...and I'm wondering if I should accept it. It's a teaching position, I'd be taking home around £1000 a month and be given free accomodation for 12 months. I'm hesitant because I've never been to asia before and know nothing of the country or its customs or people. I want to go because the money is better than what I'm getting now (temping for BT) and it would be an amaxing opportunity to travel and work abroad. Can anyone share experiences of S.Korea?
not knowing yourother cuircumstances at all mate i would say go for it.. its sometihng you may neverregret doing and if you do it may besomething you do regret not doing... if you catch my drift! lol
Korean girls are cute. :dance: It would definitely be an amazing experience. Also, the Korean language isn't as difficult to learn compared to say a Chinese dialect or Japanese. If I was offered a job in Korea right now, I'd take it in a heartbeat.
Can't say much about S Korea as I've not been there but I can say a stay abroad helps your CV to a huge degree. I was in Japan for 6 months and when I came back to the UK interviewers were always impressed despite the fact I did nothing IT related in the position I was in, if your job here is limited then one year later having held down a position in S Korea will do you good. Other than that, I'd say go for it. I had an amazing experience and regretted nothing. The money sounds good enough to equal out the small things that you will miss and good enough to live well from what friends have told me.
Can't assist with Korean experiences, as it's one of the places I've yet to visit - however, on the occasions that I've been offered serious jobs overseas, I mined as much information about the country in question from the relevant tourist office in London/libraries/internet. Whoever is hiring you should be able to provide you an info pack that'll give you some insight on costs of living/taxation/local customs etc. The paid accomodation is a real plus, as that tends to be a significant cost in the Asian countries that I looked at. Is the job only for 12 months, or will you have pay for accomodation after that point? If so, make sure that what you're earning will be enough for the area you'll be located in. Find out whether they'll assist with moving costs to Korea (and also back, especially if the position is temporary). Dig on the web for as much information about the company hiring you (and their reputation) as you can. Personally, I would also be inclined to say 'go for it' - it gets much harder to seize opportunities like this later in your career/life, because you tend to have put down too many roots. Korea has high broadband penetration, so internet access should be easy, which in turn should make keeping in touch with family/friends easier - it can be quite hard to adjust to the different customs/sheer distance from 'home' - keeping in touch can make the transition much easier. Oh, and be prepared to learn some of the language!:nod:
The only thing I have to leave behind is my Girlfriend, but we've discussed it and shes ok with it, providing she can fly out to see me once in a while. It's a 12 month position and they provide accomodation and flights there and back as well as 100% severance pay. Because I have plans to rejoin my teaching course at uni again in september 2008 (I deferred this year due to financial issues and a degree of uncertainty surrounding my future as a teacher) I wouldn't really want to take this position for the full 12 months. What I was thinking of doing is working for say 6-7 months and then leave simply saying I was finding it hard or something, offering to pay my own air fare to add a little dignity to the lie. I don't usually practice such dishonesty but I think if I declared this from the outset they may withdraw the offer...and who knows, I may end up staying alot longer in the end anyway. South Korea or any other part of asia don't really intimidate me too much, I'm well travelled I'm just trying to gather the opinions and ideas of others just incase there are any huge 'definately nots' out there which I may not be aware of.
Be careful on this point - there may well be a financial penalty built into your contract/package to discourage just this scenario. Plus it will be harder to use them for references, if you 'bail' short of the full term of the contract. Personally, I'd be less inclined to go for the position, if I wasn't comfortable with commiting for the full period of the contract. But thats just me.
I've been to Seoul a number of times... I think I'm going again next month. "It's not my thing" is a vast understatement. Maybe b/c I feel like a complete inept when I get here. I guess I've grown accustomed to the creature comforts of Japan (read: non confrontational conformist society) that Korea does not enjoy. I also don't eat meat, and Korea is a carnivorous nation.
As far as teaching jobs go, Korea is notorious for being shifty and unpredictable. Contracts are considered breakable and negotiable even after they have been signed. Bosses dick around with pay and working hours, etc. I'd definitely recommend checking out internet forums related to teaching/working in Korea to know what you're up against. That said, I've been to Seoul twice and had a great time. Korea is one of the more Americanized countries in Asia (well in Seoul, anyway), so I found it a bit more familiar in places than Japan was.
Americanized yes, somebody that speaks english to talk to almost non existant ;-) but I did have a great time in korea! its just the language thing..
Bring Starcraft CDs as a gift to your hosts! No seriously, go for it! If your girlfriend is really fine with it, and you both trust each other I see nothing that could stop you from going. I have a few Korean friends and got to learn Hangul a bit, it seems much easier than learning Hiragana and Katakana.. atleast to me. The Hangul writing system is quite amazing :nod: In my opinion its a chance you should take, I know I would.
Been there on tour twice. Had good memories there. Talking about good CV.. Overseas exposure do give u 'extra' points for your CV in my opinion. But I guess you have to check the place,terms of contract,tax etc. Be sure u have enough to spend,save b4 agreeing to the job man. I guess the only two countries I know that are have people speaking English are HongKong and Singapore. haha
My view is slightly skewed as I've never been to Japan w/o at least survival level under my belt, but in Korea I'm completely hopeless.
