Korean Job Discussion Forums

dulouz · Joined: 04 Feb 2003 Location: Uranus

The winter is coming and I wanted to escape the weather so I checked out Taiwan on the other forums. The Taiwanese sound really awful, really bad. Fights, threats, protests for communual rights. Gangs. I'd like the palm trees but the people seem way off.

sadsac · Joined: 22 Dec 2003 Location: Gwangwang

No, it isn't, but from a monetary point of view, yes it is. Weather wise, Thailand, Indonesia etc. Smile

rapier · Joined: 16 Feb 2003

After my 3 weeks in taiwan I know i hated the incredibly humid sticky weather there, and the pollution. The people seemed fairly friendly and normal though.

Zark · Posted: Thu Sep 09, 2004 11:10 pm Post subject:

I found the people in Taiwan much more friendly and relaxed than Korea! Lived there for about two years (in Taipei).

shifty · Joined: 21 Jun 2004

Taiwan is hateful at first, a newbie is in extremis for the first 6 months. But suddenly, unlike Korea, one bonds, perhaps because it is more exotic.

Teachers seldom get shafted; actually, it's not even a consideration, versus the obsession we have with it here.

On the other hand, it's more competitive. The students' chairs are in a horseshoe arrangement, conducive to games. On the whole, you need to constantly reinvent yourself.

Taiwan is light years ahead of Korea in terms of tefl. Put it like this, teaching experience gained in Korea, can be mostly discounted in Taiwan.
Conversely, time done in Taiwan sets you up for Korea.

In Taiwan, it's a negligible risk doing privates. Smaller institutes actively encourage you to seek work elsewhere, in order to retain yr services. Eventually, you have fingers in many pies. No time for drinking.

I preferred the food in Taiwan, despite their wholesale use of MSG.
An incredible array of fruit. If you can't lose weight in Taiwan, then just accept thyself.

The weather, pollution and first 6 months is where things get debatable.

jajdude · Joined: 18 Jan 2003

I would have to say no, definitely not to the question. Korea is OK for money, but not a good place to live as a foreigner. OK, for some it is fine. For many it is hard to take. I wonder how many cannot or will not complete even one year because of the pain of living in that country? The culture, the isolation, etc.. can be too much and not worth the extra cash for many people. Just my guess, I could be wrong.

buddy bradley · Joined: 24 Aug 2003 Location: The Beyond

I preffered Taiwan over Korea for many reasons, but mainly because of the people.

Right now Vietnam is winning the race - despite what you may have heard, it is possible to save a fair amount of cash here as it's pretty cheap.
Also, Vietnam has better nightlife and the prettiest girls as far as I'm concerned.

There's a lot of work in all three countries but if I could go back in time I'd have given Korea a miss.

Real Reality · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Location: Seoul

Foreigners Experience Difficulties in Living in Korea
An official in the International Cooperation Division of Seoul City admitted, "The same complaints regarding visas, transportation, education, and environment are raised every year without being solved, due to the lack of cooperation from government agencies involved and their passive attitudes."
http://english.donga.com/srv/service.php3?biid=2004070522448

Korean Suicide Rate Among World's Highest
http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200409/200409090026.html

A number of bankrupt young parents have killed their little children before committing suicide in recent years, giving rise to new moral problems. -- The Korea Herald -- August 27, 2004
http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/SITE/data/html_dir/2004/08/27/200408270011.asp

Rotten to the Core?
According to a recent survey, as many as 90 percent of Korea's youth think they live in a country that's corrupt, and a considerable number of them say they're ready to join the club if the occasions calls for it later in life.
http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200310/200310080034.html

Wisco Kid · Joined: 07 Sep 2004 Location: Changwon

My heart is in Thailand, but there's no money to be made there.
I liked living in Taiwan better than Korea except for being made to feel like a criminal for entering their "country".

Real Reality · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Location: Seoul

Korea: Land of the Mushroom

endo · Joined: 14 Mar 2004 Location: Seoul...my home

SarcasmKills · Joined: 07 Apr 2003 Location: Seoul

To answer the original question, YES Korea is the best.

batman · Posted: Sun Sep 12, 2004 5:51 pm Post subject:

I think Korea offers the most entertainment value for the money.

It is also a great place to work, live, play, travel, develop, observe.

Give it a try and, if you don't like it, move on to another local.

As far as the teaching aspect goes I have always believed that is is not the location (Korea vs Taiwan, hogwan vs university, etc) but the person within. A good teacher should be able to survive and be successful anywhere. A bad teacher (which should be an oxymoron because if you are bad at this job you are not teaching anything and your students are learning even less) blames the locale.

bibimbap · Joined: 14 Dec 2003

mindmetoo · Joined: 02 Feb 2004

How many times is RR going to post that suicide url? Why doesn't he leave Korea? He seems to be rather unhappy about his wage and living conditions here.

Taiwan I heard is pretty decent pay and the Taiwanese are not entirely foreigner jaded like Seoulians.

Personally I'd love to teach in Sapporo. It's such a beautiful part of Japan. Doesn't seem to get too hot in summer and not too cold in winter (well not cold to someone from Ontario).

Cost of living in Japan sucks bags, tho.