Korean Job Discussion Forums

[James_T_Kirk]

Hello everyone,

I've been back from my original stint teaching English abroad in China for over three years now. Probably every day since, I have felt the itch to go back and get involved again in the TEFL field, particularly in Asia. Three years ago, it was just an once-in-a-lifetime deal, but now I feel that teaching English abroad could be more than that...more on this in a moment.

I would like to solicit your opinions about where I should go for re-entry, but first, let me briefly tell you about my relevant background/experience/qualifications: One year experience teaching English in China, TEFL Certificate, BA in Business, Master's degree (in totally unrelated field), and a few years teaching software (which may or may not be relevant).

After hours of research, combing these discussion boards on Dave�s ESL Caf�, and even creating a spreadsheet with my five finalists for target countries (Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Cambodia, and Vietnam), I think that I am finally down to two�maybe J. These two are Japan and South Korea. As you might have already guessed, unfortunately one of my top priorities is making some decent money to at least pay off my student loans and possibly save for another Master�s in the distant future, so Cambodia and Vietnam were eliminated quickly (although I am still extremely intrigued with Cambodia and will visit there soon). I have eliminated Taiwan mainly due to lack of vacation time and the tax situation there, although being able to continue studying Mandarin would be a big plus. So, I am left with two candidates, South Korea and Japan. Yes, I realize that both of these countries are very different, and they both have their pros and cons. And I realize that there are hundreds of �South Korea vs. Japan� threads out there. But I would like your expertise in determining whether my pros and cons are valid, but I want your opinion on what you would do in my shoes based on what I want to accomplish in the next couple of years (how original, eh?). Here is a list of the pros and cons that each country seem to have over one another, starting with Japan:

Japan

Pros:

� People sound like they are very friendly and like foreigners

� Teachers actually have employee rights in Japan!

� Great vacation packages (anywhere from 3 to 7 weeks a year plus holidays)

� Women are cute, are apparently somewhat �liberal�, and love blond hair/blue-eyed guys like myself (Special note to all the Western ladies: sorry if I am coming across as a conceited jerk. I don�t think for a minute that I am god�s gift to women or anything, I am just stating the stereotype I�ve heard about Japanese women; I would just assume date you instead , but if you are busy dating Asian guys�)

Cons:

� Expensive; can save some money, but probably not as much as in Korea

� Might I find it boring? I am a 26 year-old man that doesn�t necessary want to go out and party like a rock star every night, but I want to experience some nightlife and it sounds like Korea�s is better

� No free housing; have to pay for health insurance

South Korea

Pros:

� You can easily save money here

� Health insurance and housing included

� Good and cheap public transportation, and it is possible to buy a motorcycle or car of your own and get around this way (more difficult to do in Japan I think?)

� Although �creature comforts� are available in Japan, it sounds like they are easier and cheaper to acquire in South Korea (computer, satellite TV, etc.)

� Perhaps the most beautiful women in the world live here (okay, so maybe this is a pro for both countries; please weigh in on this issue!)

� Tighter ex-pat community (probably a very subjective pro, but this is what I gather from the web)

� What many have termed �sweet� University jobs possible with my qualifications (although probably only after a year in SK)

� More work in SK, with the ability to visit many schools and negotiate your own terms

Cons

� Employee rights are nil

� Less vacation time (without Uni job anyway)

� People hate foreigners there

Thus, on paper, it appears that South Korea, at least for my situation, edges out Japan as the winner. But maybe I don�t have my facts straight�if you can shed any light on the subject, I would be extremely appreciative! I am an energetic young man eager to give the TEFL business another go�as I mentioned, this is kind of a litmus test to see if I could make a career out of this. I am extremely independent, love to travel, love new experiences, have no wife/children plans (but never say never, right?), so why not? Plus, I think I have what it takes to become a damn good teacher and I love doing it! Hey, if it doesn�t work out, there is always business school, or I could stay in my current field�but I digress. Please, your thoughts, comments, and/or opinions are greatly appreciated!

Cheers,
Kirk

P.S.- I posted this last week in the "other" forum. Since Korea is in the mix for me, I thought I would post it here as well (I wanted to post it here last week, but I didn't get my registration complete for the Korea discussion boards until today!).

[Mosley]

Well, I guess the first bit of advice I'd give(and you HAVE taught in Asia before, haven't you?) is... lay off the sweeping generalizations. Not ALL "people" in Japan like foreigners;not ALL "people" in Korea hate foreigners. And not every babe in Japan is looking to jump your barbarian bones because you have blue eyes/blond hair. With that out of the way, let me offer my strictly personal viewpoints based on 5 years in Japan and one year in Korea.
First, if saving money is the priority, Korea wins hands down. I'm now in SK & getting 3/4 of my last salary in Japan. Am I worse off? Hardly. In Japan I made it payday to payday. A few times, I could save $300/mo. Here, I save a grand a month, almost every month. 'Nuff said?
Second, overall "quality of life": very subjective, different strokes for different folks,and all that but for me Japan wins. There are things I like about Korea, but generally people(locals), food,booze, language, culture, sightseeing, nightlife(well, in the town I'm in, there is none) were more to my liking in Japan. Job conditions can be great or crappy in both countries-do your homework.
Lastly(since you brought it up), yes, in Japan, there ARE girls looking to date Westerners.Once you're there for a while, you'll know where to find them. Hell of a lot tougher in Korea, IMHO. But then, I'm in Hooterville, SK. That said, plenty of Western guys are hooked up w/local gals here. Both countries have hordes of beauties but the Japanese tend to be much more open about demonstrating their assets(not that I'm a leering sexist pervert-this has all been confirmed by scientific research).
That's my personal take on it. BTW how long were you in China?

[buddy bradley]

I haven't even been in Korea for a week and I've already had some American troops kick my ass, I've been mugged twice and I had an ajumma spit in my food and tell me to go home because, in her own words, "Brown eyes are most unwelcome in this, my nappy country".

But the weather is nice so you should come here for sure.

[Mashimaro]

[Tiger Beer]

[rapier]

Aye aye cap'n. Korea will set you up to a much better standard than the other countries: new appt with mod cons, airfare etc etc. Korea is blessed with an abnormally high ratio of stunning women, but they can be hard to crack. The tight esl community here is probably in Pusan rather than seoul...
You will spend a long time being annoyed and angry on a daily basis in Korea until you finally make your peace with it...