Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Yes]

it's been 6 months since i first arrived in korea, and i can tell you without a doubt, if you are considering it, i recommend it highly. see my top 5 reasons below:

5. KOREAN KIDS ARE FUN TO TEACH! they are much more innocent than western kids and even when they are rowdy and maniacal, they are a riot to just observe in their sweet and cute ways. they are also ultimately easily re-focused due to their ingrained sense of obedience to authority figures and their natural (natural to all kids, i believe) love of fun learning. it's easy to have a lot of fun with them and once you get in a groove (i hadn't taught children for many years before taking this job), it's easy to see consistent results and teaching them is very rewarding

4. KOREAN PEOPLE ARE APPRECIATIVE OF YOUR PRESENCE AND OF YOUR EFFORTS TO TEACH THEM. i've had so many positive experiences with korean people, students and non-students-- from people at the post office to people at the gym to people at the bank to doctor visits-- i find myself always surprised by the helpful attitudes which i almost always seem to encounter. and as far as professionally, my adult students make me feel like a rock star every time i walk into the room. it's a bit of an exaggeration, but i'm trying to convey the sense of gung-ho readiness and sweet respect they have, which makes it really easy to give a good lesson even when you're not feeling 100%. also, my students actively helped to integrate me into life here (much more than my korean colleagues and western peers) when i first arrived in korea, they were my best guides and friends in the city at the start. and we still socialize frequently. many fun times. i owe most of my sense of orientation and general knowledge of korean life and ways to them. i find koreans overall to be very generous & compassionate people.


3. IT'S EASY TO HAVE A GOOD QUALITY OF LIFE HERE-- from easy to access internet, fairly affordable skiing in winter, lots of beach options in summer, plus good access to various healthy activities (they're very into fitness so it's easy to find gyms, yoga, plus the wonderful jimjilbangs) and to enjoy the outdoors. also, the dvd bangs are cool, there's tons of foreigners and various social events to get involved in, lots of mountains to hike, a lot of interesting historical sights, a very active gay scene (at least in seoul there is), plus ample travel options to nearby asian countries. i'm back in the US now on vacation, and i can see that my quality of life in korea is much better than it was when i was teaching here. it's more affordable, healthier, more interesting, and just generally a friendlier and more positive vibration in korea.

2. YOU GET ***YOUR OWN APARTMENT***!-- the overall package that korean schools offer (airfare paid for upfront, furnished apartment provided, plus very decent salary) is pretty much unbeatable, in my experience. i've taught in 4 different countries and i never got housing provided until korea. i can't believe i didn't come to korea sooner. it's such a huge burden lifted off of one's shoulders to have housing ready & waiting for you, not to mention paid for each month. on top of this, if you get a good employer, which i was lucky enough to find on my first gig in this country, they tend to bend over backwards to accomodate your wishes/needs (ie, ordering specific books, getting you additional items for your apartment, and even making schedule changes when possible. they've even agreed to consider transferring me to another branch in a different city so that i can have a little more variety out of my 12 months here).


1. IT'S EASY TO SAVE-- even if you're in seoul, which admittedly is loaded with opportunities to spend, you learn the ropes after a while and you can have a nice chunk in the bank if you budget right, after your time here.


overall, i've lost weight, saved a lot of money (by my standards it's a lot...), made some great friends, improved as a teacher, and just had some really peaceful and also exciting experiences. there are some downsides, which maybe i will write about later in another post, but in general, i just have good things to say about it.

feel free to PM me if you have specific questions as a newbie. i'd be happy to give you some suggestions about how to get a good gig and how to negotiate good terms for yourself, and also about what to bring.

yay korea!

[Ilsanman]

How long before someone posts 5 reasons not to teach here?

[mehamrick]

Korea Sparkling.............

[Bibbitybop]

Great post OP. I agree with you.

I'm sure people in bad hogwan gigs may disagree with some of your points, but with a bit of research, those can be avoided.

It beats teaching in the USA, it pays well, I get lots of vacation and have seen 5 new countries in less than a year here.

[mrsquirrel]

1) I like the isolation

[Yu_Bum_suk]

Where are you teaching, OP? After my first six months numbers 1 & 2 most certainly weren't true, but I changed that my quitting and relocating. I can tell you that there are many, many hagwons that would make you quickly reconsider the first two.

[The Hierophant]

Nice thread. I love living in Korea too, even when I hate it

[CasperTheFriendlyGhost]

Korea is definitely an interesting place. Seoul is a toilet, but the countryside is beautiful. People give you a lot of slack for being a foreigner and often will go beyond the average in helping you out. The kids' behavior is much better than many, if not most, American students. You can travel about every weekend and still save a bundle. Korean women are pretty easy on the eye. I guess that's my five.

[seoulman1]

yesterday I loved teaching kids for 3.5 hours for 140,000 won. Today I hate it and want to go home. Life has its ups and downs in this country you really just have to be tough and say *beep* it, money talks.

[whatever]

Housing is not free here. We work for it. It's part of our compensation. Not playing semantics with you, either...

[Fresh Prince]

Good positive post although not all of that applies to every job.

[ipsofacto]

Cass 6.9%

[Rteacher]

While I tend to be pretty negative and grouchy myself, I really agree with the positive statements made by "Yes" in the opening post - Korea is a relatively very nice place to live and work, and Korean students - of all ages - are among the best (unless they've lived in the U.S. from an early age ...)

[Corporal]

[crusher_of_heads]

Loosers?

Sure there are chcks that are loose, but loosers?