- I moved from the US to South Korea to teach English and escape my poor financial situation.
- I loved Korea and found my money went further there than it did in many places I'd lived in the US.
- I went back to the US for a year, hated it, and returned to Asia, where I hope to stay.
When I graduated from college in May 2009, I left with a bachelor's degree in psychology, a spring in my step, and $60,000 in student loans.
Making the first few loan payments didn't hurt much. At the time, I was living in southwest Missouri, where I paid just $200 for my portion of the rent in a shared apartment.
But my low living expenses weren't exciting enough to keep me in the Ozarks. I was bored and knew I'd only be young once, so I quit my $12-an-hour job and moved to the Denver area to be with friends.
Moving to an area with a higher cost of living meant money got tight fast.
I was paying over $700 in rent, $100 to my parents for a car payment, $50 for insurance, and a whopping $610 in student loans to three separate companies each month — all on a salary of about $30,000 a year.
I took a sales job a year later that sent me to Portland, Oregon, where my living expenses skyrocketed even more. I split costs with roommates but had to put some of my loans into forbearance.
It was a short-term reprieve since my payments were paused, but my loans were still accruing interest. I was living paycheck to paycheck, racking up credit-card debt, and drowning in the depressive mist of the Pacific Northwest.
Then, as if by magic, I saw Facebook posts from an acquaintance who'd recently returned from teaching English in South Korea for a year.
I decided I wanted to try the same — even if only to escape my current circumstances.
Moving to South Korea gave me a disposable income, and I loved my life there
After a bit of research, I realized I could teach English abroad with just my college degree, without additional special certifications or licensure.
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After applications and interviews, an academy in Daegu, South Korea's fourth-largest city, offered me a job. I accepted without hesitation.
By February 2013, I'd gotten my visa and left the US to start what I thought would be one year abroad.
I fell in love with my teaching job. For the first time since leaving Missouri, I had more money than I needed to get by — even though I was technically making a little less an hour than I'd been making in the US when I left.
My employer paid for my housing, and getting around was no problem since public transit was accessible and incredibly affordable in South Korea. I especially loved the bus system, where rides often cost me less than $1.
I was also able to travel — Seoul was a short, cheap bus or train ride away, and I could fly to Jeju Island for a nice escape at a decent price, depending on the time of year.
I had to send money home every month to cover my loan payments and pay down credit-card debt, but I still managed to have a great time.
I stayed in South Korea for years — but my return to the US wasn't what I'd hoped
I enjoyed living in Korea so much that I extended my initial one-year teaching contract three times.
But after a few years at the same academy with the same material, I was ready to tap out. I'd started freelance writing on the side and wanted to pursue it full time.
I quit teaching in 2017 and moved to the Dallas area to live with my best friend from college and start my own business.
But it turned out that the US was even more expensive than it had been when I'd left just a few years before.
I didn't have a car, so I had to rely on my friend or ride-hailing services. I also still had a ton of debt, so I was doing everything I could to keep my head above water.
On top of that, I had no idea how to run a freelance business, so I panicked and took the first full-time job I could get doing content strategy and writing for an agency.
I hated my job, felt more isolated than ever, and once again found myself trying to live on a shoestring budget.
When Korea called again, I happily answered
Almost a year to the day that I left Korea, I got an email from my previous school asking if I'd consider returning. At first, I laughed.
Taking a job I'd already had in a place I'd already lived felt like a massive step backward. But I hated being back in the US, and I'd loved my life in Korea.
I was the happiest I'd ever been in Korea, and I was a lot more financially comfortable. Even with my paid-for rent aside, my money went much further in the country — especially when it came to getting around or dining out.
I headed back to South Korea with a new work visa within six months of receiving that email. Landing at Incheon International Airport felt like coming home.
It's been six years since my return, and I feel my teaching clock winding down again. I'm ready to start a new career path and, as of late 2020, I've paid off my debts.
I still have no interest in returning to the US anytime soon. I may leave South Korea sometime next year, but I'd definitely like to stay in Asia.
My cost of living on this side of the world, the friends I've made, and the access I have to travel are worth more to me than I can express.