Korean Job Discussion Forums

[myenglishisno]

I came over in 2007. I'm 27 years old. I've taught at hagwons, then I taught at a public school, then at hagwons again.

On the one hand, I love Korea. I have a lot of close friends here, my girlfriend is Korean, I enjoy my lifestyle here and it feels like home. When I'm not at work, there is really no place I would rather be.

On the other hand, I'm working at a hagwon. It's not even the first hagwon I've worked at this year actually as I got screwed over (badly) twice this year and this is actually my third hagwon in one year. While this particular hagwon is alright, it's still a hagwon. My boss did try to rip me off but thanks to the thick skin I've grown since I came over here, I got what was owed to me without anyone losing face.

It's just the fact that I'm 27 years old and working at a hagwon (still). I do like teaching but I want to do so in a more professional capacity. You don't meet many (any) people above 25 doing this kind of thing, nor do you meet people who are doing it four years after they did it the first time.

I'd love to be at a public school again but when I tried this year, it seemed impossible due to the cutbacks. I'd move to another province but everyone I care about lives in Seoul which means Seoul/Gyeonggi-do are where I want to be.

I just hate being stuck at the bottom rung. I feel like I'm just repeating my first year over and over again. If it weren't for the girlfriend, the dire job prospects back home (I'm still making more than my friends back home) and for the student loans which I just finished paying off, I might have taken off already. The things outside of work are what keeps me here but I'm sick of working in hagwons (even "good" hagwons aren't good places to work for a long time).

I'm thinking about becoming a student this year at one of the universities in Seoul. If I get my Master's Degree, then I can teach at a university here or do something else. The thing is, with the way everything is going, will that even be possible after a couple years? It's already difficult for people with MAs to find work at K-unis now. It's something I want to be sure of before I invest a lot of money in another degree. Had I known in the beginning that my BA would only get me into the lowest level of ESL or to a management position at a local McDonald's in Canada, I wouldn't have done it.

With all these public programmes crashing and the English industry in Korea as a whole shrinking, I don't know how long I can stay here before my options run out.

So yeah, I have a lot of reasons to stay and a lot of reasons to give up and go back to Canada.

Will things improve here? Got any advice for the guy having a quarter life crisis?

[chrisinkorea2011]

Actually i was like that kinda during my first year. I felt like bottom rung But then i met my korean gf and started to be much more active and the such and STOPPED drinking lol.

A lot of uni. hire with MA however i do know some that hire with a Bach degree, u just need experience teaching at uni level or in some cases just use teaching adults as leverage. Im F4 and have more chances at side teaching, etc and STILL i feel like one more year is adequete for me then off stateside to get a MA. A lot of people are worried that this market for teachers will come crashing eventually and then all k- teachers will take over. I firmly believe this will NOT happen. cuts will happen yes, BUT its gonna get better again. The education system is gonna realize that even if you have a good number of k-teachers who can speak english and went to high school or college in the states, there will STILL be a demand for non koreans to teach english. its just that way.
(and on a side note my gf's older brother works for samsung and was in a contest for english speaking korean workers. A bunch of koreans who went to high school/college in the states and presented in this contest, STILL had horrible english writing AND speaking skills.) im not saying all koreans will be like that, but im sure companies pay attention to that and the such.
Just hang in there, eventually if youre at the bottom all you can do is go up right?

[strange_brew]

One thing I've noticed is that people whine and moan about there isn't anything back home comparable. Or that if they went to university, they would step out and get paid a great starting wage right away. Sorry to break it to you, but you're the bottom rung here, and you'll be the bottom rung back home, at least at the beginning. However, earning potential back home is much higher. Yes, you start low, but you have to build experience. I'm not too worried, I leave soon, but I had plenty of work experience back home, but wanted to try something different, so I came here, and left my old position.

It was the same thing with previous generations, they started low, and worked their way up. The longer you stay here, then the longer you put that off. It's one reason I'm heading back soon. I need to get back on track back home. I had fun, I had a new experience, yet, for most of people, who probably won't make a life of ESL, you will need to start something else. Or, if you enjoy the life and what you have here, stick with that too. There's a short and a long term view. Most people here, they seem stuck on the short term. Perhaps you will have to sacrifice a bit when you go back.

[pegasus64128]

[matthews_world]

You were fresh faced when you got here and probably new to the world as far as work experience goes. You got the Asian fever and have yet to settle down.

Depends on your bills and how much you've saved.

If you got some saved up then go back and look at other job possibilities, start a business or get a Master's if teaching is what you want to do.

[isitts]

[weso1]

Don't be so sure an MA will get you a uni gig. There are loads of PhDs coming over now and unis a bit more selective.

On a second note, you sound exactly like me. Even down to the age and bouncing back and forth from hagwon to ps and back to hagwon. I switched back because I maxed out the salary for ps and make more money in a hagwon. Plus I get to sleep late.

My cure: move to Japan. I'm going to get started after the new year. It can take a while to land a job and get a visa. So I'm hoping if I start in January, I should have everything ready to go by Fall. A new culture would be nice. I'm so tired of the ubber xenophobic nationalism that exists here. I actually wish I could have another year like my first year here, it was amazing. It just seems ever since then, I've been sliding down hill.

[isitts]

[myenglishisno]

[DanielP]

Hey man -

Just wanted to let you know that Im in the same boat.

After 5 years in Korea I'm giving the 'move' a try.

If you really like Korea and your girlfriend then yeah - why not get
married? You can more easily get a teaching job.

Also many foreign companies are looking into doing business in Korea
and Korea is opening up business-wise. Great chances to help bring a Western company into the country and give you a new career (and more prestige than hogwan teaching.)

Or you can do what I'm doing which is go to another country for a while (I'm going to Thailand). It will give you the time away to rethink your future and your relationship with Korea. If you find yourself really missing the place you can always come back.

Sure it might mean starting anew but at least you'll have your mind made up and a newfound sense of purpose.

Good luck man - I can totally relate.

Dan

[weso1]

lol at all the people saying "just get married"

To me, that's not something you just up and do.

[Lunar Groove Gardener]

University experience will open the door for more university jobs.
Had you applied and interviewed this past round for the March semester,
you'd likely have had some luck, believe it or not. This would require
being willing and ready to apply to outlying universities in the more remote
areas farther from Seoul or Busan. With just a year or two as such, you'd have a chance at uni jobs in Seoul.

The university jobs in the major cities draw the masses of people who will never want to live outside of Seoul. It is a game of luck and perhaps connections toget those jobs with or without the advanced degree.
So, instead of a couple of years working at the masters, I'd suggest that you interview for one of these jobs in the May/June interview season. You can do the masters while working and gaining experience at that level. Then, two years later, you'll have it all: experience, degree, references and a proven track record.
Good luck.

[Yaya]

[The Floating World]

[pegasus64128]