Korean Job Discussion Forums

[FedEXMeister]

Hey,

I'm looking for some advice here preferably from those who have a few years under their belt.

I've been back in the UK for approximately 18 months now. My current job sucks the proverbial arse (I am applying elsewhere). But I'm getting restless and thinking about Korea again (or Japan). For all the stick English teaching gets, it's certainly more interesting (and better paid) than working in a call centre for a bank.
So, I either keep plugging away here in the hope that I'll find myself in a better paid, and more enjoyable position, or I return to teaching and look at getting qualified etc. However, I'm 30 next year, so time is of the essence!

Thanks

[jazzmaster]

You need to think about your long term plans. Do you enjoy teaching English enough to keep doing it for, potentially, the rest of your life? If you get married to an Asian girl you'll find it very difficult to take her back to the UK due to Torie policies. Potential employers in the UK don't mind people in their early 20s living abroad but they may see older people doing the same as potential flight risks. Are you prepared to take that hit?

I've thought long and hard about these things and I don't have any answers. I guess it's a case of weighing the risks and making a decision.

It might also be an idea to consider China. I have a friend who lived in Korea for many years, then made the move to China and couldn't be happier. There's a lot of money to be made in China.

Best of luck.

[isitts]

That was about my line of thought. Go for it. I'd been away from teaching overseas for two years before getting back in. I was 32. So you have time. It could be a little different than when you were in your 20s but still more interesting than what was available back home. Plus, you can save money to help pay for whatever transition you want to make if you don't want to stay for two long.

[FedEXMeister]

[Hokie21]

If life sucks back home and you're in a crappy job...come back....it's only a year. Just start the whole networking for a job back home when you've got about 3 months left on your contract.

That's if you want to come back obviously.

[ChrisPK]

[Hokie21]

[edwardcatflap]

[ChrisPK]

[FedEXMeister]

[cdninkorea]

[aq8knyus]

[FedEXMeister]

[Old Painless]

You do what makes you happy. Anything else is cheating yourself.

Most people I've met over the years say the same thing. They go back home and they flounder for a year or two before finding something they can do that makes them happy. Working in a call center is dehumanizing. I would give it some time, and keep looking for openings, search for a career that you'd enjoy doing. Easier said than done, but anything is possible.

I know a guy that taught in Korea for three years, went back home and got into remodeling and flipping homes. He did well for himself and made enough money to go back to school for something he'd always wanted to do.

The key here is that no one, NO ONE (unless they have a very highly skilled degree in demand) goes back home and finds their dream job right away. And that's what discourages most English teachers. They go home, run out of money, get bored, remember the good times in Korea, and just give up and go back to Korea.

Just find what you really like to do that can make you a living. You don't want to be rich, trust me money does not equal happiness.

[aq8knyus]