Korean Job Discussion Forums

[the_beaver]

[rapier]

Wishmaster, you must be a troll. Who cares if the frogs can't win a war. I'm talking about quality of life. I worked on the yachts along the cote d'azur, picked grapes in Emilia romagna. They're great places to be compared to the miles of identical tower blocks and cloned people that make up Korea.
However i agree with you, largely, about the west. I'm sick of the materialism, the selfishness, the superficiality, the greed, and the expense.
As regards career development, it seems to be that qualifications and conscientiousness count for little nowadays compared to how you look and who you know.

[TheUrbanMyth]

[Wishmaster]

Okay...some decent replies. I would say that the opportunity to advance in Korea is exponentially better than in the West. At least for those in the ESL field. If you have a modicum of intelligence, you should be able to land a pretty sweet deal after a couple of years. Yes, it is possible to advance in the west but, like everywhere else, there are no guarantees and profits are the bottom line.

Rapier, I am not a troll. I am merely stating my opinion about the situation back in the West. I will agree that my statement about Italy and France had no relevance to the argument. Actually, I think that both countries do have good cultures and fascinating histories. I jumped the gun on that one.

Urban Myth. You are correct, the same thing happens in Korea. However, it is not nearly as rampant as in the West. The Western world just love to flaunt the image and it is in your face 24/7. Everywhere you look, you have complete imbeciles making money. Look at the money that professional sports make. It is obscene. Yes, Korean players in the K-leagues make money but it isn't even in the same ballpark as the Western player. How about the Porn biz? Yes, every country has it but the West is the king and they showboat it. Just set up a camera, hire a couple of strippers and you can be rich. Also, the inane products that are advertised and such awesome things as "Girls Gone Wild" and "Bumfights" rake in millions of dollars. So, the western psyche is completely self-absorbed and has no conception of bounds. At least in Korea, people know how to set boundaries and actually live with a sense of dignity and understanding. Oh, but then I guess that is because they must be repressed. The only great society is one in which you have so much freedom that something as blase as morality shouldn't be allowed to interfere. What next? Legalize drug use? Geez, they were actually considering legalizing drugs in Las Vegas; this coming from a country that is supposedly so anti-drug that they are willing to try to snuff it out in Columbia with their pathetic tactics merely designed for show. How about Murder? Is it going to be okay in the next few years to off someone because they nudged you when you were at Wal-Mart.

Every country has its flaws. It is just my opinion that Korea is a pretty good place to me that doesn't cause the headaches that the West causes. Again, that is my perception. When I compare the two, Korea is a better fit...for me.

[the_beaver]

[Wishmaster]

Titles don't matter to me. As long as I continue to get the nice pay that pays for the bling-bling...it is cool. Whether managing a company or mopping the floor, just as long as the cash flow is sufficient. Bling!

[the_beaver]

[rapier]

Wishmaster is correct when he says that western values are obscenely out of contol.
It shouldn't be allowed that some gold- digger can have an affair with a movie star, sue him for millions on some trumped up charge, and then make millions by writing a book.
It shouldn't be allowed that sick criminals are glamorised and then profit from sensationalist media attention; etc etc...
It shouldn't be allowed that someone who merely kicks a football around earns more than the GDP of a 3rd world country on his sponsorship contracts and hairstyles.
The west is indeed pathetic to me in its contorted, warped value system.

I looked at the children's annual, published 1912, in an antique shop once. Inside were pictures glamourising the role models that people looked up to in those days- like "Florence Nightingale" and "Admiral Nelson". ie, people with real character, who'd transformed society for the better, etc. Nowadays it appears to be that the heroes of this age are puffed- up, selfish, vain, image obsessed brats...Not buying...

The west has indeed lost moral perspective and common sense..

[whatthefunk]

[Clutch Cargo]

Wishmaster, you sound like a very materialistic sort.

[Dalton]

I just spent about one year at home after 2 in Korea.
Insurance companies clamoured for me but I am not interested.
I applied for jobs that I have 10 years experience with. No go.
Went through a program called 'Back To Work services' at a local college.
I got excellent, professional and free job hunting skill upgrades.
Resume writing, cover letters, interviews, job hunting techniques.
Learned how to get interviews in my field rather easily.
I was considered by peers and instructors there to be most likely to get hired first.
Got the interviews but not the job.

Possible reasons include:

48% of all jobs in N. America result from who you know. I know no one in my field where I am.
I used to be self employed in my field. HR people and hiring managers have an attitude about that. Ironically they think that I'll have an attitude.
I am over qualified for what I choose to do.
I don't have certs or courses in things that by implication I am not over qualified to do.
I should have landed in TO or Vanc. not a smaller, less sophisticated city.

My case worker believes that my qualifications and life experience (self employment, working overseas! and community work) intimidate hiring managers. So do my friends and family.

So I'm off to Korea.
C'est la vie.
Nice to have options.
I could do a lot worse than travelling to foreign lands and doing something as prestigious as teaching for a take home pay equivalent to about $45,000 CAD per year. (adding typical canadian rent of $500.00 a month and assuming a 33% tax rate)