Korean Job Discussion Forums

[watergirl]

Whose in the know....Has anyone worked around in many or any of these different countries...???

Taiwan.. is it to good to save money there?
I've heard a plus= have own apt and can legally work other jobs, so is it possible to make/save more money there..?

The Middle East ` salaries are high..but, is the cost of living not high as well, ?

China.. it's cheaper, and salaries are getting better right?

just wondering,
now..in Korea....hours are getting longer, immigration rules are getting worse..the dreaded LOR is again needed., AND not a lot of extra p/t evening work I'd say (esp. w/ any p/t job now asking foreigners to sponsor w/ them for 1 year.

[ttompatz]

[Fuzzy_Dunlop]

[watergirl]

Hi

Actually Tompatz, I know several teachers here who are now in the Middle East and they don't seem to mind it..(None of them have masters degrees but they are all female)
BUT, I'm really wondering mainly about whether it's possible to save money. IE: If the high salary is not bc of the high cost of living.

..And, so in Taiwan, are you saying that if you are marketable (get offered jobs easily), then it is possible to save money?

[watergirl]

I'm just considering my options..bc I find the working standards are getting worse here. Actually, I do get offered jobs, but the jobs do seem to be worse, and making it difficult to save money. (longer hours, low pay,).
And possibly what's coming next is that employers will require teachers to sign on for longer than a year.
(My friend's hakwon has hired a new teacher that has signed on for a 17 MONTH contract.!!

[Chaparrastique]

[Cave Dweller]

I considered working towards going to the middle east but I decided against it. I don't think I'd be able to hide my complete disdain for the country, culture, and religion.

My mouth would likely get my hand cut off or worse.

[Fuzzy_Dunlop]

[Cave Dweller]

Yeah and I have a similar opinion of about every country there.

[ChrisPK]

Does anyone happen to know why many ESL jobs in Saudi Arabia requires US citizenship? Is it because they want to exclude Canadians? If so, why?

[Cave Dweller]

Could it be a visa issue? Or maybe Canada's consulate sucks as much as the one in Seoul?

[watergirl]

You know I don't like the many negative references to the middle east that are so common as well, but, yes I do think most people know that the middle east is not one country!..?...
This is a short-hand term for 'Saudia Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, etc' all in the same geographical region.
True there r quite big differences in liberalness between some of those countries.. (Saudia A. vs. Dubai), but well, for female teachers, there are also similarities (having to wear quite strict clothing, not go out alone, well I don't think this is true for all this countries).
And so, there is a reason Woman think twice before teaching there.
And, perhaps, maybe why the pay is so high. But, actually, I see there are not that many people knowledgable or experienced in actually teaching there on this forum anyways.

[Fuzzy_Dunlop]

[LPKSA]

I am in the ME now (Saudi). Worked in China and Korea. I have friends who worked in Taiwan.

Friends who worked in Taiwan liked it but didn't particularly care for the long hours and higher cost of living (China is easier to live comfortably but a lot of the the salaries are garbage, although there are some good jobs out there.).

In the ME salaries are good, better if you have more advanced qualifications (English specific degrees, Masters Degrees, CELTA/DELTA, certification to teach in your respective country, multilingual, even if you are Muslim or not) it all factors into what you can land.

Korea is a good stepping stone to start from if you want to make ESL your life, but it's not a place to stay if you want to remain in the field. Sooner or later, if you want to make $$$, you're going to have to leave. You'll never truly be regarded as someone who contributes to their society.

In China, you can start off as a teacher, but it's easy (if you have the right connections) to branch off to other avenues (I have seen quite a few people start off as teachers in China, get married to Chinese, and end up doing something completely different {starting businesses, becoming successful, etc.}).

As user Ttompatz said, the ME is indeed its own can of worms, and it's not for everyone. You definitely can make a lot more than you would in Korea or China, actually, working here puts teaching in Korea to SHAME when it comes to salary and benefits. Where in Korea can you work 4-6 hours a day as an ESL teacher, have 2-3 months vacation (paid in full, up front), make two to three times as much as you make in Korea, and not have to deal with extreme Xenophobia? I am not a Muslim. I'm not even an Arabic speaker, and I have been made to feel more than welcome here. Neither of my bosses are from Saudi. I have supervisors from Anglo countries. Where in Korea will you find yourself having a non-Korean boss? Does that even happen? Life is indeed good here. It's great, actually, although I do miss Korea and certain aspects of it from time to time. I miss walking around with a woman. You can't always do that here.

What I miss about China is the low cost of living. You can indeed find good salaries there as well, and again, it's all about your qualifications and who you know. China is ALL about who you know. It's kind of fd up actually.

I'm not a drinker, so I don't find myself missing some aspects of Korea. Many of my students are so wealthy, and they feel entitled. They sometimes look at me as they would towards their house cleaner. They have the audacity to try to call me out on catching them in a bout of plagiarism. Plagiarism sucks, and you get a lot of it out here. Like Korea, there isn't always that support one might expect either. You kind of have to roll with the punches some times out here.

China, Korea (And Taiwan, I am assuming) are safer. Here you have a very likely chance of getting into a car accident if you plan on driving. Don't count on public transportation, because it doesn't exist. Also, westerners aren't always liked, especially if you are American. Two Americans were just shot very close to where I live, last week. One was killed.

[LPKSA]