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Why stay?
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Captain Corea



Joined: 28 Feb 2005
Location: Seoul

PostPosted: Tue Dec 29, 2009 3:50 am    Post subject: Why stay? Reply with quote

Ok, I get it, Korea is not for everyone. Some people come here and love it, some hate it right off the bat, and some seem to ride waves of dislike and like. We all have different takes on this place, and that's no surprise because we're all individuals.

But what I don't get is this - why stay if you don't like it?

This is not one of those 'if you don't like it, get out' types of posts. This is rather an honest question about motivation. I've seen some posters on here, and some people in real life, stay in this country for years -all the while proclaiming how bad of a place it is.

So it is to those I ask - why stay? I mean, sure, finish out your contract, no need to do a runner, but beyond that, why do you keep coming back?

If I detested Korea as much as some of the posters on here proclaim, I'd be outta' here in a heart beat. Is it just a matter of them having a consistent online persona, or do they get some odd thrill in living in a place they can bitch about?

And I want to say before anyone even brings this up - no, this is not about people complaining about something in Korea. We all know that no country is perfect, and that Korea is far from it. This is more so directed at those who believe that the negatives outweigh the positives, yet still choose to live here.
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Olivencia



Joined: 08 Mar 2009

PostPosted: Tue Dec 29, 2009 3:53 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I got nowhere else to go.
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Forever



Joined: 12 Nov 2009

PostPosted: Tue Dec 29, 2009 3:53 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Because everyone LOVES Easy Money
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Captain Corea



Joined: 28 Feb 2005
Location: Seoul

PostPosted: Tue Dec 29, 2009 3:54 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Forever wrote:
Because everyone LOVES Easy Money


Do you honestly think that's it? It's imply for the money that they put/keep themselves in a place that they dislike so much?
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Mr. Pink



Joined: 21 Oct 2003
Location: China

PostPosted: Tue Dec 29, 2009 3:57 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Captain: some people have a love/hate relationship with Korea.

The people who don't come here and complain are out living and enjoying Korea, so you don't get their point of view on here too often.
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Burndog



Joined: 17 Feb 2008

PostPosted: Tue Dec 29, 2009 4:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I agree with you 100%. It's not just Korea though, you often see people stay in a job or relationship that makes them miserable. Broken people enjoy being miserable...they enjoy moaning...they enjoy the attention that slagging off Korea and Koreans brings them online. Keyboard warriors.

I'm sure that for some people it's not that easy...maybe they don't have the financial stability to go back home or what have you. Otherwise...I can only assume that it's people who don't think that they can make it back home. If you hate being somewhere...but you stay...it's because you're scared. What are they scared of? Home? The job market? Their credentials vs another applicants?

There's plenty of easy money to be had back home as well...smart people make opportunities for themselves anywhere.

Having said that...if we don't like the complaining so much why do we stay on Dave's?
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peppermint



Joined: 13 May 2003
Location: traversing the minefields of caddishness.

PostPosted: Tue Dec 29, 2009 5:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

For lots of people, I think it's just the devil they know.
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Steelrails



Joined: 12 Mar 2009
Location: Earth, Solar System

PostPosted: Tue Dec 29, 2009 5:27 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Let's be real, some just fail at life. They failed back home, now they are failing here.

Others are just letting off some steam that because of some of the stupidity they've encountered here is well deserved.

Usually the ones that are just letting off steam will let off a blast and then come the next post will be perfectly reasonable and/or defend Korea.

As I've said before, one GOOD indicator is the level of research done before they moved here. I mean if someone doesn't even bother to research their hagwon/Korea and then they come here and discover 'the truth' that says a lot. Real adults research a company and country before the move there. Kids move to a place expecting it to make them happy and be just like back home.

Can we at least pretend we are adults and accept a modicum of responsibility? Seriously, all it would take is a 2 hour internet search to prepare yourself for some of the potential problems.

