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jennad
Joined: 02 Dec 2010
Location: San Diego
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 Posted: Tue Dec 07, 2010 11:06 pm Post subject: Korea vs. Thailand for teaching? |
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Hello,
I am trying to decide whether to teach English in S. Korea or Thailand.....
Obviously Korea outweighs Thailand with the financial pros.....but I'd love to hear from everyone else what I should consider.
i.e. quality of the schools/jobs, safety, visa requirements, attitude towards women, food, cost of living, landscape/sightseeing, climate/weather, overall experience, etc.
I know I might get a lot of, "it depends on the person," but I'm speaking generally. I'd love your opinions. Thanks!! |
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Quack Addict
Joined: 31 Mar 2008
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Tue Dec 07, 2010 11:11 pm Post subject: |
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| My brother in law taught in Thailand for 2 years. He was given a fat 2 bedroom house. He also got to teach math and science at the school he was at. The school was very good to him. The culture was different but he adjusted well. He was in the boonies outside of Bangkok so that might have made a difference with safety. He didn't make any money but enjoyed the experience. |
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hakwonner
Joined: 09 Nov 2010
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| Posted: Wed Dec 08, 2010 8:08 am Post subject: |
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I have taught in both.
I am currently here in Korea purely because I make double the cash here that I made in Thailand.
If the salaries were the same in SE Asia, hardly anybody would choose to work in Korea.
So basically it's lifestyle vs. money... your choice. |
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vitald
Joined: 08 Jun 2009
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Wed Dec 08, 2010 8:34 am Post subject: |
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| If you want to make an ok salary, Korea. If you want to be somewhere that is always warm and tropical, go to Thailand. The cultures and countries are pretty different. There's lots of fun to be had in Korea, but its quite different from Thailand. It's possible to save money in Korea, but not as much as people say, especially if you like to drink, in which case you probably won't save anything at all. |
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Louis VI
Joined: 05 Jul 2010
Location: In my Kingdom
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| Posted: Wed Dec 08, 2010 9:42 am Post subject: |
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| Korean students are MUCH BETTER BEHAVED than Thai students, especially in terms of effort and achievement in an institute setting. I know because I spent the better part of two years communicating with anyone and everyone I could find online who has taught both places (several guys on ajarn, for example; and in my month-long trip to Thailand I met several, purposefully inquiring) and the OVERWHELMING majority at every turn was the work habits of Korean students in comparison. If you don't give two hoots how much your students learn, then this aspect isn't important. But if you take pleasure in seeing progress in your teaching then Korea has a distinct advantage in this regard. |
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oldfatfarang
Joined: 19 May 2005
Location: On the road to somewhere.
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| Posted: Wed Dec 08, 2010 6:34 pm Post subject: |
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Korea = money.
Thailand = happy.
"Up to you." |
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Skyblue
Joined: 02 Mar 2007
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| Posted: Wed Dec 08, 2010 6:40 pm Post subject: |
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| vitald wrote: |
| If you want to make an ok salary, Korea. If you want to be somewhere that is always warm and tropical, go to Thailand. The cultures and countries are pretty different. There's lots of fun to be had in Korea, but its quite different from Thailand. It's possible to save money in Korea, but not as much as people say, especially if you like to drink, in which case you probably won't save anything at all. |
Just go Korean style. Rock up to a restaurant, get some grilled meat, some clams smothered in a spicy sauce, and a few bottles of Hite and soju. Between two or three people, it's a pittance. If you only do it a couple nights per week, then you can save plenty. |
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northway
Joined: 05 Jul 2010
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| Posted: Wed Dec 08, 2010 7:58 pm Post subject: |
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| vitald wrote: |
| If you want to make an ok salary, Korea. If you want to be somewhere that is always warm and tropical, go to Thailand. The cultures and countries are pretty different. There's lots of fun to be had in Korea, but its quite different from Thailand. It's possible to save money in Korea, but not as much as people say, especially if you like to drink, in which case you probably won't save anything at all. |
I think it's pretty easy to drink a ton and still bank a million a month, as long as the drinking doesn't involve a lot of taxi rides. |
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Yaya
Joined: 25 Feb 2003
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Wed Dec 08, 2010 9:09 pm Post subject: |
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| I'm thinking that not all teachers would bail for Thailand if salaries there were similar to Korea's, though I'd expect many would. You have people who complain about the slimy expats who hang in Thailand and that life in a warm weather country gets old. |
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northway
Joined: 05 Jul 2010
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| Posted: Wed Dec 08, 2010 9:49 pm Post subject: |
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| Yaya wrote: |
| I'm thinking that not all teachers would bail for Thailand if salaries there were similar to Korea's, though I'd expect many would. You have people who complain about the slimy expats who hang in Thailand and that life in a warm weather country gets old. |
If salaries were the same the amount of money you'd be making in Thailand would be absolutely ludicrous. That said, Seoul definitely has Bangkok beat in some regards, particularly transportation, as Bangkok is a huge pain in the ass to get around (I still love the city). Given a choice, I'd probably live in Bangkok over Seoul (I'm primarily city-oriented), but I'd definitely have to think about it assuming the savings ability was equal.
