Korean Job Discussion Forums

[bucheon bum]

What is more important:

a) your job
b) where you live

That is, do you think it is better to have a job you love, but you have to live in a place you're not so hot about; or is it better to live in a place you love but have a job you aren't so hot about?

Personally i'd go with a. You spend a lot more time working than being able to enjoy where you are. Sad but true.

[eamo]

It's subjective. Some people like to be out in the sticks and live like hermits. That's fine. No argument there.

Me, I could only live in or near Seoul because I built up my life around Seoul.

There's lots of good jobs to be had in or around Seoul.

[camel96]

It's an interesting comparison.
For example I would personally say I have one of the best hagwon jobs in Korea. Downside is it's in a relatively small town which is a little dull and there's not much happening. I'm not a massive party person though so it doesn't bother me that much. Ask me in 6 months or so on the other hand and I could be going out of my mind with boredom. Many people under the same circumstances already would have.
But the flipside is that being in a cool location yet being constantly scammed by your boss and having fingers stuck up your ass on a daily basis by horrible little heathens is extremely stressful and I think would in the long run lead to you not enjoying where you are based on your work situation.
It's a tough one to answer BB. I'm gonna ride the fence.

[FierceInvalid]

Yeah, I'll ride the fence too. It's a matter of degrees, I think. How bad does your job have to suck before location no longer matters? For me, it would have to suck pretty bad. I live in Seoul, and can't imagine living outside Seoul, it would be a lot to give up. Of course, I would do it in a second if I never got paid, or got screwed into extra hours at no extra pay, etc...if it weren't for the fact that there are plenty of decent jobs in Seoul anyway. Hypothetically, though, I'd say work becomes more important than location only when it comes to the big stuff - getting paid in full/on time, and working the schedule you signed on for.

[Bulsajo]

JOB JOB JOB JOB and JOB.
Having a good job in a bad location:
You can always go to Seoul, Busan, etc. on your day(s) off, and I think inherent in the defiinition of a good job is decent co-workers and accommodations which help to mitigate a poor location.
Having a bad job in a good location:
Just feels like a cruel joke that's being played on you.
[Been there done that]

[Tiger Beer]

LOCATION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Actually I've had both many times.. I prefer a job I don't care for but being in a great location anyday!!! MUCH BETTER!!

Actually right now I have what I consider a great job.. but I go out of my mind some days being in a location that I find mediocre. I can remedy it by escaping to the good areas.. but its not the same as living in the great areas.

I'm a 'location' kind of guy..

Now for career.. thats something totally different.. but jobs come and go.. and teaching English in one place over another with the minor differences.. I'd say location makes a HUGE difference.

[Zed]

I want to vote for location but if I were honest I know I would be in another country so I guess that speaks for itself. I miss Spain.

[peemil]

You know that is hard. I've got an OK job but the location is way out of town. Which can be difficult sometimes. But the apartment is very quiet and I suppose I don't mind it. But I can't handle the inner city of Korea. Too noisy.

[desultude]

Job.

Location is so important to me, but, that being said, I am not in Mexico solely because I needed a better job than I could get there. I miss Mexico. I would love to teach in Brazil, but, alas, same problem. (P.S., your chance to say "Brazil" Tiger Beer, and shout a round.)

I would say location, but the truth wins out.

[bucheon bum]

yeah, if it were location, I wouldn't be here in Korea; instead I would have originally gone over to Japan.

Interesting how most of you are refering to teaching English; I was thinking more general than that. But makes sense given the fact that's what nearly all of us on this board do.

[Zyzyfer]

Neither for me. It's all about the friends who are with you. If I've got a horrible job and live in the boonies, but have some cool people to hang out with, it's rockable.

Out of those two, though, I'd inevitably have to go with the job. I'm not terribly concerned with my location at this juncture.

[weened]

For me, location. I've ridden both donkies and seem to cope better with bad job/good location. For some reason, the job seems easier to dismiss. It's personal, intimate; the job is subject to my overwhelming powers of distortion and therefore succumbs to my desired perceptions. (Let's say it together: This is not the job you're looking for.") The location just is. The job is what I make of it and if it sucks, it sucks. But not nearly so bad if my apt./geography rock.

[Tiger Beer]

This is interesting.. as there are several interpretations of the same question.

To me, I think of this question moreso like would you rather live 'in the city' convenient to everything and have a job you don't really like.. or would you rather live out there in the suburbs, strip malls, etc with a great job. I'd rather take the urban job and be in the mix.

But actually I literally thought of having lived in Shinchon in Seoul (which I loved living in) compared to my current place about 40 minutes away from Shinchon/HongDae. Before living in Shinchon, I would just walk out of my apartment and feel this great energy of young people and people going here and there and out with their dates. Great feeling. Here I see some of that.. but nowhere on the same level. Over here I have less desire to get out of my house. Living in Shinchon I was drawn out of my apartment everyday because there was so much to be doing all of the time.

When relating to countries.. I don't find Korea that bad.. for example, I'd rather be working in Pacific Asia than the Middle East.. (personal preference).. Regarding Japan vs. Korea.. sure I'd like to be in Japan as well.. but if I were in Japan.. it could keep getting down to would you rather be an hour outside of Tokyo or right in Roppongi.. and there is just kind of individual preference.

[Sloth]

It is close but I'd say the job is more important to me.

As someone else said, I can always travel somewhere else. Getting wound up in a crappy job might make enjoying a great location rather difficult.

However, I would think leaving work at the end of the day and feeling good about things makes it easier to make the best of a crummy location.

Just my two cents.

[coolsage]

I'd add a third: accommodation. If your employer sticks you into a vermin-infested, filthy, paint-peeling box, that can cancel out the first two. There needs to be some quality of life here. A happy teacher is a better teacher.