Korean Job Discussion Forums

[eIn07912]

is this a true statement?

i've had my fill of the land of morning trucks with loud speakers... oops, i mean calm.

so im thinking a few months to relax at home with the fam, maybe do a little traveling, then off to Tokyo! anybody worked there? maybe thinking of working there? i had a pretty sweet gig here, but like everywhere, the times have changed, so im not setting my expectations super high for japan. i expect typical ekiwa (hagwon style) job with base minimum salary and benefits, as im sure my 2 years here wont count for anything there. just seems like start up costs r super high there though.

any thoughts or opinions would be greatly appreciated.

so long waegooks!

[afsjesse]

I'll be doing something similar in September when I leave Planet K!

Not sure about Japan, but I think a CELTA or other TEFL Certificate would get you a better job, especially somewhere like Japan.

Good Luck!

[oskinny1]

I did it, nearing the end of my contract and thinking of going back to K-land.

I live just outside Tokyo (takes about 45 minutes and 3 trains to get to Shinjuku). My eikaiwa has been good to me. You will be in a one room apartment, I went to IKEA and bought a small sofa, but other than that I didn't need anything start-up cost-wise.

Getting the visa was a breeze (though it took awhile and I had to work under the radar for a bit, something I would never do in Korea) and everyone is nice.

The major downer was cost to travel. Trains cost a ton. If you ride the shinkensen you'll be paying a premium for the privilege of speed. Plane tickets are quite high as well, so getting out during a break can be tough.

[eIn07912]

[IAMAROBOT]

whatever you do, don't come back to korea.

it seems that people who've taught in japan before korea can't hold a conversation without talking about how everything in japan is better than korea. so much so, that the conversation turns into a big japan love fest and you just want to get out of it.

[eIn07912]

[IAMAROBOT]

[crusher_of_heads]

korea is inferior

[rumdiary]

[oskinny1]

At the moment I am saving 100,000 yen a month, that is about 1.5 mil won as of 5 minutes ago. I was saving that same amount in Korea last year, though it went a lot further.

I think Japan is a lot better in ways, but it is too sterile for me. The girls are great to look at but not much to talk with (in my opinion). It is great to walk around and see beautiful girls in hotpants in the middle of January, but it isn't so great when you see them smile and see those teeth.

Dating is what you make of it. If you are attractive and charming girls will like you. If not, go to a hostess bar... your best bet is a Filipina bar, since they will be able to speak English and may be a bit more adventurous if you are into that.

Just walking around and looking is way better in Japan. So many interesting people to just look at. Fashion is great here (this seems to go against my sterile comment), and you will see some of the strangest things in your life. Women here know how to dress, ie. an oversized t-shirt is not fashion.

Bosses and schools are all different. The only main difference is that you own the visa, not the school. If things don't work out you can walk. The problem with walking is then you have to find a place to stay and a school that will hire someone who just bailed. Also, you can teach privates here no problem. Going rate in my area is around 3000 yen an hour.

If you do need to find your own apartment it can be a real pain and real expensive. First the owner has to agree to allow a foreigner to rent (which many won't). Then you have to pay the realtor fee, a deposit and then a "gift" to the apartment owner.

[I_Am_The_Kiwi]

This discussion has come up many times before......

It depends alot on where you live.

But really, Korea and Japan are not too different in regards to cost of living.

The weekly grocery shop cost me about the same in Japan as it does in Korea. Sure some things are a bit cheaper, but generally I am spending about the same.
Booze can be cheaper in Japan if you know where to drink, and what to get. Whiskey etc is MUCH cheaper in stores than it is here.

Travel can be expensive, but thats if you ride the Shinkansen, taking local trains, buses etc can make things cheaper.

with the good Yen exchange rate as well you look to make more money with currency exchange than Korea for the time being too.

[reactionary]

-the loudspeaker trucks exist in japan too, but they're not quite as frequent.

-daily train travel IS expensive. but if you commute, your job pays for it. however, i live about 40-min from osaka and kyoto - one way to osaka costs about 5,400 won and kyoto costs 3,200 won (more if you go to other parts of town) - that adds up.

-groceries cost about the same here. booze is cheaper, prepackaged stuff (bottled water, snacks, etc) is more expensive. meat seems like it's cheaper in japan.

-i found dating to be a lot easier in korea, in fact i found the opposite of the other poster: japanese women tend to have varied interests and are great to talk to, but it is pretty hard to get a date. in korea, i could easily get a date with a girl who thought that talking about ashton kutcher was the pinnacle of conversation.

-it could just be my job, but i make 290,000 yen/month (as opposed to the starting base of 250,000) and i've got 6 weeks of vacation a year.

-i'm still thinking about quitting the english game. i only teach about 1/2 kids classes, and of those, only about 1/2 make me want to tear my hair out, but that's still enough to make me want to abandon ship.

-also, i got very lucky to live in the osaka-kyoto metro area, which is a fair bit more interesting than seoul. however, having been around a few other places in japan (medium sized cities, like hiroshima) i sometimes wonder what's better: seoul or a small japanese city? it might be seoul. since many times you don't choose your placement...seems like a bit of a crapshoot. so try to make sure you're going somewhere you want to go, not just "JAPAN."

[Brooks]

Japan is in recession now.
Korea's growth rate is about 3%.

If you do come, think about working outside Tokyo. So many people come here, looking for work. It is really competitive.
I am looking for work and I don't have anything for April.
I was even thinking of working at a eikaiwa that my wife used to work at, but they have a hiring freeze now. Until the economy, picks up I guess learning English is like a luxury for some.

At least in Korea there are jobs, and you get a free apartment.
I have to pay about $1000 a month, and every two years I have to pay $1000 as a "gift" to the rental agent. Free flats in Korea sure do sound nice.

[victorology]

I've never taught English in Japan but have studied abroad there.

I think the food is much better in Tokyo as opposed to Seoul. Portions are smaller, though. You can eat a lot of meals out for 500 yen or under. If you like sushi, you're in luck. I haven't found a sushi restaurant in Seoul that was both inexpensive and had good quality sushi. On the other hand, you can find a kaiten sushi place in Tokyo and get a solid meal for around 10,000 yen. My staples while in Tokyo were curry, ramen, beef bowls, sushi, department store bentos, etc.

Transportation is a lot more expensive in Tokyo. You'll have to take the train or bus most of the time and that's much more expensive than in Seoul. I haven't been back in over a year but last time I was there, the starting fare was maybe 100 yen but that only took you a station or two away. Fares quickly get more expensive than that. Last time I was there, cab fares started at 660 yen. If you're out after the trains stop, you will either have to stay out until they start again or face a really expensive cab fare home.

Speaking of staying out until after the trains stop, if you decide to stay at a capsule hotel, that will run you about 4,000 yen. About the same it costs to get a motel for the night at many of the places in Seoul. Love hotels in Japan are also a lot more expensive.

In terms of getting girls, I think Korea is a bit better. I am fluent in Korean and am pretty good at Japanese after studying it for 6 years. The women in Korea are prettier in general while Japanese girls tend to be more fashionable. I prefer the former. I do think Koreans are more willing to set you up with females than Japanese but then again, I am half Korean and am accepted as "one of them."

In addition to the food, another benefit of Japan is it's much cleaner and the residential neighborhoods are more quaint. I did get the feeling that if I lived in Tokyo for 6 months or more, I might go crazy. It could be due to the fact that I spent most of my time in major centers like Shinjuku and Shibuya.

Can't tell you about teaching English there.

[kiknkorea]