Also, the whole idea that Thais are totally down with foreigners is a bit of a misconception. My Thai and farang friends who grew up in Thailand have said that it's much more an attitude of coming across nice for the tourists, as they need your money. They don't necessarily feel significantly less antipathy to foreigners than Koreans do (and in a place like Pattaya they'd have every reason to have more). |
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jvalmer
Joined: 06 Jun 2003
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| Posted: Wed Dec 08, 2010 10:32 pm Post subject: |
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| northway wrote: |
| Also, the whole idea that Thais are totally down with foreigners is a bit of a misconception. My Thai and farang friends who grew up in Thailand have said that it's much more an attitude of coming across nice for the tourists, as they need your money. They don't necessarily feel significantly less antipathy to foreigners than Koreans do (and in a place like Pattaya they'd have every reason to have more). |
It's all economics, if Thailand's economy was as strong as Korea's or Japan's, you'd see what they really think of foreigners. |
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metalhead
Joined: 18 May 2010
Location: Toilet
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| Posted: Thu Dec 09, 2010 1:05 am Post subject: |
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| Yaya wrote: |
| I'm thinking that not all teachers would bail for Thailand if salaries there were similar to Korea's, though I'd expect many would. You have people who complain about the slimy expats who hang in Thailand and that life in a warm weather country gets old. |
Yeah, Thailand is good for visiting (for me), not sure I'd want to live there, start going batty there after a week each time I am there.
Hot weather + annoying touts + scummy foreigners + annoying hookers/massage ladies always pestering you etc |
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Tamada
Joined: 02 Nov 2008
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| Posted: Thu Dec 09, 2010 4:58 am Post subject: |
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Food-Thailand
Beaches-Thailand
Transportation-Korea
Interesting places to visit-Thailand
Money-Korea
Climate-Thailand
Beautiful women-Korea
Locals-Thailand
Nightlife-Thailand
Overall Lifestyle-Thailand
Thailand 7 Korea 3.
I've lived in both countries. If I could make the same money in Thailand as I do in Korea, then I'd leave Korea in a heartbeat, and move back to Thailand. |
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hakwonner
Joined: 09 Nov 2010
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| Posted: Thu Dec 09, 2010 6:27 am Post subject: |
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| metalhead wrote: |
Yeah, Thailand is good for visiting (for me), not sure I'd want to live there, start going batty there after a week each time I am there.
Hot weather + annoying touts + scummy foreigners + annoying hookers/massage ladies always pestering you etc |
yeh, coz the whole country is the Khao San Road/ Pattaya/ Patong Beach.
way to base a whole, big country on a few crappy tourist places you hauled your backpack through  |
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metalhead
Joined: 18 May 2010
Location: Toilet
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| Posted: Thu Dec 09, 2010 6:44 am Post subject: |
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| hakwonner wrote: |
| metalhead wrote: |
Yeah, Thailand is good for visiting (for me), not sure I'd want to live there, start going batty there after a week each time I am there.
Hot weather + annoying touts + scummy foreigners + annoying hookers/massage ladies always pestering you etc |
yeh, coz the whole country is the Khao San Road/ Pattaya/ Patong Beach.
way to base a whole, big country on a few crappy tourist places you hauled your backpack through |
As opposed to people on this board talking about Seoul, Seoul, Seoul? Gotcha. |
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