Living in Asia

Cure: Sth Korea

If you are living South Korea, then consider that there are two-sides of the same coin.

Travelling and seeing all the sights gets your mind off of your problems. See the country while you can, otherwise you'll regret it for the rest of your life. Get a camera and get into recording the country through your eyes. Korea is a great place with lots of images that are so different to your home country, so record them.

You might have genuine work place problems. You know that you are in a bad situation if some of the following are met:

1. You are the only foreigner, and they keep asking you to please stay (parents and students included) This is a sign that other foreigners have stayed for two months or less

2. They don't even try to apply for a teacher’s visa for you, and so you are working illegally, because they assume that you won't be staying for long

3. You hear that the boss hasn't paid some or most of the foreigners, staff or other teachers that were employed in the last twelve months

4. Gangsters follow you home and demand money from your boss

5. The staff keeps asking you specifically, "What do you think of the boss?"

6. They keep your plane ticket home locked in a safe indefinitely, or don't reimburse you for your flight to Korea

7. There is no contract, or the boss regards the contract as merely a formality

8. The boss puts you up in his apartment with his family (He or she can't afford an apartment for you)

9. You have to share a bedroom with other teachers

10. It is a new school, the boss (business manager) has never worked with foreigners before, and so they have no experience in employing foreigners (or limited and bad experiences)

11. They say that they (and parents) don't expect too much from you, and so you have to resort to singing and dancing in front of kids, and you have a PhD

12. Not only do you NOT get any teacher training, but also they don't tell you what or how to do things in the classroom

13. You're told that the last few foreigners have recently taken a midnight flight and skipped the country

14. Your embassy tells you not to get employment in this country, and you ignore them

What to do: Either: Put up! Get out! Go home! or Go to Taiwan!

 Alternatively, grit your teeth, read up on how to teach better (see these pages), and become indispensable so they'll take good care of you. It's only fair, if you you put in the effort, then they will... doesn't that sound like karma?

Prozac, a popular anti-depressant, is available in the country, and you can ask for it, saying that it helps you control your migraines (and it actually does, and especially since their understanding of mental health is not sufficient to help us). Do consider getting a prescription for it for a while, just to help you through.

Prevention for Sth Korea: Don't go through a recruiting agency (they can easily be bribed by other competing employers who desperately want a foreigner). Check out the potential employer for yourself, ensuring that they have had years of experience. Avoid Korean owned establishments, and only work for foreign owned and run establishments.

Talk about it here...