After a stressful two weeks of interviews with schools in South Korea and difficulty deciding between Japan and South Korea, I made a final decision. Three days ago, I accepted a position in South Korea. In addition to fearlessness and having a clear mind, I am excited about this upcoming adventure. I will teach English in South Korea in four weeks.

This is a three-part series, and this post is Part Three.

Part One: When the Universe Reached my Seoul…

Part Two: Patience is the Key to Prepare for Overseas Jobs

It is Either Now or Never

My goal date for departing the U.S. was originally late March or early April, which is when the school year starts in Japan. However, when I applied for jobs in South Korea, I discovered that the school year starts in March. I gave my goal date to recruiters for South Korea, and they indirectly stated that positions are scarce after March. It was one recruiter in particular that convinced me during an interview that I should move up my goal date. Although I was hesitant, I gave March as my availability date.

After I updated my availability with the other recruiters, I saw the interview requests come in. The interview requests really started rolling in when I submitted a self-intro video to the recruiters. I’ll explain more in an upcoming Youtube video that will detail how to get an English-teaching job in South Korea.

The reason why I did not want to move up my availability date was to pay down on certain debts, including my car loan, and save up money to survive on until my first paycheck. However, it turns out that all of those extra hours of overtime are not necessary for moving to South Korea.

Why Teach English in South Korea and not Japan?

My decision has absolutely nothing to do with Japan as a country. It is because of the lack of opportunities and benefits for first-time ESL teachers like myself. Well, I taught with VIPKid for one year, but no one cares if it’s not classroom experience.

Salary

People recommend not taking any job in Japan that pays less than 250,000 yen, which is roughly $2,500. That seems like a lot. However, because of deductions, the general starting salary is not feasible for someone with student loans like myself. In Japan, you have to pay for rent, health insurance, and government taxes. Depending on the cost of rent, the remainder of the paycheck can be roughly $700. That’s one reason why I’m glad that the fellowship didn’t work out. See Parts 1 and 2 mentioned above for the story.

South Korea, on the other hand, offers extraordinary benefits! Schools pay for your airfare, rent, and 50% of health insurance. They also offer a severance package (or one month’s salary) after the completion of one year! I watched several Youtube videos, including this video by Melody Alisa, that assured me that I will not struggle financially in South Korea. She and I have one common goal, and that is to get rid of Sallie Mae once and for all. 😅 Teachers like Melody are able to keep $1,500+ of disposable income every month. When Constance stated that she no longer lives paycheck-to-paycheck like she did in America, I was sold on South Korea.

Security

I almost went back to Japan. I received a sweet job offer to teach English in South Korea — a job offer declared to be impossible for first-time ESL teachers. My best friend convinced me to sign the contract and submit it to the recruiter. Literally a moment after I scanned the signed contract to send to my recruiter, I received an email from the JET Program. They invited me for an interview!

At first, I took it as a sign that Japan was in my future after all. I temporarily decided to place my job hunts for South Korea on hold and wait to receive results from JET in April. However, that would mean waiting for the next school year or working with EPIK in South Korea. I was okay with doing that.

JET’s salary is extraordinarily better than other English-teaching jobs in Japan, especially for U.S. citizens. U.S. citizens don’t pay taxes the first two years apparently.

Later, I researched more on JET that made me reconsider that momentary decision. I learned more about JET’s slogan: Every Situation is Different (ESID). It was stories like Kelly Morita’s that made me reconsider turning down a desirable position in South Korea for a surprise situation in Japan that may not be pleasant for me.

The truth is that I have security in South Korea. I know where I’m living. It’s near Seoul! 😲 I know the school and what grade I will teach. I know that I will have a fully furnished apartment provided by the school. My apartment will be walking distance to the hagwon. With JET, I won’t know anything until the last moment. I was under the impression that I’d know my placement when the results come out in April. However, I found out from a former JET participant that since positions start in September this year, I won’t find out my placement until 2-3 weeks before departure. I understand that JET can be a good, life-changing opportunity, but I am not happy with ESID.

Happiness Above All Else

Stress overwhelmed me that day, especially after the recruiter wanted me to make a decision about the hagwon within a few hours. I narrowed everything down by asking myself, “Where would I be the happiest: South Korea or Japan?” After evaluating both situations with the hagwon and JET, I determined that South Korea was the best fit.

I am a very outgoing person, who enjoys exploring the nightlife and cities. I like going out to meet people. If I’m able to practice my language skills to accomplish that, that would be more than satisfactory. I know it is likely that South Korea will be just as lonely as people claim Japan to be. I am also familiar with the cons, as I mentioned in Part 1 referenced above. However, a Korean woman mentioned something to me during our hour-long conversation two weeks ago. She called me a beautiful black woman with a nice Southern accent. Therefore, I need to take advantage of that in South Korea. YES! That was so inspirational to me and made me even more excited to teach English in South Korea!

Aside from that, life for Daycia was easier in South Korea than Japan as a black woman. Everyone’s experience is different, but I enjoyed her video.

Conclusion

I am not giving up on Japan. I still see it in my future — maybe in the next 2-3 years. My goal right now is to pay off a great amount of debt while in South Korea. Based on the conversations I had with Korean people on HelloTalk and people on Brothas&Sistas of South Korea, there is a chance I may fall in love with South Korea and not want to leave. The Youtube videos highlighting life in South Korea are appealing, too.

For the next four weeks, I will pack and do everything necessary in America prior to departure. You probably won’t hear from me until I settle in South Korea, which will be about a month from now.

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