Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Robert23]

I have to decide in the coming weeks whether to renew my hagwon contract, which ends in August. I've been on the fence about this since I arrived, and the year has gone by so fast. I would like to stay in Korea in the medium-term, if only to continue my language studies--I've got the ball rolling pretty well. Conversely, I'd like to go home, chill out for a while, travel to other continents, maybe buff up my ESL training, maybe go to grad school, maybe find a new career, etc. But my job now is a pretty good deal, and I'm hesitant to give it up.

PROS
Great boss, great staff -- zero stress on that end
No commute -- my apartment is five minutes walk from work
Great area -- clean, quiet, gym, swimming pool, and parks close, relatively easy access to Seoul
Short workweek, always fewer than 35 hours
Money is great

CONS
No room for advancement at the job; same old routine for another year
Elementary kids are a pain in the ass; I'd prefer high school or college
My blood pressure has been high since I arrived, for reasons that aren't clear (although, see above)
Not much vacation, and zero selective vacation
----- (if I re-sign, I'll have only one week to visit home -- I'd prefer a month at least)

Whataya think? Should I roll the dice and try for a public HS or university a few months down the line? At this point, my only creds are my BA, a simplistic TESOL cert, and my single year at the hagwon.

[SeoulNate]

You could sit down with the boss and ask for:

3-4 weeks off at the end of your contract, paid, and the round-trip flight to go home and chill out a bit in lei of 100,000 won or whatever raise you would be getting.

Worked for me and my girlfriend. If you are a good teacher and are popular with the students they will most likely agree.

[sadguy]

[thegadfly]

It can be tough to give up a decent thing in return for an unknown thing, but the longer you wait, the more difficult it will be to leave.

You could wait for things to go sour for you at work, thereby making the choice a non-issue (if your job sucked, you would have no problem deciding to move on), but what if it continues to go well? What do you do if, two years have passed now, and you still pretty much like the gig you're in? You might learn how to cope with the kids you currently dislike, and realize that it isn't all that bad, once you have figured a few things out...so then it would be even harder to pick up and leave....

If it is good enough, but not what you were really looking for, I would say move on, before you become complacent and unable or unwilling to risk a change. Things do not have to be BAD to decide to try something different -- it is ok to pursue something better, even if what you have is pretty good....

[bobbybigfoot]

I'm in the same predicament and I'm paralyzed. Been on the fence for a few months now and can't seem to fall one way or the other.

Money and security VS. boredom/freedom

[sadguy]

actually, i do have some advice. if you're really 50-50 on the issue, then you should toss a coin. if the outcome feels ok, then take that outcome. but if in your gut, you don't like the outcome of the coin toss, then go the other direction.

[jinks]

[SeoulMan6]

[kimiki]

probably you've already made your decision, but for the record-- i think that if you're at the point of viewing your students as "pains in the a***es" then it would be a good idea to move on. children deserve more than to be seen as a blip on an otherwise easy journey to a "fat bank account."

and, also, you deserve to have what you really want. why not go for it? good luck.