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shuter
Joined: 16 Oct 2008
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 Posted: Thu Oct 16, 2008 11:02 am Post subject: Is there a chance of working in my field istead of ESL? |
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I have a desire to live abroad. I'm thinking about teaching English, I have a number of friends who have done/are doing it and love it. But I'm worried about leaving my profession after only one year working in the field (interior architecture). Ideally, I'd like to find design work in Korea or elsewhere in Asia.
Do you know native English speakers in Korea who are working in their professions, and not teaching ESL?
Can you recommend any job boards where I may find English jobs in Korea?
Could I potentially do freelance design work at the same time as teaching ESL, or would this be in breach of my work visa?
thanks! |
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BS.Dos.
Joined: 29 Mar 2007
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| Posted: Thu Oct 16, 2008 2:34 pm Post subject: |
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I wouldn't imagine that you'd find any gainful employment in your chosen profession TBH. I think it's fair to say that most things Korean; architecture or otherwise, are decidedly lacking in the aesthetic department. Cheap, drab and nasty functionalism seems to be the order of the day out here.
Good luck all the same. You'll need it. |
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cdninkorea
Joined: 27 Jan 2006
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Thu Oct 16, 2008 3:02 pm Post subject: |
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| BS.Dos. wrote: |
| I think it's fair to say that most things Korean; architecture or otherwise, are decidedly lacking in the aesthetic department. Cheap, drab and nasty functionalism seems to be the order of the day out here. |
This seems to be changing for the ultra-rich: some of the new, very exclusive apartment buildings are looking nicer, and alot of the posh restaurants are nice on the inside as well. The rich in Korea are also far more likely to speak English, a benefit for the OP.
I don't know if any of this could possibly lead to job opportunities though. |
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Ya-ta Boy
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: Established in 1994
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| Posted: Thu Oct 16, 2008 3:40 pm Post subject: |
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| It's quite difficult to find a job outside teaching English because the rule is: a company must demonstrate that a Korean citizen cannot be found who is qualified to do the work in question. If you have some particular skill in interior architecture that Koreans don't have, then you have a chance. Otherwise, no. |
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sojourner1
Joined: 17 Apr 2007
Location: Where meggi swim and 2 wheeled tractors go sput put chug alugg pug pug
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| Posted: Thu Oct 16, 2008 4:28 pm Post subject: |
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| Ya-ta Boy wrote: |
| It's quite difficult to find a job outside teaching English because the rule is: a company must demonstrate that a Korean citizen cannot be found who is qualified to do the work in question. If you have some particular skill in interior architecture that Koreans don't have, then you have a chance. Otherwise, no. |
Wow, that's how it is in Europe for non-E.U. passport holders seeking work.
When is the USA going go to that standard international immigration policy as to protect and offer our jobs to American college graduates instead of Indian and Chinese? Job fairs and interviews at large companies for good jobs at companies like Boeing were full of young foreigners who were hired instead.
I can't say I've noticed any other opportunities than teaching other than an international business venture in anything of your choice which requires big money to invest. I too would love to jump into another field of work such as import/export or contracts, but don't see or understand where an opportunity is for someone with no experience in the field as there's always more experience professionals seeking work than their are jobs the world over. The only exception to that rule today seems to be in the English teaching in Korea and then the low paying service retail sector jobs at home. I would imagine with a degree in interior design, I'd still only be a low paid retail sales floor set up and visual display guy. Good luck to you out there. |
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Cornfed
Joined: 14 Mar 2008
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| Posted: Thu Oct 16, 2008 5:06 pm Post subject: |
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| sojourner1 wrote: |
| When is the USA going go to that standard international immigration policy as to protect and offer our jobs to American college graduates instead of Indian and Chinese? Job fairs and interviews at large companies for good jobs at companies like Boeing were full of young foreigners who were hired instead. |
It's like that all over the Anglosphere. It is like the powers that be are determined to phase out white males. |
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call_the_shots
Joined: 10 Oct 2008
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| Posted: Thu Oct 16, 2008 5:50 pm Post subject: Re: Is there a chance of working in my field istead of ESL? |
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| shuter wrote: |
I have a desire to live abroad. I'm thinking about teaching English, I have a number of friends who have done/are doing it and love it. But I'm worried about leaving my profession after only one year working in the field (interior architecture). Ideally, I'd like to find design work in Korea or elsewhere in Asia.
Do you know native English speakers in Korea who are working in their professions, and not teaching ESL?
Can you recommend any job boards where I may find English jobs in Korea?
Could I potentially do freelance design work at the same time as teaching ESL, or would this be in breach of my work visa?
thanks! |
I'm not sure about Korea, but Gaijinpot has some non-teaching job listings in Japan. Go to http://www.gaijinpot.com/job_search.php and change the "All Job Categories" drop-down menu |
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Toon Army
Joined: 12 Mar 2007
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| Posted: Thu Oct 16, 2008 6:19 pm Post subject: Re: Is there a chance of working in my field istead of ESL? |
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| shuter wrote: |
Do you know native English speakers in Korea who are working in their professions, and not teaching ESL?
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I know tons of people who are not teaching ESL but they`re all engineers (massive shipbuilding industry in this country - Ulsan, Koje Island, Busan, Mokpo the main areas) |
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shuter
Joined: 16 Oct 2008
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| Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2008 6:04 am Post subject: |
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| Thanks everyone for bursting my bubble! Its not the news I was hoping to hear obviously, although I can't say I'm totally surprised. I appreciate your input, and I'll keep up my search for a couple weeks before I go for teaching - which I'll be excited about too, just worried that it might set me back in my career. |
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Join Me
Joined: 14 Jan 2008
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| Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2008 6:24 am Post subject: |
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| I think it is like anything in life. If you are really good at what you do and network with people, you may find some freelance work. If you are just average, your chances will be slim. Korea is full of "designers" of every kind and most of them don't make much money from what I have seen. Your biggest obstacle is going to be the language barrier. It will be impossible for someone to tell you what they want if you don't speak a common language |
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