Korean Job Discussion Forums

Threequalseven · Joined: 08 May 2012

I'm just wondering if anyone out there has moved on from the ESL world and returned home to work in a non-English, non-teaching related field. Did your experience in Korea help you in any way?

Despite all the naysaying that goes on about returning home, I am one such case. I did a 14-month stint in Korea, travelled SE Asia, and now live in the Midwest working as a paper pusher for local governments (oddly, exactly what I went to school for). I don't know if my time in Korea helped, but my current employers seemed pretty star struck during my phone interview... not by me necessarily, but by the fact I lived halfway across the globe and we could still communicate in real time. So, I guess that's something to consider. Your overseas experience may not seem like much in the ESL sphere, but it could be very impressive to people in small town USA.

That said, it is a compromise. On one hand, I now have a stable job doing what I went to school for, a decent benefit package, and all the rest. But part of me definitely misses the expat life. For starters, it's great to spend your 20s living overseas and not knowing where you'll be next year... Taiwan? China? Vietnam? Germany? Turkey? Also, a big bonus is that you automatically have a common bond with all the other expats. It's been quite a challenge meeting people in a new town, especially one that doesn't really have any kind of "scene" (live music, arts, craft beer, clubs, football, whatever young people bond over).

Anyway, share your experiences. Have you or someone you know moved home and retired from ESL?

Yaya · Joined: 25 Feb 2003 Location: Seoul

OK, I guess you mean people who didn't teach after going home, right?

Sorry, but the glory days of EFL in Korea are gone. I remember the days when an expat would finish a contract, spend three months traveling, and then return to Korea to sign with a new hakwon. Those days are gone. Hakwons are being far more selective in hiring than ever and ageism is rearing its ugly head. Wages haven't gone up but inflation in Korea has, and with more foreigners taking the Korean proficiency test TOPIK, Korean fluency could have a bearing on hiring later.

Much has been written about how university positions are getting really hard to get and cutting back on vacay time.

I guess it depends how you reinvent yourself when you return home. Many go to graduate school but well, that's no guarantee of a job and plus, you'll be saddled with thousands more in debt. The U.S., however, remains a reasonable place for older people to reenter the workforce at a higher age, though things are getting worse.

For those inclined to start a business abroad, try nomadcapitalist.com.

Threequalseven · Joined: 08 May 2012

There certainly didn't seem to be a shortage of jobs when I was there. These "glory days" I keep reading about must have really been plush.

Anyway, yes I'm referring to people who taught in Korea but do something different after returning home.

allovertheplace · Joined: 02 Aug 2009

matthews_world · Joined: 15 Feb 2003

Career teacher here. Don't see myself behind a desk at all. Why must a company suck my talents dry when I can impart said knowledge to others.

Moved elsewhere in Asia. Don't miss the low pay, monoculture, the stares, the comments, double-standards, closed-minded boring women, the uber-cold winters a bit.

I make the same amount of money here and spend half as less.

PatrickGHBusan · Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2014 4:07 am Post subject:

Moved from Korea in 2008.

Have been working in Canada in a non-ESL field since then.

The adjustment was tough for me, tougher for my Korean wife.

Did my experience in Korea help me get my job?

In 2008 it certainly did, in fact my general experience in Korea (teaching and consulting) got me a job offer in Seoul for CDN public service. This in turn morphed into a similar job for public service but back in Canada due to circumstances.

I was a certified teacher before arriving in Korea.

BackRow · Joined: 28 Jul 2010

What a weird thread, you seem to think most people go back to their home country and become unemployed for the rest of their lives

Ginormousaurus · Joined: 27 Jul 2006 Location: 700 Ft. Pulpit

nate1983 · Joined: 30 Mar 2008

matesol · Joined: 23 Jan 2003

I became a Power Engineer. I now work for a major oil and gas company in northern Alberta. Yes, I get free housing, all utilities paid, 3 bathrooms, heated garage, finished basement and last year I cleared $200 000+.

Power Engineering is a trade, you can get a 4th Class ticket in 8 months at a college and get higher lever tickets as you work. I just wrote the last exam for my 2nd Class ticket. Working shift work, I am off as many days as I work, unless I do overtime, which I often do.

There are endless possibilities. Once you know your trade, you can get into management and be the chief engineer of a plant one day. Then of course, you are making well above $300 000. It takes a while to get there, but in less than 5 years, I was making in excess of $200 000 and most people in the oil and gas industry make similar money.

THERE IS LIFE AFTER KOREA! Smile

Stain · Joined: 08 Jan 2014

Yes, there is life after Korea. After returning from Korea, I landed a job in the dry goods industry with a well known company. I became a specialist in stock operations, where I administer product to various locations on shelves. Eventually, I was promoted to dairy products supervisor, having been trained in detecting expiration dates. I cleared $30,000 just in my first year alone. So, as you can see, you have nothing to worry about when you head back home.

World Traveler · Joined: 29 May 2009

9% of Americans Are Millionaires
http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2011/05/chart-of-the-day-9-of-americans-are-millionaires-in-2011/238458/

maitaidads · Joined: 08 Oct 2012

That's actually households and not individuals. Not quite as impressive when investable assets can include cash, bank accounts, stocks and bonds. Also included are IRAs, pensions, and life insurance policies.

The 2012 # of millionaires according to wikipedia is 5,231,000, which against the US population of 313,900,000 = 1.6%. We are the 98%! Wink

Ginormousaurus · Joined: 27 Jul 2006 Location: 700 Ft. Pulpit

Ginormousaurus · Joined: 27 Jul 2006 Location: 700 Ft. Pulpit

matesol, I'm just curious as to how much overtime you work. I've heard that lots of the guys who are clearing $200,000/year are quite often putting in a lot of overtime. Unfortunately, I never get any overtime. On the positive side, I have regular hours and I'm home before 5 every day, but I don't earn nearly as much as most people up here.