Frankly the fact that so many posters seem to have failed to do research this gig before coming here does not endear me to the gripers in the NET population. How many times has the point been made- "Did you bother to research the job/country before you moved here?" been met with deafening silence?
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8 years down



Joined: 16 Dec 2009

PostPosted: Tue Dec 29, 2009 5:31 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'll be honest, I've cursed Korea/Koreans every day for the past 8 years. I stay because:
1. I'm a bit of a pervert and I think Korean girls are beautiful.
2. I'm considered way better looking in Korea than I am back home.
3. I fear I'll get back and not be able to get a decent job, I don't want to teach back home, and I'm too lazy to go back to school.
4. I hate my western co-workers more than my Korean ones.
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asylum seeker



Joined: 22 Jul 2007
Location: On your computer screen.

PostPosted: Tue Dec 29, 2009 5:35 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

It's pretty simple- they have lost the confidence to get a job back home or in another country and they have no idea what they want to do so they end up trapped here.
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Old Gil



Joined: 26 Sep 2009
Location: Got out! olleh!

PostPosted: Tue Dec 29, 2009 5:37 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I had 12 weeks of vacation this year, allowing me to get out and about for extended periods of time. Two years, however, is enough. I'm just waiting for that pension/severance/last pay check bump and I'm 안녕!
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kimchi girl



Joined: 17 Dec 2009

PostPosted: Tue Dec 29, 2009 5:49 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

8 years down wrote:
I'll be honest, I've cursed Korea/Koreans every day for the past 8 years. I stay because:
1. I'm a bit of a pervert and I think Korean girls are beautiful.
2. I'm considered way better looking in Korea than I am back home.
3. I fear I'll get back and not be able to get a decent job, I don't want to teach back home, and I'm too lazy to go back to school.
4. I hate my western co-workers more than my Korean ones.


I think this posters comments from the male perspective certainly play a role--- but as a woman I could be way off base on that. And no, I am not accusing anyone of anything. If I was a guy, this place would be heaven.

Job/life security is a big issue. It's salaried, which is way better than by the hour in places like taiwan. Free housing, which Japan and Taiwan don't have.

A fair sum of money and lower taxes AND fairly low cost of living. Those are three big factors.

Then there's the whole 'going home' issue. It's tough, especially in these economic times, to secure a job from overseas. Sure, Starbucks might be hiring and McDs likely has an opening or two, but 'real' jobs are tough to come by when you're there and so getting one from overseas is almost impossible.

And on top of all of this you have what might be the biggest factor: ease of life. The ESL industry here hires anyone, even the 'losers' or failures or whatever that other poster called them. If you;re working the afternoon shift at a hagwon you wake up and noon and when you're done maybe you go out drinking. For someone just out of University, waking up at noon and drinking.... that ain't too shabby.

And when you factor in all of those things, they off-set the anger and frustration that builds inside from having people smash into you and all the little things that drive so many people bananas.
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Captain Corea



Joined: 28 Feb 2005
Location: Seoul

PostPosted: Tue Dec 29, 2009 5:55 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

So... for the most part; if you're here and you hate it and you stay here, it's generally because you feel there are no other options.

Makes sense.
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English Matt



Joined: 12 Oct 2008

PostPosted: Tue Dec 29, 2009 6:56 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Captain Corea wrote:
So... for the most part; if you're here and you hate it and you stay here, it's generally because you feel there are no other options.

Makes sense.


Of course.....this is going to lead to feeling trapped. I came here for one contract, stayed a second for a girl, and will be leaving at the end of this contract with girl. I hope to never have to come back to live here and teach as I simply don't enjoy living in Korea....I would say few posters actively hate Korea, I'd say it mostly comes down to dislike......couple this with a feeling of being trapped and I would say that what you end up with is intense frustration. I think if someone really hated it here they would leave....anything would be better than being gripped by loathing of your physical surroundings day in and day out.
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redaxe



Joined: 01 Dec 2008

PostPosted: Tue Dec 29, 2009 7:12 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Captain Corea wrote:
Forever wrote:
Because everyone LOVES Easy Money


Do you honestly think that's it? It's imply for the money that they put/keep themselves in a place that they dislike so much?


I do. If the money weren't an issue, how many of the people here do you think would teach in Thailand instead of Korea?
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