The unemployment rate is high in Korea. Although many study and work hard to get jobs, a lot of doors to work are closed. That is how Job Nomad became prevalent in Korea. Job Nomad is newly coined word in 21st century. It is a term to describe people who are looking for new kinds of jobs. They do not stay in one job, one country, or one type of business. They don’t try to compete for promotion or work their whole life for their company. These people analyze their value and act out for their own goals.

They turn to overseas employment because of the domestic unemployment. It is the reality that less than 10% of youth get jobs even though they graduated from university. Also, Job Nomads say that overseas jobs have better work environment and higher income.

However, Job Nomad is not only popular in Korea. It is very much dispersed in foreign countries such as United States and Canada as well. There are actually many foreign workers in our country. If we walk on the street or study in academy, we can always see foreigners. So, I interviewed one of my foreign teachers about his story.

(This is a picture of Liam teaching in class.)

1.  Why did you come to South Korea?
I came here at the invitation of my cousin Jason to work at his English academy ‘You and I’ in Kwangju. I helped him manage the academy as one of the English teachers.

2.  What did you do in your country before coming here?
I had been working in Edinburgh for the Scottish government. I always had hard time working there because I didn’t know if it fit my aptitude. I always had interest in teaching others but my job before I came here didn’t give me satisfaction.

3.  What are the pros/cons of working in South Korea?
I love my job (it’s intellectually stimulating and pays well), the city of Seoul and Korean culture. These made my work environment better than any other country. However, the only disadvantage of working in Korea is that I’m a world away from my family and native culture. I miss my country, Canada, and my family but other than that, I love working in Korea.

4.  Are you satisfied with your life here?
Yes, I’m happy with the life that I’ve created for myself in South Korea. I feel at ease here. It was, of course, hard to adapt in Korea at the first. But with many hospitable people, I could quickly settle in this country. And right now, I’m very satisfied with my life in Korea.

5.  What requirements did you have to qualify to work at the Herald?
I have earned degrees in philosophy and elementary education from universities in Canada and the USA and have over 12 years of teaching experience.

6.  What is your future plan?
My future plan is to expand my intellectual and spiritual horizons. Staying in Korea let me work on things I’ve wanted to in Canada. I’m so satisfied with my life in Korea right now, and I want to keep on conducting the studies.

(This is also a picture of Liam teaching students in class.)

It was my first time to hear directly from a job nomad about his story. I felt that just going to another country does not make the journey successful. To succeed abroad, one is required to have an accurate and clear goal. If anyone wants to go overseas to work, he or she must have a definite purpose.

Kim Chai-Rin
Grade: Freshmen
Herald Global Pre-University