Some help/advice!

West24 · Jul 23, 2008

ok so i have been thinking about going and working abroad for maybe a year or so. maybe do the english teaching thing in either japan or maybe korea. i know you think i may be marsupialed or stupid but i can speak english and write properly(unlike i do on this forum). so here are my concerns. ive heard that korea is not as open to foreigners as japan.(seoul vs tokyo). im not too worried about this or should i be? im just worried about getting extremely home sick. im very close with my family and that is my main concern. i want to know what made some of you want to get up and move? are you guys very close with your family, or maybe some what distant and that was one of the reasons you wanted to get away? how hard was it to adjust? etc. i just want to really think about it before i do something like this. any adivce would be helpful. (M@T, Nantucket, BrianSD, etc)

Burningbarricade · Jul 23, 2008

I haven't lived abroad myself for any lengthly period of time but several friends of mine have. Each one felt a bit worried about going but each of them also had life changing experiences and loved every minute of it all.

I think you'll find that no matter where you go the change in culture will give you a huge sense of perspective which will benefit you greatly.

By the way, I haven't been to Korea but I found the Japanese to be friendly and to provide a suitable culture shock.

dtmt · Jul 23, 2008

If you get the chance, definitely go. I've lived in Europe and Japan for both study and work, and I can pretty much guarantee you will look back on it later and be extremely glad you did it. Being an English teacher in Japan is supposedly much more difficult than it used to be. The largest English school chain recently went out of business, leaving many expericned teachers searching for a shrinking number of jobs, and pay decreasing. JET program is still great if you can get accepted. Personally, I would rather live in China, HK or Singapore than Korea or Taiwan, but that is just personal preference. Here is an article from a Korean newspaper about life for foreigners in Korea: http://english.chosun.com/w21data/ht...801040017.html Also, if you're going to teach English, I would highly recommend to have an "exit plan" and really think about what you're going to do afterwards. I've met many English teachers who are bored with their jobs, but have gotten stuck in a rut because they've been teaching English for so long that they aren't employable anywhere else.

thoran · Jul 23, 2008

well by communicating with others you can learn english , by reading newspapers regulary you can practise good writing skills.

West24 · Jul 25, 2008

good advice! any others?

Alter · Jul 25, 2008

+1 for what dtmt said.

The question is: what do you want to gain from the experience? If you just want to get away from a rut, you could just move to another city in the US. And the choice between Europe, Asia or elsewhere should be based on your goals; not because it may be easy to get a job somewhere.

hossoso · Jul 25, 2008

I taught in Korea a couple of years ago. I loved. I will try to remember to post more on this later but I have somewhere to be now. Check out www.daveseslcafe.com and go to the Korean teacher forum.

West24 · Jul 25, 2008

Originally Posted by Alter

+1 for what dtmt said.

The question is: what do you want to gain from the experience? If you just want to get away from a rut, you could just move to another city in the US. And the choice between Europe, Asia or elsewhere should be based on your goals; not because it may be easy to get a job somewhere.

well im not in a rut, i just would like to maybe get away and do something completely out of my realm. i think i would grow and mature a lot and hopefully have a great experience. ive never been "alone" really, and i think it would be something different. i also would like to save some money and i think this would be a good way to do it, while gaining so much knowledge, experience, etc.

Alter · Jul 25, 2008

I hear that...and travel is a great way to expand oneself.

Regarding the money-saving aspect, though. That is no so easy as it once was. For Japan, you would probably need to be here for over a year before you could start to actually save much. It would take that long to recoup your original outlay of cash for accommodations, etc.
As dtmt already mentioned though, coming with the JET program may be something for you to look into as they would provide you with a lot of the things that suck up money when you first arrive.

rolex · Jul 25, 2008

Originally Posted by dtmt

Also, if you're going to teach English, I would highly recommend to have an "exit plan" and really think about what you're going to do afterwards. I've met many English teachers who are bored with their jobs, but have gotten stuck in a rut because they've been teaching English for so long that they aren't employable anywhere else.

globetrotter · Jul 25, 2008

in my 20's and 30's I lived in a few different countries as an ex-pat. it was a great expereince. if my wife hadn't been firmy convinced that we should raise our kids in one place, I wouldn't have stopped.

I would try to figure out where the "hot spots" are - places where changes are taking place and where you might find a career path opening up. Vietnam is one, for instance, india is another. In my day it was the ex-communist countries, china, japan, all of which are a bit stale now. maybe iraq will be in a few years.

Raz · Jul 25, 2008

Originally Posted by West24

ok so i have been thinking about going and working abroad for maybe a year or so. maybe do the english teaching thing in either japan or maybe korea. i know you think i may be marsupialed or stupid but i can speak english and write properly(unlike i do on this forum). so here are my concerns. ive heard that korea is not as open to foreigners as japan.(seoul vs tokyo). im not too worried about this or should i be? im just worried about getting extremely home sick. im very close with my family and that is my main concern. i want to know what made some of you want to get up and move? are you guys very close with your family, or maybe some what distant and that was one of the reasons you wanted to get away? how hard was it to adjust? etc. i just want to really think about it before i do something like this. any adivce would be helpful. (M@T, Nantucket, BrianSD, etc)

I am very close to my family as well but 4 years ago I went to Pakistan just to see my native country the way I wanted to see, as a child I use to go there but that was only for few weeks before I went I was thinking that I will be back with in a month but I lived there just under one year I loved it was so nice

I use to call my family like every 2nd day and they use to call me as well so I was not home sick at all the only thing I missed there was the English style fish and chips I had fish and chips there but there where not as good as my local English chippy

it was the best time of my life

On the other hand you have the chance to travel not the country you are in but the other neighbouring countries as well

Well personally if I have a chance like that I will go for it

What ever you do the choice is your best luck

feynmix · Jul 25, 2008

I am at work at the moment, so I don't have a lot of time to spend writing my reply, but I would just like to say that I am thinking about doing the same.

After I graduate with my masters degree next year (and save some money till then), I am going to basically pack up a bag or two, and move to another country (Turkey, here I come!) to live and work for awhile. If I can find a job there with my qualifications, great. If not, well, I haven't figured that part out yet. Regardless, I will be adding more to this thread later, for sure.

Raz · Jul 25, 2008

Originally Posted by feynmix

I am at work at the moment, so I don't have a lot of time to spend writing my reply, but I would just like to say that I am thinking about doing the same.

After I graduate with my masters degree next year (and save some money till then), I am going to basically pack up a bag or two, and move to another country (Turkey, here I come!) to live and work for awhile. If I can find a job there with my qualifications, great. If not, well, I haven't figured that part out yet. Regardless, I will be adding more to this thread later, for sure.

i think Turkey is the next big thing on style forum thses days with that world's coolest city pictures

Raz · Jul 25, 2008

these days sorry spelling mistake

Some help/advice!

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