Korean Job Discussion Forums

[cappuck]

I have been in Japan a total of 5 years. I work p/t at several places including 4 universities. I generally enjoy my work, especially the variety of it and going to different places everyday. The pay is excellent and I can afford a very good lifestyle in addition to saving a lot monthly.

For a while now, my wife and I have been planning another 3-4 years in Japan and then head to North America (Canada most likely, but possibly the U.S., where I have lived and worked before). Before we head to North America, I have been thinking about the possibility of spending a year or two in another Asian country. I have visited Seoul twice and I have taught Korean students in the past.

Here is what I want to know... If I took a full-time position at a Korean university, would it afford me a good lifestyle with reasonable savings? I don't expect to earn the same type of living as I have been eanring in Japan. It would be near impossible to duplicate it elsewhere -- especially without much experience in another country. My goal is not to earn huge sums of money, although the financial issue is important, especially with a wife and baby.

If anyone could shed some light on my possibilities in South Korea, that would be great.

[Pak Yu Man]

Take a look at the uni jobs ofered on Dave's. About 2 mil a month, half of them would stick you in a dorm.

Can your wife teach? Legally?

If you think you could have a kick-ass lifestyle on 2.0 mil a month...go for it. If I was you, I'd stay put in Japan. The grass is always greener.......

[marcus]

I lived in Japan for a year as a student and then worked there for a year. Now I'm in Korea.

My contract expires soon and I'm looking for a job back in Japan. It was much better.

[techno_the_cat]

If you've had five years experience working universities you should be able to land a nice uni job in Korea. You would have to make sure you got an early start on the job hunting though. On the whole I dont think Korea is too far behind Japan when it comes to payrates now. But you are right about the difficulties of setting up shop in a new country. You can always make inquiries though...

[PRagic]

Are you currently with a university in Japan? If you have your MA and that kind of documented experience, you could probably get a job in Seoul at a university for +/- 2.5 million KW/month. Ph.D.s earn anywhere from 3-4 million/month KW. Some pay more, but a good few are in that ball park. Look for a job with either housing or a decent housing allowance.

Sounds like you have a better chance of generating additional income in Japan, particularly if you only plan on being in Korea short term (1-2 years). To be honest, with a family you'd probably be better off staying in Japan and banking as much as possible prior to moving back to N. America. To each their own, though, so if your family is in it for the experience, give it a go. As you are close enough to fly over for an interview, just keep tabs on the jobs and apply to the ones that look good. Just ask on the board and people will let you know if it's a decent shake. Just a quick FYI, though; most of the experienced teachers I know here are looking to jump ship and head elsewhere...including options in Japan or Hong Kong.

[cappuck]

I work p/t at some universities in Japan. Yes, I realize that I can definitely earn a lot more money here. In addition, with my wife going back to work next year, we'll really make a great living for another 3-4 years before we head to N. America. Between the 2 of us, we'll likely average 1.2 to 1.6 million monthly. It's a lot more likely that those numbers could rise rather than go down.

The idea of going to Korea (or another country) would be for a year or two before returning to N. America. My question... If I could earn 2.5 million won + monthly with airfare and accomodations, would that provide for a very comfortable living + savings? To me, I am sure it would seem most relaxing because right now, although I earn 800,000-1.1 mil. yen most months, I certainly have to work long and hard for it. Of course, spending money is also quite easy to do here in Japan! I would love to spend a year or two in a much less expensive society where I could spend freely and still not be concerned about it.

The more I think about it, the more leaving Japan to go elsewhere would probably be a foolish move unless done purely as a limited-time vacation in which we wouldn't give up our jobs and situation here until we're really ready to re-locate permanently.

[Yo!Chingo]

Cappuck, Korea is not inexpensive by any means, and it's way too easy to spend here! Perhaps you'de be better off in China or the phillipines for less expensive?

[Novernae]

yo!chingo is right. Korea is NOT a cheap place to live. The only thing that makes it seem cheap to foreigners is that housing is paid for and eating out is cheap compared to home. I've only been to Japan once, for a week, and comparing food prices a lot of things were surprisingly cheaper in Japan, though other things were more expensive...

[rocklee]

cappuck,

You are earning a generous salary over there which you would be hard pressed to find in either Korea or China. A 2.5 million won monthly salary is ok for the single person, but definitely not for a family.

I used to live in Japan, and Korea is a step back in many ways (level of standards drops all across the board including beer). Korea can appear cheap because of that, but indeed the place is not cheap. A pack of nattos here cost about 300 yen, whereas the same thing cost 100 yen back in Japan (so don't expect Japanese stuff to be reasonably priced here). Transport here is cheap, but you probably also have your transportation covered by your uni anyway.

You've stayed in Japan for 5 years, probably learnt the language. If you are really going to go back to N. America, then I would suggest finishing your teaching gig in Japan before going back. Seems like a smoother transition than going to another country for only a year or two to re-adjust to another weird culture.

Hope that helps.

[cappuck]

Some really good points, very well made. As far as prices go, the main things that are cheaper in Korea are dining and drinking. Transportation is way cheaper, whether you are talking about domestic trips around the country or a simple subway ride. Those are some key things. Figure that in with FREE housing -- which is extremely expensive in Japan -- and you have yourself big differences. Yes, I agree, sushi, natto, and other Japanese foods will be more expensive in Korea and other countries than in Japan in many cases. Utilities are extremely expensive here as are cell. phones. I would take a guess and say that income tax is also much higher in Japan.

Anyway, 2.5 million may not be all that great. I did meet a couple of Americans who taught in Seoul and said they were earning about 6 million won per month. I would assume that that would go a long way in Seoul. Mind you, if you earn 1 million + in Tokyo, you can also live reasonably well.

As long as we're doing what we're doing now, it would never make sense to move from a financial standpoint. However, there are other motives to do it for a year or so.

[rocklee]

Well cappuck,

I'm doing the Korean gig now, I guess I am saving a little bit more than what I used to in Japan. One of the reasons why is because I don't drive a car here (drove a Skyline which travelling was covered by the school ). I shopped a hell of a lot living in Tokyo (better fashion, better toys to play with etc). Still I was able to save about 200,000 yen a month considering my spending habits.

You're right about food. Tori/yaki niku may probably be a little cheaper, not sure about shabu-shabu. Rice is still somewhat expensive somehow. Packed fried rice is more expensive. I find that cooking at home in Japan was cheaper than Korea. Things like green vegetables, tofu, fish etc. I can't understand why vegetables should be this expensive here. Koreans will also try to sell you expired vegetables at reasonable prices.

Free housing can vary from utter slum to reasonably modern one room apartments. The apartments at Seoul national university aren't bad.

Utilities are very cheap here, and so is the internet. A boon if you stay indoors a lot.

Korea is like a lot of what people say, in between China and Japan. Having said that, it is an interesting country to teach in and you will find a lot of people who can speak English.

[cappuck]

Rocklee,
I completely agree with your thoughts. Rather than move to Korea when things here in Japan couldn't be much better from a work standpoint, maybe a long trip around the country would be better. Maybe hit Ceju Island in the summer and enjoy a few other locations. We'll see how things are here and if we have any time to kill before heading home in 3-5 yrs as planned. We'll likely want to stay here and cash in as much as possible before heading back to the great white north!

At any rate, I'm looking forward to travelling to S. Korea on vacation sometime in the future.

[Grotto]

[rocklee]

Grotto, I'm interested to know how