Korean Job Discussion Forums

[dhan89]

bump...

learning a lot from previous posts...

[IBD]

I work full time, corp/development bank. Yes there is typical Corporate bs to deal with but if anyone here thinks it's the same as Korea i'd disagree. I make a decent salary with a good life balance and benefits and my job is international ( I'm in Korea 2x a year because we partner with Korean banks). This would NEVER have been achievable for me in Korea. People looking to enter the corporate ladder in Korea are fricking nuts. You might as well keep teaching, get an ma tesol and start piecing together low hour gigs to save. I wouldn't recommend academia in the field. It's saturated and you'll spend the next 10+ years pounding out papers in a soft field with very little pay per hour worked and it isn't getting any better.

[motiontodismiss]

[oatmeal]

I just have to say that I notice a lot of people on these kinds of forums always seem to have so much negative things to say, attacking people for sharing their opinions. Why can't native english teachers just get off their high horse and be supportive and understanding. If you disagree with someone's rant, no need to make personal attacks, be disrespectful and be all smug and pseudo-intelligent about it.

I'm not happy right now myself and I hope that people won't attack me, judge me, blame me, and look down on me. Let's just learn to support each other, and if u can't, then don't add to the pile of crap people are already going through in Korea.

[Fallacy]

I can attest to what PRagic says about Konkuk University "cleaning house" because I previously worked there. I can further attest that PRagic "knows of these positions" because I also knew the people holding some of them, too. I also agree that PRagic's point about salary increases and term limits is an important distinction. Finally, I can attest to EZE's observation that "shit rolls downhill" because I also have a sibling who "sounds like Pacino" managing a division for a large corporate entity. All jobs require work in exchange for pay. All work and no play make Jack a dull boy, so the saying goes, but the OP's list of 1~8 reasons for "Why I left Korea" seemed minimally related to jobs, work or pay.

[PRagic]

Thanks for the back up, Fallacy. And tough to argue with IBD as he/she is walking the walk currently. I just know that the financial editors that I know here and in HK make bank, take decent vacations, and aren't too terribly stressed out.

Tenure track jobs in academe are great IF you can get one. Pay is pretty good, there are multiple opportunities to make a bit more, travel with funding, and to network. Salaries are increased every year, and bonuses paid for publishing (either by the paper or via a productivity bonus annually). Everyone I know here, in N. America, and in Europe working in tenure track (or tenured) positions knows that they have a good thing going. I mean, come on, we teach 2-2 load, and some of my colleagues are even on a 2-1 load. Plus, throw in a fully paid one or two semester sabbatical every few years?

But it's not for everyone. I genuinely enjoy doing lectures and seminars, and I had total freedom when creating my undergrad and grad classes. I also don't have a problem doing the research and have managed to stay fairly productive. It IS publish or parish, so if you are a procrastinator or if you can't be self-motivated, prioritize, and stay organized, it might not be for you.

You don't have a boss always asking about, or demanding to see, your research, but when promotion and/or contract extention time comes around, you WILL get let go if you haven't met the point cut offs. This is, of course, at R1 universities; small, private, teaching intensive colleges might cut you some more slack or deploy different metrics.

It's still work, no matter how you slice it.

[IBD]

PRagic,

May I ask what field of research you are in? I'm going to assume that it is Business (organizational behaviour, marketing, HR focus) or a social science like economics. Those are the fields I would expect funding for research to be available as demand for these majors as well as traditionally technical areas of engineering, computer science etc, as been increasing.

TESOL and I would even argue Applied Linguistics are just too weak to be anything worth while. I mean, if you have a passion for it and more importantly have a trust fund or a way to make ends meet when you are doing your doc/post doc then go for it. However I'd stay clear. There's a reason why the majority of people looking to break into this field are women (old guard from the 70s 80s 90s is a bit more balanced). They can afford to make 35000 a year while their banker, engineer, consultant husband supports them. This was one of the main reasons why I left the field (was working towards my doctorate) and Korea entirely. At times I miss the freedom I had in Korea and the travel opportunities but no good thing lasts forever.

[PRagic]

Meh, you'd be surprised at the consultants that make major bank dealing with ESL programs.

But, yeah, you're right, not my cup of tea.

[IBD]

In my experience knowing consultants and working with them, it isn't a long term option. Sure the barrier to entry is lower and pay CAN be good but the hours are awful, stress is high and frequent travel is required. Most burn out after a few years, say they did it and move on to something more sustainable.

[PRagic]

One of my best friends back in the USA is an educational consultant. He works maybe 9 months a year and consistently pulls in 100-150K. He's angling now to pull in more while working fewer days.

His contracts also regularly take him to CA and Hawaii (he bases out of western New York), so he has built in mini-vacations. He's definitely not stressed out and there's zero chance of burn out. He has a great life.

How did he get there? He had to actually teach for 5 years and get his MA in education. Then he had to get another MEd in edu administration and work as a principal. Then he had to work for a couple of the largest edu consulting companies in the USA running schools and getting bad schools back on track. Then he hung his own shingle. Along the way he also picked up certs in counseling and coaching, and even did a year in a PhD program.

[edwardcatflap]

[PRagic]

Gotta say I do love a good success story. In general, though, research has shown that successful people tend to surround themselves with successful friends.

In answer to your query, though, I have plenty of hardworking buddies just doing their careers. But even if they're not 'massively successful' or 'hitting it out of the park' all the time, they all tend to have some successful traits in common; they've consistently bettered their lot through hard work and education, they don't live beyond their means, and they save and invest for the future.

[wooden nickels]

[PRagic]

I usually come on here for the opposite reason. There are often people looking for info on graduate and PhD programs, or on different opportunities that might exist here in the ROK or elsewhere.

[wooden nickels]