Korean Job Discussion Forums

[susanpink]

the board that is...

About a month or so ago my husband and I made the decision to give up our rat race jobs, rent the house and head off to teach in Korea...whereupon a brief feeling of euphoria followed. We are not here yet but in process of sorting stuff and the research process remains ongoing.

But the more I read this forum the more I think 'eek' - ...people hating Korea...hating Koreans....the moans, the sniping!!!!! Comments like 'people here wouldn't make it in the own country' down to 'YOU MADE A SPELLING MISTAKE' shock.

Now don't get me wrong, to me one of the points of an expat community is to go 'what is that about'....but there is a strong vibe of strange bitterness around this Korea forum not really noticeable in other forums on Dave's...so to cut a long story short, is the real life expat community in Korea anything as sour as this? Are there people reading but not posting that feel very differently?? Am I going to get battered for writing this??? Smiley happy posts appreciated along the lines of 'come to Korea - it's great'
DISCLAIMER - my comments should be taken as an OVERALL vibe -not speaking for every single poster.

[denverdeath]

You and your hubby should jump in and enjoy the ride. It really isn't that bad. There are good days as well as bad days here; same as anywhere.

[juicyhumdinger]

I know quite a few expats that don't ever come here for the very reasons you posted, so take that in consideration.

I've noticed that a lot of the people posting here are usually public school types with extre free time during the day stuck at their desk.

[anjucat]

"Korea" is not even remotely close to opinions gleaned from this board (bored?).

I lived here for a year before i discovered this message board. When i did, i was mildly shocked and near-thoroughly disgusted (the "near" part stemming from some pretty funny/informative folks -- Guru, Wangja, and Mith come to mind). I quickly blocked it from my memory.

A year after that, i started perusing more often, and sadly became a fairly regular "lurker." The reason was, quite simply, i was bored.

I decided to become a member about a year later when some yahoo posted a slur against a personal friend of mine. However, by the time i got my membership and my (dumb) username, a month had passed and the thread was dead and buried.

These days, i read the boards somewhat regularly. I rarely post. I remain "near-thoroughly disgusted." Sometimes, after reading "Dave's" forums for too long, i develop an attitude of "Freakin' koreans, with their freakin' blah and their freakin' blah and their blah blah blah."

Then i stand up, turn off the computer, go outside, and remember that my experience has been pretty darn good to me. Korea, like any country on earth (even that place just north of us), has both positive and negative points. Which you choose to concentrate on depends on you.

[susanpink]

Thank you non regular posters for responding.

Whilst Dave's is by NO means the extent of my research I have been using it as a real time 'tap into' in the absence of actually being in SK. The more I read the more I got...perplexed.

Still coming and can't wait to be a teacher, green as, in Korea.

Need to find a netball team now

[SirFink]

In addition to reading these forums, I've been reading lots of blogs written by ESL teachers in Korea. Those tend to give you a more balanced view of things. Typical day-to-day life of an ESL teacher type stuff. In fact, I'm actually amazed at how positive some blogs are despite the fact that the poor saps are teaching kindie on a horrible split-shift schedule, sharing a tiny apartment with a smelly drunken Aussie, and earning 1.6 mil/month.

I also wonder how many of these whiners have ever had a real job in their home countries. My last job here in the States was fairly typical of your average white-collar office job. Which is to say a megalithic corporation that cared only about the bottom line, productivity above quality, cut our pay and vacation days every chance it got, and treated us like trained monkeys. As soon as it figured out it could hire Indians to do the same work we did for pennies on the dollar, it outsourced our butts faster than we could blink. Then there were the half a dozen co-workers who were complete freaks that would rival the worst of the "Freaky Wayguk" thread.

[doggyji]

Hmm I know one forum place where friendliness is the norm. Great people, great atmosphere.

*Hint: (turn this arrow 90 degrees clockwise...)

[Qinella]

[jaganath69]

[kathycanuck]

I think the bias on these boards is because it is usually when something really bugs you that you are motivated to post and vent. As with anywhere else, there will be things in Korea that drive you crazy, but I think for the most part how you'll be treated will depend on what kind of person you are. If you are flexible, friendly, and make some effort to understand and respect the customs of this country you will find lots of Koreans willing to reciprocate. The kids are great, far more polite and easy to handle, in my experience, than the kids I taught at home. By all means come over, and I wish you the best of luck.

[Ya-ta Boy]

I think this board is a reasonably accurate reflection of the expat community. #1 topic is related in some way to Korea, a great deal of whining and negativity, some positive stuff, some genuine candidates for freakiest waygook contest

I do think the whines get more concentrated focus here because that's the nature of a problem. It's much harder to make a post about a good day.

But overall, I'd say it's pretty accurate.

[VanIslander]

A poll was done recently on a thread and about 80 out of 100-ish respondents said they really enjoyed being here.

But most of the posts to that thread were by the minority of malcontents.

That's how representative the postings are.

[Demophobe]

I would say wait until you get here and let 6 months go by, then read again. Your understanding will be higher of what, on the surface, appears to be bitterness and negativity.

I won't defend a number of sour folks here, but I think many use this forum as a place to vent some frustration. A large number of people are in more isolated areas than Seoul, where the expat is very small indeed, and so many people haven't the opportunity to unload some of their feelings in the company of like-minded people (or at least people who can understand where they are coming from). So, they come here and vent. I would bet that for most, the feelings pass and more positive thoughts ensue.

Now, I'm not saying that you will be bitter or jaded yourself, but you will have more empathy with some of the threads. Korea isn't always an easy place to be and some people have better coping strategies than others. This place is just one example of that, I believe.

Good luck to you and your husband. It's much easier to be here when you aren't alone.

[laogaiguk]

[Homer]

To the OP: take note that people with complaints (valid or not) are louder than people who are content.

Hence, this board may seem overly negative at times and that might skew your image of life in Korea.