h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Help!! I just found out that I got a job in Korea as a camp counsellor over christmas, which normally I'd be estatic about (well, I still am, just confused at the same time ). The thing is, I've just got a job in a shop that sells the /best/ clothes, where I'd get a fantastic discount and lotsa pay.

So...
Do I go to Korea for four weeks (Dec 16 - Jan 19), where I'd be teaching English to kids (something I'd LOVE to do), get all airfares, food, accomodation, skiing etc paid for, some free time on Sat night/Sunday, and get paid AU$450....but miss out on xmas/new year with friends and family...

OR

Do I work in the shop from now until Jan 19 (Christmas casual work only ), where I get good discounts on great clothes and shoes, sales experience, and lotsa cash so that I can travel properly middway through the year???

HELP!!

ANY opinions are good ones - I need to make decisions and I'm REALLY really bad at that!!

Well, if it was me, I'd go for the travel every time. But last time I got the chance I ended up stuck in the middle of the Arabian desert with nothing to do but watch football on the TV.
Things to think about are;
a) Is the money important, or will you be happy with less in Korea?
b) Do you want to spend Christmas away from your family?
c) Will you actually get to see much of Korea, or will you be cooped up inside?
If you can get an answer to these, that might help your decision. But, as I say, I'd always take the travel, you can always have a big dinner with the family when you come back to make up for Christmas

Munchkin, jealous you even have the option.

Go to Korea. I'm certain that's right. I just think it's far less likely that you'll be in Korea dreaming about owning clothes than the other way round...

I agree! In years to come when looking back on your life, you won't even have any of those clothes left! But this trip to Korea has the potential for being something wonderful, and trust me, you'll always wonder "What If?" if you don't go. There are always jobs at cool shops, but opportunities like this are very rare indeed. I envy you.

Yeah...I know...Korea sounds pretty tempting, and I DEFINATELY want to travel...the only bad thing with Korea is less money for when I go to Europe halfway through the year, which'll mean that I'll have to find a job over there for longer...but I can handle that!

Go for it. I think you'll be sorry if you don't, actually! Find out more about Korea - what there is to do there, what languages are spoken, etc. before you make up your mind for good.

This will give you incentive to get a good job in Europe, and I've always thought that if you really want to get to know the culture, get a job in the service industry.

Good luck! Wish I could go to Korea... but I'm glad you've got the opportunity!

I'd suggest Korea too.
Maybe cash for Europe will be a bit tighter than you'd like, but it seems to me that a chance like that is too good to turn down (IF, of course, you want to do it - and you obviously do).

I think Smiley Ben's right - you're less likely to dream about clothes. :D

Yeah, I know...I actually think I've got a solution - work in the shop until the end of November to get some extra cash, and then say "look, I'm really sorry, but I'm going to Korea"...I just hope they don't get too nasty about it!!

Maaaate,

What a splendid dilemma to have....

A few thoughts;
1. How will either choice help where you want to be in a couple of years from now?
2. What will you look back on in 5 years and have fonder memories of?
3. Helping to broaden the horizons of some kids (and broaden yours in the process) can be really worthwhile.
4. Is the shop Saba? (if so could you get me some stuff....)
5. How does your family feel about missing you at Chrissie and how do you feel about this?
6. What does your heart say and why?
7. What does your head say and why?

I hope that this helps and if you're are still stuck give me a yell back. I help business people make decisions for a living.

Happy Trails

F-Reek
(Cafram's bond servant)

you have the bst idea cafram do it that way, and any way who cares if the shop gets nasty they couldent expect you to A)do that job forever B) pass up a chance like that.

1. Where I want to be in a couple of years from now? Hmmm...well...at the moment all I want to do is travel, so whether getting more money to start off with is a good thing or not is beyond me...experience teaching English could be a GOOD thing.
2. Korea
3. I know...
4. lol, no, Colorado
5. I missed chrissie once before, when I was in Belgium on exchange, and I was more weird about it than them....I was only 15 though and hopefully I'm over that sentimental crap by now
6. I don't know...leaning towards Korea...
7. Half and half



...bond servant, eh?!

Find out a LOT more about that Korean job before you comit. I have been teaching English as a foreign language since I was your age and it's (mostly) been fantastic, but many Korean language schools do not have a good reputation in the profession. Why is this place looking for untrained teachers? and for such a short period?
I'd do it the other way. Make as much money as possible and buy as many clothes as possible (preferably classics) Go travelling in as far as possible in the next bit of the year.Then do a short Certificate course in teaching EFL. Better choice of jobs and easier teaching when you have some of the tricks of the trade up your sleeve

Phew - thanks for the opposing opinion - it's good to hear the other side

The Korean job is a winter camp, for something called SLP...they have a web site, but it's all in Korean, so I have no idea what it's about! They provide the lesson plans for the 25 (or so) Australian, Canadian, and US counsellors, and all we have to do is teach. They're only hiring uni students, because that means we can get a special sort of visa.

I know it sounds pretty suss, tho the person I've been dealing with (via email, which is a bit weird...) seems nice enough...

Now I'm confused again!!

GO FOR IT


NOW

RIGHT AWAY

WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

ARE YOU STILL HERE?

Stay where you are. Work selling the clothes the Koreans will make in the sweatshops. You are higher on the foodchain of Capitalism and that is a good thing (or so you've been told)

ye-essss....

Sorry Cafram, I am just going to confuse you more.

Pro-Korean Advice:

Go for it - that way you get to see Korea AND Europe.

I have never regretted travelling, I have regretted NOT travelling.

In 5 years time, you won't have any of the clothes anyway.

You are far more likely to meet new people and make special friends in Korea.

Its an adventure.



Anti-Korea Advice:

My ex went to Korea, having spent 5 years working in Western and Eastern Europe and the Baltics, and he was seriously freaked by the place and found it very very alien. Admittedly he was working for a business which had been part of the Korean military a few years before, so it was still very government/military in its attitude. There were several reasons why he came back after less than a week, but the culture shock was one of them.

I have a friend who trained as a TFL teacher and went to Turkey to teach for 6 months. Her employers did not register her properly and she ended up being deported. At one time she spent a night in a cell in a deportation centre with 8 Russian prostitutes!



My advice?

Go. But be aware that you'll be a long way from home in every respect. So ask the organisers to put you in touch with other westerners who will be working there before you leave. Do the research. Check it out. But my advice is still to go to Korea.

All the best

a girl called Ben

Wow, thanks Ben, that's really useful advice.

Yeah, the clothes thing was just me being silly, I don't care about them, more about the amount of money I'd make working there.

At the mo, I'm definately leaning towards Korea, although I'm still planning to do at least a month in this shop, just for some extra cash and experience.

A friend's dad is a pilot, and he lives in Korea half the time - I'm going to have a big long chat to him about what it's like over there...I figure if I'm there with 25 other Aussies/Canadians/Americans, at least if we get culture shock we're all in it together...

Thanks - anything anyone can add to this is only a good thing

Bond Servant Indeed!!

I'll never forget the ERM... and the fact that when you had the chance you didn't point and laugh. I'm truly indebted.

My final advice is, that even thought the shop is Colorado......
You should still be able to get me some stuff from Saba...
KIDDING!!

Definitely information is the key. Find out as much as possible about Korea from your mate's dad, and see how much about the organisation you'll be working for from the government or wherever. If you need a hand give me a yell.

And remember always, like Jerry Springer says, be good to yourselves and each other.

F-Reek out..