Korean Job Discussion Forums

[KatanaSlash87]

This is my one year anniversary of leaving Korea and my retrospective.

This is simply a warning to people who are thinking about Korea that may be on the fence. Korea works out fantastically for some people. Or disastrously for others. This is simply my story of the latter. It's not to scare you but prepare you for better decision making in regards to your job choice.

Let me preface this by saying I met some of the best friends of my life during my time in Korea. I had an excellent social life. The nightlife scene in Busan was fantastic and almost unparalleled by many places in the world I've been. Most of my friends truly like Korea (though not without their complaints, like everyone of course), and many of them extended their contracts. Not me.

It's been almost exactly a year since I left Korea. Everyday at some point throughout the day I think about how grateful I am not to live in Korea anymore and how much happier I am in life. In Korea, my job, my director, my supervisor, my neighborhood in Busan, my studio apartment, culture clash and many aspects of the Korean culture got me in a dark, depressed state of mind during my time there that I had never felt in my life. Looking back on it, it's mostly like a dark dream. Part of this was my fault for hastily accepting a job at a school when the deal was not good for me and my girlfriend who I came out to Korea with. They gave us a small studio apartment to live in together that ended up being part of the reason my relationship was destroyed. When we tried to work out a different solution with the school, they refused to help us. My girlfriend ended up leaving Korea and I was alone in the studio. We basically compromised on the situation and paid for it. Our faults.

My director cared about one thing: school image. This is not unusual. We were overworked, underpaid, under appreciated, under valued, and treated poorly. She pocketed our medical insurance money. She ignored the legal pension we were entitled to. When I was sick she would simply reimburse me for the 10,000 won or so doctor visit. When I had an actual medical problem that cost me 300,000 won, she refused to pay, making up excuses about how it wasn't covered. Instead, she fired me, stating problems she had with me as a teacher when two weeks prior to that she told me how much the parents like me as a teacher and how good of a teacher I am and how well I did during evaluations. She fired me, and the real reason she did this was because she had just hired two brand new teachers, a couple from California, and wanted to place them in my little studio apartment and save the money from giving them a different, additional studio or two. I had a feeling that was the reason and called her on it, but she denied it. I ended up being right. The couple were in my apartment two days after I was fired. No coincidence. By the way, when she fired me, she told me I had to be out of the apartment (which was at the top of the school that she owned) in TWO days. This is absolutely illegal and insane. She needed to give me at least a month. She refused because she knew the California couple were coming in two days. So I was fired and had to be out of my apartment in two days later, all out of nowhere, for absolutely no reason. I couldn't even properly say goodbye to my students that I had grown to love. I just disappeared to them. Of course I tried to fight this, but there was nothing I could do. ATEK did nothing. The government did nothing. I stayed with a friend for a couple weeks before I left Korea with the most sour taste in my mouth possible. But first I took an awesome week trip to Tokyo and had the time of my life. At least I ended with that bit of positivity and in my extremely negative state of mind regarding Korea, Japan was like paradise to me.

Besides this nightmarish work situation, that could absolutely happen to any foreigner working at a hagwon at any time by the way, I clashed with the Korean culture on a ethical, moral and fundamental level on a weekly basis. The culture just did not mix well with me and I found myself depressed because I had to accept things I felt were fully wrong morally and ethically. I'm not a believer in moral relativism. I thought I had mentally prepared myself. I even came to Korea with a bachelor's in foreign languages and cultures, but I was wrong. I've also lived in other countries in Europe and several different places in the United States. Never a problem. I guess aspects of the Confucian values really rubbed me the wrong way. Not to say there is nothing redeeming about them though.

Basically, this is just my story of what happened and it's my warning: Be extremely selective about your school. Do not rush it just because you really need a job. You'll regret it. Be prepared for severe culture clash. Be prepared to witness and experience things you disagree with on a fundamental level. Be prepared to tolerate things. But to me, I found that I can't just be so tolerant that I tolerate intolerance. Some people can just ignore what they disagree with and push it out of their minds and go on with their lives. I can't do that and it affects me psychologically. I can't have my life surrounded by that kind of dark aura.

I don't regret my almost-year in Korea. I learned a lot. I made many friends for life that I will see again in the western world. I made several really cool Korean friends. I experienced some insane nights out. And I came out a stronger person. But I would never, ever risk working in Korea again and I am very grateful I no longer live there. So prospective teachers, be picky, be careful, and be absolutely positive Korea is something you want to do. It ain't Disneyland. And out of the 25 countries in the world I've been to, Korea would be at the very bottom of my list for wanting to live there. Ask yourself how important money is to you.

