I searched Daves ESL Cafe to find teaching jobs when I first decided that I wanted to teach in South Korea. I still visit the forums there. I use the site now, mainly to read the teacher banter. Now that I’m teaching in South Korea, I can see that a lot of the discussions about South Korea are jaded. Visitors are always complaining about South Korea. They don’t like the culture in Korea. They say that the people are rude, and on and on. People are always in trouble in Daves ESL Cafe. They didn’t get paid by their school or they are having trouble with their visa, or the school’s owner is not adhering to the contract. People go there to vent. They rarely post, saying that they love their jobs.

Today I wasted time by reading a discussion from someone in his 20s complaining about people over 30 who were wasting time by coming to South Korea, because anyone over 30 is too old to travel the world, teaching, experiencing a different culture, and earning a living. Yes. There are trolls or crazy people on Daves ESL Cafe, but it’s still a good site.

Dave’s ESL Cafe Will Scare You
The discussions there will scare anyone into not coming to South Korea. I wanted to come to Korea ten years ago. Well, I thought about Korea or Japan. I didn’t because I thought that racism was so bad that I would be spat on or physically attached, have no friends, and have strangers screaming obscenities at me whenever I went out. It’s nothing like that here at all, but I got that idea from reading the discussions on Dave’s site. My own imagination contributed, too.

I have also read that it’s difficult for black people to find a job in South Korea. You do have to submit your photo to apply for teaching jobs. In my opinion it may be easier for Caucasian people to get private school jobs, but I don’t think that it’s difficult for black people to find a job here, overall. I think that black people will get offers from private schools, but maybe not as many as Caucasian applicants. It’s similar to the U.S., but I don’t know to what extent. I am just giving my impression here. I had no problem at all getting a public school job. I simply submitted my application to the recruiter. I had an interview. Within a few days, I had an offer. There appear to be a lot of jobs here.

Daves ESL Cafe and the Quality of Life in Korea
People are usually dissing the quality of life in Korea on Daves ESL Cafe. I feel that life is good here. Life is easy. There’s plenty to do. I have Korean friends and friends that I met through EPIK. I get the correct change back when I go out shopping in the market. If I drop something, a Korean person will hand it to me. If I am lost, and an English-speaking Korean person sees me in conflict he or she will try to help. I can walk around at night and feel safe. My students see me in the street and yell out my name, and wave. It isn’t easy being a foreigner, but my life isn’t bad here.

For Teacher Resources
So, the Cafe has a lot of fed up people. Teaching overseas is not for everyone. If you are a person who cannot easily adapt or go with the flow, you will have a tough time here. You don’t have to agree to or accept poor treatment here, but there are some cultural differences that seem strange. Those things are not going to change, and I know that I am just a visitor here. The cafe is a good place to ask questions, research jobs, and get teaching ideas. Understand that coming to a new country is risky, but South Korea is doable.

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