Korean Job Discussion Forums

[jajdude]

Many schools want to hire younger people, but for the older people, do you find you get a little respect in this culture due to being older? I am only 35, and I feel a little bit of it, I think (maybe due to looking 40?)

Also I have a good friend over 50, and he rarely receives any crap. I think.

[turtlepi1]

I'm 33 but I am lucky to pass for 27 on a good day.

Koreans place me at about 25 and treat me accordingly.
And when they ask your age, as they always do, you can see a physical reaction when I say 33. The entire way they speak with you suddenly shifts to a more "positive" or at least "level" tone.

[Pulgasori]

Hope not! I'm 22, but I can easily pass for 23 in Korean years.

[Ya-ta Boy]

I've talked about this with some co-workers. They keep getting into confrontations with ajosshis, but never when I was with them. I never got hassled when alone. (I only get the jolly drunk ones who are not a problem.) They think I get treated better because of my age. It's possible.

[periwinkle]

I'm 31, but I look 25. When I tell people how old I am, I get called an old maid or ajumma or whatever. I've started telling people it's none of their GD business.

[Wangja]

I guess I am one of the oldest on this board and in nearly 7 years have never experienced the sort of incidents that others seem to.

So perhaps there is much in the OP's thought.

FWIW, I also dress and behave conservatively: the three factors could be working together.

[JacktheCat]

I'm 31, but look 21 (or did before my hair started going grey).

It's interesting how Koreans attitudes towards me change when they find out my age. Much more respectful and sometimes even subservient. Even had two apologies from people who didn't realise I was much older than them.

[JongnoGuru]

[Wangja]

[Grotto]

Wangja wrote

[Wangja]

[crazylemongirl]

My best friend here is in the 'older' catergory of teachers. And she doesn't seem to attract nearly as many weirdoes as I do. Also helps that if she puts on her sunglasses she can pass for an adjuma and thn she doesn't attract any attention.

[rapier]

32 but consistently thought of as 29.
if I have a beard people usually guess my correct age spot on though.

[weatherman]

I am not that old, 35, but I do notice that people do treat me differently than when I was 27.

But I think the question should go deeper. Are you able to take advantage of your age via the locals younger than you. Using the prerogatives of your age and position is tricky business and learning how to do this is an interesting game, for you are always testing yourself. Feed into the confucian system, don't fight it.

[adventureman]

All you westerners who are told that you look younger than you really are by Koreans, are you also ever told that you look very "handsome" and get treated like a movie star sometimes? Especially amoungst teenage girls?... Just a wild guess. I've never heard of the phenomenon occuring before in Korea, not once...