Korean Job Discussion Forums

[VanIslander]

As many of you know, I very much appreciated my 3.5 years on Geoje Island: the beaches and hills and walks and apartment and town and people and job and coworkers and students. Everything was a good fit.

The locals there are so accustomed to foreigners as there are over a thousand at the local shipyards, and there's a very active foreigner's club. No shortage of friendly faces from every direction and no finger pointing or scowls. Morning walks to a nearby beach or hilltop to see dawn on the horizon, and the sight of Japan across the way, was something special. And I was practically a fish for six months of the year at the local beaches.

Yet the best part was the students and the mom and pop operation at the hagwon: where he was a coworker with me when I started, then he bought the business but still treated me like an equal - a real nice guy. Then he got married and she was wonderful! a Busanite with fluent English skills and great disposition: I thoroughly enjoyed daily chats. It was the opposite of hagwon hell and that alone almost kept me there forever.

But in early 2006 (having been there since late 2002) it seemed like time to move on, especially with a desire to see more of the country. So I took a job westward in the same province in the southeast, in a river valley on the peninsula, not far from the south coast and the sea I love so much. My job presently gives me Fridays off - which I didn't get on Geoje. And I enjoy my present job, which I've been at nearly a year.

Now I find myself comtemplating whether to return to Geoje (the teacher who replaced me is finishing his contract in April and leaving). I learned this by keeping an eye on the ads at pusanweb where I got each of the two jobs I've ever had in teaching.

My present job has a great schedule (2:20-7:50 four days versus 3:00-8:50 five days) but my hagwon is as much geared to middle school kids as anything, so half the students are not my students, so there's pointing, giggling, joke making and a general feeling of strangeness from them and from me at times. Instead of two coteachers who are married and go out for dinner and laughs with me once a week or so (like I had on Geoje), I have instead a half dozen teachers, most of whom don't speak english, or don't practice it with me, eat apart and quietly when i'm around, so much typical from what i've heard from others at dave's, and yet soooo different than the small hagwon warm fuzzies I had on Geoje. What I have now is not bad, but not great. I live these days in a farm town with farmer mentality, totally unlike the more modern, international appreciation of the shipbuilding on Geoje. On the island I never felt discomfort, never, it was like home; here in farmerville people are nice but many look at me like I have two heads and some ajumma shopkeepers yell at me sometimes. Minor stuff, but still so different than on Geoje.

So I find myself tempted to take the job opening and return to what I knew: great people at a great place.

But can one go back? I've never returned to a job I've had before. Has anyone else? I even found that when I left my hometown in canada I never wanted to move back.

I worry that the charm will be gone, or at least lessened, that at least in a symbolic way it'd be a step backward, after all, it's the sort of position for a newbie, basic starter's pay with an easy to use curriculum (though I never was discouraged from adapting or - ignoring - as I had done often in favor of my own lessons).

If only I was married and on the baby track: I'm a past mid-thirtysomething with serious nesting impulses (or, more masculine-sounding: bear-caving urges). If I had children of my own I could settle down for ten years there no problem (six foreign teachers in the international elementary school on Geoje!). I'm at that stage of life. But I'm not even dating. Anyways:

(1) part of me says stay in farmersville and keep traveling on the 3-day weekends;
(2) part of me says go back to Geoje and enjoy it some more, you never know when Ms. Right will come along
(3) part of me says move to Seoul - uggh - or Busan (which I like, but is still so big) or some international city elsewhere (I have a CELTA, enjoy teaching overseas a lot) with an eye - just one eye but an eye nonetheless - on finally getting into a serious relationship that could go somewhere (hard to meet marriage material in korean hicksville).

So of course there are several issues to mull over here, mixed in. But basically it comes down at this moment in my thinking to (a) stay where I am for another year or (b) take the job I had before (which only opens once a year, since it's a mom-and-pop, one-foreigner hagwon).

[the_beaver]

I wouldn't live there for all the tea in China, but you seem to like it so go back.

[ttompatz]

Returning is never the same as having never left.

This does not = bad
but
does = not the same as we remember.

There are so many cliches but truely, life moves on.... and so should we.

[seoulkitchen]

Sometimes it feels sooooo good to go back.

But why don't you get a job is Seoul for a while, see how much you like/hate the big city, maybe find yerself that gal ya wanna settle with and then move to Goeje (where she will never want to move to if she's from Seoul).

Actually, just skip the Seoul part and go to Geoje.
Hmmm, you've made me want to try a year there now.

Anyway, just reread your post, it's pretty easy to see what's important to you. See you in Geoje someday!

Cheers!

[caniff]

"Once you leave, you can never go back"

[Harpeau]

Well, my initial response is: should is shit, want is wonderful! Stop crapping on the sofa!!

Seriously though, since your single and all, I would suggest that you try Seoul, Pusan or elsewhere around the world. Youmight want to try for a uni gig and aime for better vacations, etc. You'll have a wee bit better chance of meeting that someone special in a bigger city, IMHO.

Then later on in the future, you can then on Goeje-do and live there for 60 years. Just a thought. Best of luck in whatever you decide to do.

[Ya-ta Boy]

How about a job in a hakwon in Itaewon?

[daz1979]

Hi Van,

I say go back to Geoje, it's fairly obvious that you love the place. Either that or get a base near Namhae.

Wherever makes you a happy chap.

[Cynical Optimist]

[just because]

I would go back to Geoje, I really like it there too.....

If you had a really good set-up before i can't imagine it has changed to much and they are always happy to welcome back the familar....

Go for it....and stay 1 more year.
If it isn't the way you remember than leave after 1 year...

1 year in a good setting isn't a waste and you know you will be paid on time with no stress....
BTW...CGV is in Gohyeon now so movies are in koeje now as well...

made me want to go there next weekend for a trip

[bucheon bum]

[Grimalkin]

Don't go back. There must have been some reason why you left in the first place. All jobs are going to suffer by comparison with that job and you haven't really given any strong reasons for why you 're unhappy with your current one. Your working hours, plus three days off a week are huge pluses. Don't throw them away.


Maybe your mixing up your feeling of needing to nest/cave with feelings of dissatisfaction with where you are. Moving to Seoul/Busan would be a mistake. I think you'd hate them. Go nest/cave there on the weekends!

[VanIslander]

[captain kirk]

Have you considered a Russian mail order bride?

[VanIslander]