joined: 20 Jan 2003
Location: Shakedown Street
|
| Posted: Fri Mar 19, 2004 12:24 am Post subject: |
|
|
| So would this be called "Livin' the Life of Ryleeys"? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Mr. Pink
Joined: 21 Oct 2003
Location: China
|
| Posted: Fri Mar 19, 2004 1:00 am Post subject: |
|
|
| ryleeys wrote: |
Hey, some people here definitely have it good. My situation isn't that bad... director is strict, but doesn't screw me over.
I'm not unhappy that I put my career on hold for one year I guess... but I am really looking forward to settling down in a place I like and getting a steady and dependable job. It's not something I endure, it's something I look forward to. 9-5, 2 weeks vacation, and the salary I'll be making doing something I enjoy definitely beats chasing around little rugrats. 1 kid is great, 2 are okay, but any more than that and I have problems. What can I say, it's been my dream for 4 years now to get a government job. |
Its way easier to get a good gig over here than a good gov't job back home.
Good luck being chained to a desk. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
ryleeys
Joined: 22 Dec 2003
Location: Columbia, MD
|
| Posted: Fri Mar 19, 2004 4:55 am Post subject: |
|
|
| If you enjoy the work, then is it still being "chained" to a desk? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
jajdude
Joined: 18 Jan 2003
|
| Posted: Fri Mar 19, 2004 9:59 am Post subject: |
|
|
| No more than being happily married is being tied to a ball and chain.... |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Homer
Guest
|
| Posted: Fri Mar 19, 2004 10:06 am Post subject: |
|
|
Good point J-dude.....
Its all about what you want and need rylees.
You want to me a gov man then thats cool....go for it dude. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Mr. Pink
Joined: 21 Oct 2003
Location: China
|
| Posted: Fri Mar 19, 2004 5:11 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| ryleeys wrote: |
| If you enjoy the work, then is it still being "chained" to a desk? |
Yes.
I can't see how anyone can enjoy working in a cubical though...I am not saying all desk jobs are bad, just the ones where you are amoung 100s of other clones, sitting in their little "boxes" doing their jobs, waiting for 5 o'clock so they can punch out and go back to their homes. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
kangnam mafioso
Joined: 27 Jan 2003
Location: Teheranno
|
| Posted: Fri Mar 19, 2004 6:22 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Great posts. And don't get me wrong: I loved Korea, I still love Korea, one day I may go back to Korea, but it isn't all that. I don't really understand the mentality some people have of staying there forever. Maybe I'm just going through a post-divorce-from-Korea depression where I try to focus on the negative aspects of the place to help me forget and convince myself I should have left it in the first place. Returning home isn't easy: we all know that. I worked at a uni in korea and taught 8-15 hours per week max. Now I'm pulling 35 hour weeks in an American high school. I've got my fingers crossed that I can break into a college here so that I can at least return to a similar work lifestyle (minus the Korean culture). High school is too confining -- although I wouldn't say it's much worse than teaching kids all week in a hogwan. But, boy, do I miss my uni gig. Why couldn't I bring it home with me? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
ChooChooPongPong
Joined: 15 Jun 2003
|
| Posted: Fri Mar 19, 2004 6:23 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| I think for many people the issue is not so much teaching as a career choice, but teaching in a hakwon. I worked one year full time at a hakwon....and I'll never do it again. Usually, the pay and benefits are for university grads looking for their gap-year. I dont think hakwons are places to stay if you do intend to settle in Korea. The hours are too long and teachers are generally over-worked and under-performing due to this. Universities/public schools etc. are the way to go if you are going to be a "lifer." Or, likewise, work privately at hakwons etc. part time and you dont have to deal with the stress and work less and get paid more. I'm amazed when I meet people who have worked at a Wonderland or something for 5-10 years. If you stay at a place that long at least get a dental plan. As for me....I only planned to be here one year....but I fell for a K-girl and it has drawn out my stay. Otherwise...I'd definetely get the hell out. And I still might depending on her. This kind of situ makes a relationship hard when you love her but are not so hot on her country. Its make or break all the time underneath the surface. But there are a lot of happy guys here who got stuck her cus of a girl. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
|
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
