our story
Sometime about 2 years ago my husband saw an add in the paper and came up with this
crazy notion of teaching English in Japan. We were wanting to embark on our big OE but
couldn't really be arsed saving any money for it. At just 25hrs a week and a super tax
free income Japan sounded like just the place to get started. Why warm up to otherness by
starting in the UK when you can jump right in?! After fucking about and missing several
cut-off dates for various Japanese TESL programs we realised that our lease was up soon and
wasn't going to be renewed. We had to get serious. We looked into other options and came
across South Korea. South Korea had several things going for it that Japan didn't. Free
accommodation. That was a biggie. Low expectations. Another significant factor. The two
most influential factors though were: 'apply now!' and minimal set up costs. Free
accommodation, reimbursed airfare...we wouldn't need any money to get there! The wages
looked pretty amazing, and the tax rate was 6%. We crunched numbers and dreamed. It
looked very good.
The agency told us that it would be difficult to find work. Couples are hard to place, the
schools want Americans and Canadians. My husband shaved his beard and we discussed the
possibility that he might have to cut his (long) hair. Within three months of getting here
the beard was back with no issues whatsoever. Working here I've meet teachers from NZ,
Australia, America, Canada but also England, South Africa Scotland and even a few with
barely comprehensible Irish accents. There are millions of adds in the paper specifically
looking for couples. I don't know what the agency's game was, but they did have us
worried. We got a job offer. One full time (30hr) contract to be shared, rural location,
Christian non-smokers preferred. W1.9 million a month, overtime at W17k per hour. We
crunched numbers again. Half the income, not so good. Isolated, closest city 25mins by
bus. We decided the 'authentique' experience was worth more than the money and took it. I
enrolled part time in Uni to do honours extra-murally.
Isolated really is the word. The nearest city, a city of 150-odd thousand people, is bit
of a hick town by Korean standards. Daesan, the 'town' we 'live' in is a bit like Patea,
New Zealand - a collection of drinking establishments with a few houses and a dairy thrown
in for good measure. Our apartment block isn't actually in Daesan, it's on the outskirts
surrounded by rice paddies. It's a pretty crazy life here, but is has become our life and
this is our second contract now. Despite the unsatisfactory financial situation (part time
hours=part time wages...) there were gains to be made from staying at our current school,
not least of which being that I will finish my honours degree this year. There have been
rough times but we've also had some awesome times and experiences. No regrets. The dreams
of money have shifted. The overtime did not meet expectations, the exchange rate fell and
we made the mistake of buying a car. Huge expense. We couldn't live without it out here,
but we really can't afford. The insurance is compulsory and prohibitively expensive. Come
the end of this contract we still won't be in a position to take on the rest of the world.
Instead we will probably head to Seoul and effectively cash in on our two years experience.
A couple of full time jobs in good institutions with decent holiday allotments and we'll be
sitting pretty. Hopefully.
Seoul also offers the opportunity to experience a different side of Korea. On the one hand
Seoul is much more familiar in a big city sense - you can get steak and many other familiar
goods that we feel deprived of out here, there are lots of foreigners, lots of products and
services aimed at foreigners. On the other hand Seoul is actually more forthcoming in a
cultural sense. Festivals, traditional performances, museums, general reification of
traditional life. But also modern life constantly in motion and available. Out here there
is no-one between the age of 14 and 40 - they're all off at big schools in big cities.
Seosan is better off, but generally it is surprisingly difficult to actually meet Koreans
out here. Mothers, children, businessmen and ancient farm grandmas. We're freaks and/or
celebrities and friendships are few and far between. We're very much excluded from
everyday life. In Seoul you can kind-of muck in - meet people, find out what they have to
say, swap experiences with locals rather than comparing notes with other foreigners. Yes
folks, Seoul is the promised land. I'm counting the days...
back
home
...liminil
