South Korea

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Nitsude_sl

shitlord
93
0
Planning to teach English in South Korea for a year starting this fall. Seoul most likely. Any life hacks anyone would like to share?
 

Kaosu

Bronze Knight of the Realm
232
2
I'd recommend branching off, when you've established some roots, and finding executives to teach English to. The pay is way better than your average teaching to students bit. Learn to like soju. People there can tend to be 'conservative' in nature. While openly friendly, can be flaky to rely on them if you don't know them very well. Its also not necessarily a cheap place, so if you pick up a local girl prepare to spend. Its been a few years, but also the police aren't reliable for nearly anything. This might have changed since my time there, but I'd be careful on relying on them.

Other ideas may include some sort of gift for your employer, like a western alcohol or spirit, making sure you got the full range of clothing for all seasons, converters for your electrical gadgets (220v is the standard there), get some good shoes before going to korea (I have size 13, lol goodluck finding anything over there). Prepare for lots of noraebang (or karaoke). Jesus. Asians and their karaoke.
 

Soljourn

Lord Nagafen Raider
64
18
Get business cards, everyone has business cards there, and will expect to exchange them with you when you meet them.
 

Izo

Tranny Chaser
18,349
20,961
rrr_img_57940.jpg
 

Lejina

(╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻
<Bronze Donator>
4,451
11,248
Learn Korean? How's there Engrish there?
It's actually pretty bad.
Educated people have some basic English, but lack of practice and being generally shy people means they are unlikely to even try it in your presence.
The few who have some decent English are usually eager to use it, since they can rarely practice. But yeah, tough to find a local to strike up a conversation with.

Korea as a whole also see very few foreign tourists, so even in what would qualify as touristic places, you're unlikely to get much service in English.

Granted as an English teacher he will get to meet that small percentage of the population who actually wants to talk in English, but outside of that circle it's a rough ride.
 

Dabamf_sl

shitlord
1,472
0
Go there prepared to realize that your entire belief system, values, identity, etc are all completely arbitrary. After one to several years, you will realize which ones are and are not, but you can only realize that when you're prepared to let go of everything.

That was the best thing I got out of my time there (that and cat food stained sheets) and that's the most important advice I'd give anyone living in a different culture.

Also don't be a typical foreigner who hangs out with white people in Itaewon or, for the "adventurous", hongdae. Put all your social energy into making friends of Korean people, not white people. Those friends can and will come later.

In addition, the "this doesn't make any sense / what the fuck is wrong with everyone here / etc" thoughts that will inevitably come are signs that you can learn something by removing your assumptions about how life should be or how things should be done. If you leave and all the things that seemed crazy or illogical or wrong still seem that way, you missed a big opportunity to open your mind.

Lastly, your job will screw you over. In money, work hours, whatever the method, you will be screwed somehow by the end. Just prepare now for this inevitability. If it doesn't happen, you are the 1%.

Wow that got super gay super fast. But seriously
 

McCheese

SW: Sean, CW: Crone, GW: Wizardhawk
6,882
4,236
Are you using English teaching as a means to finance traveling or are you hoping to pursue it as a career?
 

Harfle

Lord Nagafen Raider
1,055
69
Booking is an easy way to pick up all the Korean girls that like white guys lol. Most of the girls are ugly as fuck but after a few rounds of surgery they are better. If you need some PS you can get a lot at buy one get one half off.
 

Regime

LOADING, PLEASE WAIT...
<Aristocrat╭ರ_•́>
16,349
37,560
Booking is an easy way to pick up all the Korean girls that like white guys lol. Most of the girls are ugly as fuck but after a few rounds of surgery they are better.
gee gee gee baby baby
 

Nitsude_sl

shitlord
93
0
Are you using English teaching as a means to finance traveling or are you hoping to pursue it as a career?
I'm not looking to make a career out of it. I've got some time before graduate school, and this is something I'd like to do that I probably can't do later.

Thank you for the responses so far. I agree with a lot that has been said, and appreciate the advice.
 

Ichu

Molten Core Raider
845
278
She looks like the scene in Army of Darkness where Ash's chin gets stretched out by the fake Necronomicon.
 
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Lejina

(╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻
<Bronze Donator>
4,451
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Small chin and big eyes rank pretty high in attractiveness for Koreans. She basically walked to the surgeon and told him to dial that shit to 11.