Korean Job Discussion Forums

[healwithchaos]

Hi everyone!

I just have a couple of questions as I am currently in the shall-I-go-to-Japan-or-Korea stage. Ive looked through alot of the posts and I haven't been able to find answers to my questions, so I thought I would ask myself

Firstly, I know there are some issues in Korea about race for coloured people. Im not African American, but Indian. I was born and raised in New Zealand and am therefore a native with a Kiwi accent. I realise that alot of employers prefer white teachers, but what about Indians? In fact how does Korea, and Japan for that matter, act towards Indians? Is one country more racist than another? Also I will be 24 when I go, does age make things difficult also?
I want to be able to socialise with the people around me. I would prefer to go to a country where I can be approached easily and make more friends. Which of the two do you think a young indian girl would find that easier in?

Another questions is about the accomodation given when teaching in Korea. I know it depends heavily on the employer, but what are your experiences with living conditions?
I read somewhere that it is possible to find some jobs in Japan that offer the accomodation/airfare deal, but yet to find a specific company which does so. Does anybody have any names of companies which do such a thing? Please PM me if necessary

Overall I would prefer to go to Japan. I know basic phrases and am passionate about their culture. However Korea has many features which make it a desirable option. Therefore im asking these questions in hopes of gaining information to sway me one way or the other.

Please reply! Thank you!

[Jane]

I suspect you have received no responses as of yet because of the subject matter.

I will only recount the experiences of my friends, and I can only speak for Korea.

My friend who is african-american had a difficult time finding employment in Seoul. In fact, she received an email saying 'Sorry, we don't hire black people'.

My other friend who is of latin-american heritage did not have a favourable time in terms of finding a job in Seoul either.

I do not want to speculate anything or lead you to believe something that may be inaccurate, but these are true experiences.

I hope you find a decent and pleasant place to work.

[Mochi]

I have lived and worked in both.

I would suggest that you aim for a big city, whichever you choose. Racism gets worse the further away you get. People in bigger cities are simply used to seeing foreigners of all kinds. That said, you would likely encounter some racism in either country. Just be prepared.

Your age is good. Youth is valued in esl.

All jobs in Japan offer arranged accoms (with no exceptions I've seen in 5 years) with rent deducted from your salary but I've yet to see one offering airfare. Pay is roughly the same in both countries except that the exchange rate favors Japan these days.

[madhusudan]

I'll try to give some input on your questions. I can only speak for my own experiences, which center on life in Korea.

Generally Koreans' experiences with Indian people are with lower end workers who come here to work in factories. I think many Koreans have a sort of superior attitude towards them. The racism here is not dangerous, but more exhausting and exacerbating. But, being white I can't really comment on the actual experience you might go through as well as others might.

Many people your age are here. I don't think that will have any kind of negative impact, as long as you're old enough to stand up for yourself and do your job responsibly.

Because we're all pretty much linguistic and social outsiders here, the foreign community is pretty tight. This is especially true in some of the smaller cities outside of Seoul. I've found most people to be pretty open and friendly. My experience has been that newcomers are usually welcomed and people are willing to help you adjust.

The appartments are almost always small by Western standards. The quality can vary to extremes. Usually an officetel is decent. Some of the older buildings can be a bit nasty. You can expect to have a small two burner stove, a microwave, a TV, a bed and a washing machine. Anything better than that is a bonus.

[ChinaBoy]

[losing_touch]

[Ukon]

I'm half black, but look a little Indian....racist treatment towards me has been near zero.....everyone is very accepting...especially after obama who everyone here loves.

My Indian friends seem to enjoy living here a lot, although they do seem to get more racist treatment than me....nothing that has made them want to go home apparently.
Things would probably be better for you in a big city like Seoul or Pusan than the sticks obviously.

[healwithchaos]

thanks for the replies

I looked up westgate but unfortunately I dont have any of the prerequisites required to be hired by them. Their deals do seem pretty sweet though!

I think I am leaning more towards Japan. Like some have you have said, its where I prefer to go so I should try there. Also staying closer to the cities will allow me to run into people who are more exposed to foreigners - a point I truthfully hadn't thought of

I think im also leaning more towards teaching in an Eikaiwa. There would be more exposure to a variety of students, and I think would keep me happiest !