Korean Job Discussion Forums

[SW]

I have to admit I feel sort of emasculated after 8 months of acting like a 10-year old as I kowtowed to a gaggle of ajummas in a Korean PS.

My contract is up in August, and my plan is to go back to a hogwan or after-school program. I might want to spend a few months away from Korea, though, and I might want to do it lifting some heavy s#%$, rather than teaching or (worse) sitting at a desk.

I should mention I'm a US citizen, but I wouldn't mind spending a few months doing some temporary manual labor just about anywhere. What I've heard about so far is:

-Salmon fishing in Alaska;

-Fruit-picking in Australia;

-Mining in Australia;

-Working on oil rigs in Canada;

-Construction in Antarctica (not sure if this still goes on!).

Does anyone know anything about getting these, or any other such jobs?

I've heard a lot about stuff in Australia - what about New Zealand? I understand NZ looks even more kindly on immigrants than does Aus.

Also, there's no special need for me to work abroad. If anyone knows regions in the US where this type of work can still be had, I'd love to hear about it. I'd even be willing to work as a mover, I've done it before.

Thanks.

[Senior]

You can pick fruit in NZ, but August is the middle of winter. You would have to wait till around Christmas time. If you do go there, you won't make that much cash, but the weather is nice and you will meet some cool people from Brazil, the Pacific Islands, the Philippines, Europe and NZ. There isn't that much work there right now, though.

Before I came here in '08, I worked briefly for a temp company called Allied Work Force. They employed foreign workers. We did stuff like setting up tents for field-days/trade shows, laying concrete/bitumen, just general unskilled heavy lifting. Again, not much cash though.

[Kurtz]

Not sure why you're mentioning immigration issues when you'd be a temp resident/tourist.

Done enough fruit picking in Oz to not advise it to my worst enemy.

There's meant to be good money in the mines out west, but it's for hard men, and possibly being stuck in the middle of nowhere with a bunch of Aussie rednecks isn't everyone's idea of a good time.

Have to look into if you're allowed a work visa too.

[SW]

Thanks for this info, guys.

I've done some dirty jobs for not so much money in the past, but I guess it would remain to be seen whether I'm hard enough to be a miner. Dealt with my fair share of rednecks and the like, though.

When I mentioned immigration, I meant it in the overarching legal sense, to include work visas and such. I was just too lazy to make the distinction, lol.

[Kurtz]

I know what you mean about being surrounded by ajummas all day. I kind of feel like doing a construction job like wielding a sledgehammer to make myself feel like a man again, rather than being a bunch of 50 year old ajummas lapdog.

[Murakano]

[AsiaESLbound]

Grass always looks greener on the other side.

[SW]

[eamo]

Tulip bulb packing in Holland......pretty good wages and conditions. They really need people in the Summer........but if you impress your employer you could be asked to work all year.

I did it for two Summers.......very fun times.......

[Kurtz]

[Underwaterbob]

Tree planting. You can do it just about anywhere forested in North America, and probably other continents as well. Experiences range from the best/hardest time of your life to absolute misery. Mine was probably a bit of both.

Easier would be blueberry raking on the east coast, in either Nova Scotia or Maine. Very seasonal work though, not something you can do for the entire summer.

[detourne_me]

The oil rigs and tar sands in Canada are for hard men too usually. There are a LOT of workplace injuries. I've had friends get broken legs/arms while working, then they get put on light duty (like security guard) while they heal.

On the bright side, you'd make a buttload of cash. But expect to be working 10+ hour shifts for two weeks straight (no weekends) at a time.

[D.D.]

Fruit picking in Aus is hell and I wouldn't suggest doing it. If you do it make sure you get visa. You can apply for a working holiday visa to Aus if you are under 30( I believe that's the age now) If you can get a working holiday visa to Aus lots of manual labour work around building sites should be easy to find or a helper in the mines. As one guy said miners in Aus are a bunch of rednecks and it tends to be 50 degrees. outside.

[SW]

Once again I really appreciate all this info. I didn't expect much of a response when I posted this.

Maybe I'm naive or romanticizing things, but hell, after what I've been through this year working in sweltering heat with a bunch of rednecks sounds pretty damn good. It wouldn't be the first time.

I'll look into that working holiday visa. I'll also post anything I find in my continuing search.

[AsiaESLbound]

It is awkward working for an all women org who bow for an inconsiderate boss man who just pressures them to be real nitpickers instead of having a mutual working relationship on a horizontal level. It's all about working those women, and us, for the best test scores so more money comes into boss man's pocket next year. I hate it when I'm sitting at lunch and the women are pointing for me to get up and go bow to the principal while I'm trying to eat or my mouth is full and she's nitpicking me about not saying, "hello," to a student that simply looked at me. Or I'm teaching class and I'm stopped due to one or two not comprehending well, but 8 or 20 others grasping it and performing well. Since 1 lacks the intellect of his/her peers, I'm supposed to let off, but not be too easy and boring. Catch 22. I just can't read them ladies minds for nothing on what they expect. Well, they are under great stress from their chain of command and juggling many non-teaching duties delegated down to them. Damned if you do, damned if don't. They are hiring 10,000 assistants that will start in September to ease the non-teaching load on Korean teachers so hopefully they start being themselves and focus on teaching in an efficient manner.

I too feel like rejoining the boyz and having more equal mutual working relationships based on camaraderie and support. The grass is always greener on the other side, but reality is jobs, generally speaking, are awfully hard to land in this economy and pay is peanuts. I used to build sidewalks some Summers and others be a groundskeeper. Another area of seasonal work is tourism where do retail sales, grounds keeping on golf course or resort, landscaping, food prep and serving, valet parking, and other service jobs that provide necessary lowly services to people with the money. If you are in Alaska, they say to show up at the boat docks and talk to the skippers to get on as a greenhorn. It's rough...