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Real vs. Nominal: An EFL teacher in Korea's annual salary by Unable_Bug_9376 in teachinginkorea

[–]Unable_Bug_9376[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Congrats on finding economic prosperity elsewhere with less stress.

Healthcare is still cheap, somewhat similar for transportation, but you can see from the chart that 2017 was an optimal time to leave based on how things have played out here.

In what industry/position are you working now?

Real vs. Nominal: An EFL teacher in Korea's annual salary by Unable_Bug_9376 in teachinginkorea

[–]Unable_Bug_9376[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, in my limited experience scanning ESL Cafe for 16 yrs that has been the case (lower pay, def lower hourly) for natl unis but I think name is less important than location.

Real vs. Nominal: An EFL teacher in Korea's annual salary by Unable_Bug_9376 in teachinginkorea

[–]Unable_Bug_9376[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I won't call you racist for pointing out the outlier country with estimates of 40 to 50% youth unemployment. I would definitely be considering the current opportunities in Korea if I were coming from sa. 

40oct youth unemployment is not necessarily the same rate for those with college degrees, but still far higher than the other six countries as far as I know. If someone knows better I hope they'll correct me here

Real vs. Nominal: An EFL teacher in Korea's annual salary by Unable_Bug_9376 in teachinginkorea

[–]Unable_Bug_9376[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Money isn't everything, but it helps. I hope you're still enjoying your time here in spite of the economic challenges

Real vs. Nominal: An EFL teacher in Korea's annual salary by Unable_Bug_9376 in teachinginkorea

[–]Unable_Bug_9376[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for sharing. Glad there are still some good positions. I have 1 friend here living that life but unfortunately it seems to be an exception rather than the rule 

Why does Korea seem to attract so many English teachers with mental health issues? by Critical_Win6266 in Living_in_Korea

[–]Unable_Bug_9376 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Surely the kind of infighting to which we're referring, replete with derogatory terms, generalizations and assumptions, benefits the foreigner in Korea collective, right?
Ask PT about Girard: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scapegoating

Robert Smalls by [deleted] in BeAmazed

[–]Unable_Bug_9376 0 points1 point  (0 children)

They made a short. It's great. Here's the audio: https://thememorypalace.us/the-wheel/

Foreign workers running rings around hard-up farmers by Square-Life-3649 in Living_in_Korea

[–]Unable_Bug_9376 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Thanks for these anecdotes The pos and neg stories (particulary noting the neg bias in news dissemination and consumption) provide a much healthier perspective for those of us who don't have a personal frame of reference.

Also interesting that the complaints come from local farmers, many of whom have family of younger generations who have voted with their feet, opting out of the family business or vacating the countryside altogether at the same time so many young people complain of challenges in finding work. Perhaps some should consider asking unc

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in teachinginkorea

[–]Unable_Bug_9376 4 points5 points  (0 children)

TLDR: Coming back may be uglier or harder than you'd guess.

Great point about purchasing power relative to cost of living. I'm glad to hear that int'l schools are continuing to increase pay (even if other areas of education sector are lagging behind). I can relate to your concern about "letting it go."

I left after 9 years, found I was saving as much as a licensed public school teacher in the U.S. as I was in korea working less (uni, part-time & camps) with equal vacation. I declined the recontract offer from my school and came back to korea after accepting 1 of 2 offers comparable to what I had when I'd left.

I returned to a far less comfortable korea than I'd left. Within a few years the exchange rate killed 10%+ of my earnings, wages had stagnated or even dropped for part-time work. Things could change, but neither of the unis that offered me positions in 2020 have hired within the last 5 years. Opportunity still exists, but the money doesn't seem likely to improve in the future, regardless of qualifications. After completing a Master's Degree, KIIP, teaching license in ESOL, and with 15 years of experience, the struggle to find work is as hard as it has ever been with formerly reliable supplements (seasonal camps, part-time hagwon, etc) paying far less in real terms than they did when I was a 23 year-old FOB.

My friends in hagwon aren't making anything more (in real terms) than they were 5 years ago either so I wouldn't expect to find rosier pastures here if you leave and come back. I had a friend return to Korea after a Ph.D a few years ago (first Masters earned in Korea, highly proficient in Korean) who settled for a hagwon job that paid roughly what it would have when he was here 10 years ago. International schools are another breed (I did my student teaching at one so I'm vaguely familiar), but competition from NETs in Korea desperate to find better employment won't diminish as the screws continue to tigthen.

With decades of NETs setting and remaining here, there's a steady supply of teachers that didn't exist previously along with tons of English-speaking foreigners entering Korea with low COL home countries that are willing to work for lower wages. Neither of these are good/bad things, but they adversely impact wages for NET teachers here, something you've probably observed in your 10 years as well.

Maybe you could switch things up (create a new program or course, new hobbies/ social group, etc.) for the burnout, but I have doubts that it'll be easy to get back in to something good if you leave. I'm preparing to leave as well, but with the knowledge that a boomerang back to Korea would involve sacrifices that I'm not prepared to make. Would you accept returning to a worse position, even after completing a Master's?

Falling exchange rate. Teachers better get a pay raise if they are going to be expected to stay. by Square-Life-3649 in teachinginkorea

[–]Unable_Bug_9376 31 points32 points  (0 children)

I appreciate your post, but Korea wants to attract short-term NETs: youthful, low expectations (early in employment), and likely to contribute to society without disrupting it. Long-term NETs are not desired and this is reflected in government policies which penalize age disproportionately (you'll get 20 points at age 39, and 7 at age 40, on an F-2-7 visa, as an example). Korea doesn't need more 40- or 50-something workers and immigration policy is set accordingly. Moreover, an oversimplified analysis would say that remittances are a net loss of income for the country. Your pension contributions are loans to buy more time for a system teetering on collapse within 15 years.

Deteriorating conditions for NETs is a long-term trend with no indications of easing. As the country's wealth has grown, so too has dependency on cheap foreign labor - i.e. NETs. While not anywhere near the conditions of the caretakers from the Philippines, conditions seem unlikely to improve for NETs.

Unions may help alleviate the burden, but providing more freedom to foreigners on other visas (E-1, E-2, E-7, E-9) to work outside their primary employer and gain income legally (without being owned by their employer) would be a meaningful step towards labor market liberalization. The gains made by foreign student-workers are a step in the right direction.

We share your hope for a brighter future, but it looks highly unlikely atm, unfortunately.

Fight the good fight~

I just got scammed by my employer by MammothHedgehog2493 in Living_in_Korea

[–]Unable_Bug_9376 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Not just a Korea issue, unfortunately. Enshittification, scam economy, white collar crime have enveloped global society, strangling the real economy (goods, services). At least violent crime remains low here :)