Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Gypsy Feet]

Hey, I'm SURE this has been covered before, so maybe I just need a "pep" talk.
This is my 6th- almost 7th year in K-town, and I love living here. But lately there are things that really getting under my skin. I dont want to start a Korea Bashing thred- that is NOT my intent, gawd knows theres enought of that already.
My point: I was checking out some othe forums from other countries, and noticed there wasnt so much full criticism, and ranting about their host countires.

So, I'm just wondering is it something about Korea specifically that makes people lose their patience and feel like launching a bathroom slipper at the neighbor? or is it living abroad in general, and Korea just happens to have A LOT of foreigners here, especially teaching English. Which brings up another question: Is it teaching or is the culture that ultimately creates frustration for folks here on the penninsula?

Just some things I've been pondering- I would love to hear some Intelligent witty answers, and not just "because Korea is Stooopid!" cus that is just not original my friends, nor is it at ALL helpful.
thanks.
ps. I am finishing my contract in Sept, and going home for an unspecified amount of time to contemplate life as a foreigner vs. life in Canada. ( i dont think permenant life in Canada is at all what I want though....)

[Joe666]

Gypsy Feet:

[sharkey]

[Gypsy Feet]

Joe666, thanks for thinking I'm a calm soul I've been doing alot of "breathing" excercises to keep calm as suggested by a therapist haha

i would like to point out, that I wasnt always this calm. I've had complete freak out moments in public after getting shoved one too many times, and all the other wonderful things we all get to experience here in Korea.
I just want to know WHY korea?

[Ukon]

I've seen the statistics on foreigners and an rather high amount leave before the first year....due mainly to shady/bad hagwons....yes, other countries have them, but korea has a alot more of them...the fact they're always hiring means they spit out thousands of teachers a year.

I also imagine split shifts and the hours have alot to do with it...Some like those hours, but I've worked them before and hated them....I'd only do them for alot of money. Good luck have a normal life on that schedule....You can have alot of fun on it, but live 3 years like that?

Also, many placements are outside cities...even in other countries I've heard people gush about(like japan), they have similar nightmare stories about being isolated, bored out of they're mind, and bailing early becuase cabin fever was setting in. Middle of nowhere usually sucks anywhere on earth.

Lastly, the women situation...Korean girls usually require different game than back home combined with clubs and K-friends being the best way to meet girls....If your a shut-in who hates clubs and live outside a big city, you may be far more lonely than back home.

[Gypsy Feet]

[Gypsy Feet]

[Gypsy Feet]

[Gypsy Feet]

I'm sorry- my office computer is a piece of poo and posted the same thing 3 times. my bad. I cant find the fleckin delete button

[Goku]

I think the major reason most people don't like Korea has to do with the treatement, consideration and manners "culture" of Korea. Keep in mind, that's also a subjective western perspective I'm purporting. This does not mean that any given culture is inferior or superior, they are just different ways of doing something and different lifestyles.

China- Overall the country has been losing it's ways of consideration and manners, but for the most part will not forget their manners in front of Westerners. In China, westerners are revered, esepcially teachers, so there is a high amount of respect and good will people will show you. And the higher echelon value social intelligence (a good friend of mine is a grandson of a general) he could win the heart of anyone. Some of the best minglers and conversationalists I've known were Chinese people. There is an emphasis within the culture to get along with others, especially in business. There is evidence of this in lot of their folklore such as "all men are brothers" and business dealings when we talk about "guanxi" (Korea's equivalent is Jung, but not so pronounced like China). I could go on and on about this but this isn't a Chinese seminar.

Japan - Japan has a very strict (at least the older unchanging generation does) manner code. People are expected to do things in a very strict and unoffensive way. I don't think i need to emphasize this as much as China because it's so much more evident. There are even honorific titles for the word bathroom... "ofuro" (I forogot something like that).

Korea on the other hand doesn't emphasize social inteliigence as much as China because they are focused on education more. There are no systems or codes as much as Japan for addressing people and getting alone. Not to mention Korea is constantly changing and there is huge pressure for people to become the best and compete.All this combined you have a bunch of tired pissed off drunk people on the trains making everyone's lives miserable and kind of propagating itslef.

Here's kind of a saying my Asian friends tell
if you ask a Japanese person "how is this shirt" he will say "Wonderful, Dai suteki"
if you ask a Chinese person "how is this shirt" he will say "Look great on you, you really pull it off.".
If you ask a Korean person "how is this shirt" he will say "The Japanese guy had too much sake and the Chinese guy had too much rice wine, that shrit sir, looks like crap."

You can always count on a Korean to give you a blunt honest opinion. So this is one wonderfully awsome thing about Korean culture. You may hate it. But if you don't like being told fake compliments, you may grow to like the bitterness.

[jsk]

Maybe this has more to do with my upbringing than Korean culture, but the fact that many Korean children live with and depend on their parents until they get married is IMO, churning out a new society of divas, princes and princesses. I teach children to adults in Seoul and sometimes I get a crawling feeling under my skin when some teenage students act like children, or 20-somethings act like teenagers.

The last Korean girl I dated still lived at home, depended on her parents to take care of a lot of her living responsibilities and told me she would expect her future husband to take care of her the same way. Um, no thanks.

[Ukon]

I wasn't talking about the OP specifically, I meant in general...

[jsk]

[Chambertin]

I Am the first to admit I know little about Korea,
But I have some wonderful opinions.

First off I know Korea is still finding its cultural identity in the modern era. The political system was an oppressive dictatorship through to the early 1990's and as history shows dictators tend to spur zionistic ideologies to distract from how screwed up their own policies are.
So the culture is going to be abrasive at times especially compared to other Asian locations.

The deal with Japan is spot on. Most often the foreigner is treated as a revered person but that�s how they treat everyone outside their network of close relationships. All too often the guy or gal who thinks their "big in Japan" is hated and most dont like to deal with them but the culture dosent allow for the expression of this as it looks even worse for the person seen treating the westerner poorly.

Dont know much about China, but their much more friendly when I meet them in the US and they certainly dont have the arrogance I see from other nations. It seems they have the attitude that China speaks for itself, theres 5000+ years of NO BS history with about 4000 years with them at the top of the ladder.

I dont want to bash Korea either, as I'm looking forward to and chose to work there. However I think there are many ingrained cultural aspects that will make a long term stay difficult. For you to have made it as long as you have and just start thinking life might be better elsewhere is pretty darn normal for anyone anywhere.

I'm pretty impressed you have a good trip thus far, no easy feat to be a foreigner under the best circumstances. Good luck and dont be afraid to try new places, often it reminds you why you liked where you chose to be in the first place.

[hugekebab]