No, Korea as a country has its ups and downs, but it's largely pretty awesome. It's not quite as wealthy or advanced as Japan, but you don't have to deal with that perverted uguu shit.
The state of English education as a whole is kind of a joke. But it pays well when you factor in everything you get, and as long as you do your best to help the kids actually learn something, it's not bad at all.
I'd agree. That said, Korea is a really unique country. It's not the neon, year 3000 place that Japan is, nor does it have the militarism and economy of China. Korea "grew up" really fast. 50 years ago these people were living in poverty. 30 years ago they were still a broke, fledgling democracy that was led by a zany dictatorial president. Then they struck a devil's bargin with industry and got really fucking rich really fast. You still see it here- Entire cities literally spring up out of the ground. You think particle board sub divisions are bad in the US? Imagine an entire city popping up over the course of a year. I had a friend who lived in one of these new cities and they're built and finished before anyone moves in. It was creepy- Empty parks, empty streets, shops that were open but had no customers. Buses that rode to and fro with no passengers. Weird stuff and it keeps happening. The "miracle" of the South Korean economy is supported by pointless public works projects- They keep extending the subway to pointless locations, they build huge parks in places no one goes. Unemployment is ridiculous, but the government hides it by hiring enormous numbers of workers part time. But I'm getting off point.
Someone said to me that a lot of Koreans are still figuring out where they are. They went from being the "Hermit Nation" to being a fully globalized, modernized, industrialized nation in about 20 or 25 years. Older Koreans don't really know where they fit in and younger Koreans aren't quite old enough to take the cultural reins. It's just a weird place that has a very uneasy relationship with all the trappings of being a "global" nation. It's still incredibly cloistered- They have their own very productive movie, music and games industries. They have their own TV shows and dramas. They don't "need" the rest of the world. They are the most prideful people you'll ever meet. It's all kind of hard to explain unless you're here and you watch it play out.
That said- The job is still pretty good. I make 3,000 won a month (2.1 in pay, 400 housing stipend, 500 in overtime) which is around 2.6/2.7k depending on the exchange. It's a hell of a lot more than I ever made in New York. I don't pay any rent. Taxes are way lower AND I get healthcare. Plus, 21 days of vaycay. And if I re-up my contract I get 2.1k bonus, round-trip tickets anywhere in the world and an extra 2 weeks of vaycay. Also, school isn't in session for about 4 months of the year, plus holidays etc.
Is it stressful? Fuck yeah. Things happen here that would be like front page news anywhere else (i.e. NOT HAVING TEXTBOOKS FOR YOUR 3RD GRADERS or HIRING ENGLISH TEACHERS WHO DONT SPEAK ANY ENGLISH), but you just roll with it. A lot of frusturation comes from wanting to do a good job and just not being able to. It's also a lot of after-hours work: Making Powerpoints, making worksheets, cutting things out, designing signage etc etc. But for the pay and the experience, I think it's worth it. There are ten million things to bitch about here because so many of them come from way-out-left field, but anyone who tells you it isn't a sweet deal is a liar. It's your ability to roll with it, to grapple with the strangeness and take a deep breath that will determine how happy you are.
Besides, what else are you gonna do? Keep working at Gamestop? Plug away at your 9-5? I got to sleep in a 500 year old Buddhist Temple and meditate at dawn with monks last week. I eat weird, new food everyday. I get to live in a city some people only ever see on a map. No matter how much I complain, it's always worth it. Always.
(But yeah, Korea can be a little gay.)
