Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Sapa]

Haven't been in Korea for 6 months or so but out of interest checked the exchange rates and was fairly surprised. On 2.2m Won a month you will be earning just over �17,000 including the bonus month. That's pretty impressive taking into account free accommodation on top of that and the low tax rate and living costs.

I'm guessing you would have to earn in excess of �26,000 a year in the UK to have as much money left over at the end of the month after bills and food shopping.

So let's just say your 28.6m Won a year is equivalent to a �30k a year UK job. Even then I'm not sure you would be left over with as much money to treat yourself with or save as you do in Korea.

Also, taking into consideration that I only taught perhaps 4 or 5 lessons a day, WTF am I doing here in the UK!!!

[Darkeru]

�17404 per year, from 12 months + 1 bonus month? If you were earning 2.2m Won a month before, I don't know what you're doing in the UK.

Even the position I'm hoping for which is 2m a month isn't bad. �15822 for 13 months pay + apartment.

Are there any figures about though for typical cost of utility bills/food shopping for one person/etc though?

[Sapa]

Well I'm back in the UK to start a career. There's no life in staying teaching ESl. Well at least not for me. Maybe once I get qualified if the exchange rate is still good I will go back just to help pay off the tuition fees.

Bills weren't much if I recall. I got to keep most of my money.

You guys have it fucking good over in Korea.

[morrisonhotel]

Just praying that the exchange rate tanks even further (which is likely).

[Darkeru]

That's true. It's not really a life career, unless you design coursebooks or do teaching training or something.

[Dr. Whom]

Many people here are lifers who teach freelance for 5M won+ a month.
That's �36,304 a year. Then figure in that the average punter
in the UK pays about 35% tax, then this �36,304 is really �49,010
(Because many lifers pay no tax or very little.)

In 2008 average salary in the UK was �31,323 (Gross, not net)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8151355.stm

THEN, add in all the VAT and other fees people in the UK pay, and
the result is that people who work in Korea are doing OK. That is,
they are doing OK monetarily, lifestyle is a different matter.

So, is this a career? Damn right.

[AsiaESLbound]

Since you said we have it so xxxxing good over in Korea, come on back. The price is right. Step up and spin the wheel for a job prize that may very well actually be worth real money. Yes, I said real actual squid in your pocket to go shopping or simply save for a rainy day.

It sucks that bad in England's job market these days? Sounds much like the USA. I understand many of those job listings you view are just ruses for PR purposes to make companies look like they are hiring, growing, and performing well. It's a put on in many instances so they waste our time and effort for the most part. I clearly know when a recruiter or HR person is serious about filling an actual position. They will immediately tell you to submit documents and be interested in talking about the next step of getting you set up in a time frame that makes sense. Well, even if they don't hire you, you know after thousands of attempts if they were actually doing a job of filling a job or not. I'm tired of that ol' conundrum. Just put some 4 or 5 damed 0's to the right of my bank balance and no problema.

[Sapa]

Things aren't that bad in the UK. If you know what you want and can focus on that it's not hard to become qualified in whatever. I just got the graduate trainee position I wanted, so I'm sorted for what I want to do now. Though it will be a long time till I've got the spending power I had in Korea. If I was already qualified I would happily spend another year or 2 in Korea saving up the money.

But like I said before, there's no way I could live in Korea forever and at some point you have to come back and get back into your home country job market.

I really don't know why more recent grads from the UK go to Korea. I guess a lot don't have the balls and a lot just have no idea of how much they could save for little work. I guess there's money to be made trying to advertise to recent graduates in the UK and signing them up with Korean schools.

[Depths of My Soul]

Yup, it sucks here in the UK, especially if you're self sustainable (i.e. - not lucky enough to live with mummy and daddy). High rent and council tax, water rates, massive gas and electric bills (especially during the never ending winter), high food costs. Then there are additional costs of perhaps running a car or having to take expensive public transport, phone, internet, TV licence (not to mention any loan/credit card repayments).

On a full-time minimum wage you can just about survive (but that's simply what you are doing, surviving NOT living, and you certainly can't save up).

Man I'm definitely leaving this summer............