[Setaro]

Most of that can be summed up as 'Hagwons are crap' which is why most people will do their research and avoid them like the plaugue.

I am interested in knowing what things you mean by "The culture just did not mix well with me and I found myself depressed because I had to accept things I felt were fully wrong morally and ethically.".

I much prefer Korea to the shithole cesspit of humanity that is England, but I guess it depends what your ethics are.

[politica]

Why am I so incredibly annoyed with posts like this?

"I want to write a novel size post about the horrible things that happened to me in Korea, so I'm just saying . . . Korea is not for everyone."

Where did you think you were moving? Delaware?

[World Traveler]

"There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you." -Maya Angelou

Thank you, OP, for sharing your story.

It is true that Korea is not for everyone. Some, like you, have experienced the worst depression of their life here.

[Yaya]

I hardly think that the legions of native speakers from the U.S., Canada and other English-speaking countries will all of a sudden pull a 180 and not come to Korea because of this post. Sure, bad experiences in Korea are nothing new but who says life in a foreign country was easy?

[Kennyftw]

Back home I didn't have a full-time job. I had to take my grandma everywhere, going shopping 2-3 times a week, sitting out in the parking lot in the car waiting for her to finish like I was in detention and had to take her to the doctors every month or two. And to pile on, I had debt up to my eyeballs.
Here I have money and don't have any family obligations...but am the most stressed out I've EVER been in my whole entire life. I don't know where it comes from. There is something about this place that robs you of you life's satifaction and alienates you. I was a happy person before, but now I have to drink every Friday night to cope.

[cwflaneur]

[Draz]

[Unposter]

Good Post!

I am sure you could have just said hakwons are bad and that Korea was not for you and left out your detail but then someone would have just complained that you did not explain yourself.

I may not agree with you about Korean culture or the "morality" of Korean culture but I respect your right to believe what you have come to believe.

I agree with you that Korea is not for everyone. And, I hope others see that Korea like every other place on this planet is an imperfect place full of good and bad. Korea won't solve your problems nor will it ruin your life: you will.

I wish that those who come to Korea have great experiences and those who decide it is not for them that you leave (or not left) the wiser for it.

And, I wouldn't be surprised if 80-90% of eveyone leave within two years, probably most after a year. There is a lot to do and see in your life - you certainly don't have to live a long time in Korea (though there is nothing wrong if you do as I have and will but I would say that is for a very few people.)

Good luck everyone!

[thegadfly]

[wishfullthinkng]

mistake 1: coming with your girlfriend. you must be kidding yourself.

mistake 2: not researching your hagwon extensively. would you work at any job without considerable research outside of korea?

mistake 3: fighting the culture instead of absorbing it. common waegookin error. those with the "my local sports team is better than your local sports team" mentality are doomed to fail here

mistake 4: crying tears of self pity when you could have been crying tears of joy over a bottle of soju with some buddies. life is all about how you frame it and if you want to put on the pampers then that's how the world will treat you.

[brento1138]

It's better to call it "hakwon culture" than "Korean culture."

[sirius black]

One of the morals of the story isn't that hogwons are bad. Its unfair to generalize hogwons as such. It is do your research. Talk to present and past teachers. Generally my friends had decent to good experiences as I did with my hogwon. There are many stories of public schools having insane VPs, co teachers, etc. so public school is no guarantee as well.

Do your research is the real advice. As for the cultural aspects, its not everyone's cup of tea and you can read all you want on here and still not have the best idea of what to expect. First of all, everyone's cultural acclimation and tolerance is different. You'll have many folks who love Korea and those who can't wait to leave.

I felt badly for the OP. Unfortunately his situation is not uncommon. Due dilligence may have kept him out of that situation.

[KatanaSlash87]

[Setaro]

I'm not bashing you OP (your posts are very well written), but what aspects of Korean culture did you find wholly ethically and morally wrong?

I agree the Korean work ethic is stupidly over-zealous, but if they want to work themselves to death, that's their problem. I'm in a great public school where the work isn't heavy and I have a lot of free time in the afternoons. Your Hagwon sounded like a living hell, but that hagwon's workplace culture can't have been the best insight into the majority of Korea, because, as you said, your have friends who are quite happy in Korea (probably because they have great schools that don't try and rob and cheat them.)