Korean Job Discussion Forums

[shawner88]

I lived in Korea for almost 5 years. I don't know why. I never really liked it there beyond things like my paycheck, delicious food and pretty girls.

I thought I liked Korea more than I did, but I didn't know anything feasible was out there beyond a worse existence in America. I had a girlfriend and got comfortable and was afraid to leave, basically.

I think the worst part about living there was the job. Working in a hagwon stinks, plain and simple. Working in a public school also stinks. Working for Koreans stinks. The fact that the school you work for controls your visa is one of the most heinous parts of the whole affair.

At the time though I didn't think my jobs were entirely so bad. Some days I liked it, some days I hated it with a passion. Sometimes I just quit and left it up to my next boss to take care of any visa issues.

Now I work in China. I love my job and my life here. I have the best job I've had in my life. I work in an international school and make more than I did in Korea for much, much less work and hassles. I get 14 weeks of paid vacation! The school sponsors my visa, but they don't control it. You can quit and get a new job without leaving China with just a few documents and paper-work, if you want. The school would never think of blackmailing you or refusing to release you, etc. I never hear of that happening anywhere.

Most teachers only teach 4 classes/day in China. Maybe 5 at the most. Sure, most people don't earn what I do, but they seem happy with what they can do with that money. More revealing is that I very rarely meet a foreigner here who complains about their job - though I'm sure these people exist. Certainly though, nothing like in Korea.

The more I live over here the more I look back at my life in Korea and shake my head. There's no regret that I went there. I am very glad I did. But wish I wish I moved on after year or two at most. I had no idea living in another country would be so much better. I don't deal with a fraction of the headaches I had in Korea. Koreans are warped! They work themselves to the grave and it's sickening. Chinese people are the complete opposite. The are laid back and casual and yes, lazy. I love it! Our bosses never bother us at our job. They don't say a word if you call in sick. They let us do whatever we want in our classrooms and thank us for our hard work all the time. It's amazing. It makes me despise the way Koreans treated me in the past. It drove me to drink soju!

One other thing of note. Korean language. It must be one of the hardest languages on Earth to master. And one of the most useless to know when you leave Korea. Chinese is quickly becoming the second-most studied language in the world. It's fun learning the characters once you get over the initial shock. It's really a fun language. My Chinese is already much better than my Korean ever was because I have a genuine interest and motivation to study it, but also because it's just easier to me.

Anyway, what is keeping you in Korea, I wonder. Maybe some of you have better jobs and bosses than I ever had and better girlfriends. Still, you may not realize there's a better place to work out there, whether it's China or Taiwan or Japan or wherever. Just a thought for those of you questioning yourselves...

[BigBlackEquus]

Honeymoon?

[bignate]

Just couldnot handle saying Ling-Ling all the time..............

[xingyiman]

I might move on to another country next year when my contract expires. But the main issue for me is the pay. Los of the jobs I have seen in China don't pay a whole lot. If you can direct me as to how to find the ones that do I would be very interested. Pay is the primary issue because I have about 600.00 US worth of Stateside bills to take care of. Thats what is preventing me from working in Thailand.

[RACETRAITOR]

I hope Pericles posts something on here. He just fled Harbin and got a job in Daegu, and adamantly prefers it here.

[shawner88]

[nautilus]

[xingyiman]

I have been thinking of Vietnam also. I really want to experience a third world country in my travels. Also there is a particular king of martial art I can study in HCMC. Thats one of my hobbies - I try to study a martial art wherever I go. The pay seems to be on par with what I need.

[cruisemonkey]

[Faron]

Shawn your blog is sick.....keep it up!

[mithridates]

[Newbie]

[Yaya]

Shawner, good to know you like China, but don't be surprised if you hit a ceiling there and decide to return to Korea. You seemed so gungho about liking Korea in your earlier posts and now have done a complete 180 turn.

That said, to each his own. There are teachers who say Korea is the best out of the countries they've taught in and others who'll pick Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Japan, etc.

I met an Italian guy who studied Chinese and lived in Shanghai for two years. He came to Korea for his girlfriend. He said the 600,000 won in monthly pay you'll get as a hakwon teacher in Shanghai goes farther than two million won in Seoul, but of course, if you wanna save or pay off debt, Korea is the clear winner.

I've also thought of life in China but well, I think I've built up a good base in Korea and since I ain't getting any younger, I need to put my roots down somewhere.

[Yu_Bum_suk]

I think most people would be very happy working at an international school for international school wages here, too. I think I work at about as good a public school as one could find here (not all sharp students but everyone's very nice to me) and I'm sure that's a large part of the reason I'm so happy with Korea. Hopefully the wages will keep picking up in China - it will just create all the more demand here.

[Pyongshin Sangja]

Shawner, you never got into universities in Korea. Don't knock it till you try it.