Teaching English in Korea or Japan. Who has the better life abroad?
UPDATE!!!
So after posting to some expat groups and hearing more feedback, I wanted to share the feedback that was given.
- One commenter reported that, “japanese hospitals will literally kidnap you, and keep you for observation just to milk more out of the insurance companies.” and finds the medical care in Japan terrible.
- Another commenter wrote that the amount of Koreaboos in Korea is now staggering, so it’s not really a fair comparison when it comes to the anime manga kids. (This is true, I agree)
- The majority of expats in Korea are American (teachers or military), but there are people from all over the world in Japan. There’s more opportunity and life is much more peaceful.
- Korea is cheap and fun to party there, but for the long haul japan is better for advancement. There is 0% chance to advance or move into different roles in Korea.
I spoke to an anonymous source of what its like living abroad as an American in terms of work culture. Out of Korea and Japan, who has the best expat life? Our source says Korea has much more lively expats compared to Japan, which they call “D” list personalities. (Unfortunately I probably fall into the D list personality with my love for Sailor Moon) For those expats in Japan, is it true you guys have wellness checks?
Name: you know who it is
Where are you from? Memphis
Where did you first move to abroad? Korea
How was the work culture in Korea compared to the United States? I don’t think I can make a comparison because I only worked at one place in Korea. If I had to say anything, working in the US was a less of a inconvenience.
Were there any surprises in Korea that you were unaware of? Surprised at how incompetent medical professionals were.
How hard was it to find a job? I sent 100 emails and only for 4 responses and one job offer.
What was your funniest teaching moment? A 3 year old pooped in class so the room was smelly. The kids were talking about how smelly the room was afterwards. One kid came up to me and said “poop is smelly” while squeezing his nose a few times and the last time he waddled over to me to say “(the assistant Japanese teacher’s name) is sm..” but she entered the room and his eyes for big and he quickly waddled away. It caught me off guard cuz he’s never said anything mean before but his reaction to almost getting caught was hilarious.
Moving from Korea to Japan, what were the differences in terms of work culture? I don’t want to get into this cuz it puts me in a bad mood.
How do you feel about the teaching style in Japan? I’m wasting my time. The non English speaking Japanese staff has so much pride that they think they know better than native English speakers and actual teachers.
How does it compare to Korea? Korea puts in more hours to teaching English so you can actually see results. In Japan, kids get an average of about 4 hours a month of English if they only study English at an English school
What do you feel could be better in Japan in terms of English learning? Japan doesn’t put a lot focus on book curriculum but they also do put any focus in literacy so the English still lacks behind.
Just to clarify, what do you mean by book curriculum? Lessons directly from a student workbook. Private English schools don’t always use books. If they do they are thin. My school in Korea used to have kids complete 3-5 books for semester for English
What are the professional backgrounds of many school owners you’ve encountered? They are just trying to make money. None of them know about education.
How much do the English academies cost parents monthly? I don’t know
How are students grasping the English language? By a string
What do you feel could be better in terms of implementing the English language in classrooms abroad? Use standards that are developmentally appropriate for the child rather than advanced language, skills, and topics that are way above their levels to retain.
Why are so many people shelling out tons of money to learn English? Same reason why our parents pushed us to learn Spanish, they think they’ll get ahead in life if they know it. However, depending on what they do as an adult, that is more likely to happen for them in Korea since the entrance into certain jobs requires English skill, even if they don’t use it.
Compared to Korea vs Japan expats, who has the better life abroad? Korea. There are a lot of type D personalities attracted to Japan. Lots of people with mental issues, social issues also. I’ve never seen so many depressed and complacent people who are clearly being taken advantage of and mistreated in my life. Between the two countries, Japan is also the only place I’ve seen people have to do wellness checks on foreign people because they are a suicide risk. Here is also the only place where I’ve heard multiple cases of people in my Facebook groups who have actually done it. Korean expats are much more lively.
Why do you think Japan attracts a lot of ‘D’ type personalities? Most of those people were considered outcasts growing up. Those people also grew up on anime and other Japanese entertainment. So its likely that they’d escape and come to Japan when they got older.
Moving abroad it didn’t take any courage. I said I wanted to go so I did it. I was not concerned that the flight was going to be long as hell cuz I don’t like traveling.
This Interview is only half-finished, but decided to post it anyways.
As my source had mentioned in an earlier question, “It puts them in a bad mood”-referencing their move from Korea to Japan. I have ongoing questions such as incompetent medical professionals to the difference in teaching hours of Japan vs Korea. How does the local staff in Korea compare to the staff in Japan? Do you feel focusing on one book per month or many books is better in terms of English Language instruction? As I garner more interviews, Ill be able to fill up these questions. Email me at Travelsofthepeople@gmail.com to arrange an interview.
