It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything on AF - must admit, I kinda miss it. I hope you’ve all been keeping well.
I’m thinking about this job that I was offered in Seoul. The pay is average compared to London standards, but given that cost of living probably won’t be as high in Seoul, I’m kinda tempted by the lure of a new cultural experience, and indeed a faster market.
If anyone’s lived there as an expat for a longer period of time then I’ll be grateful if you could share your experience. Please also do message me if you’ve traded Korean markets before - keen to know how you think it compares with European products.
I’ll be interested to hear thoughts on this one. I’ve never lived there or even visited but my uncle lived there for a year about 5 years ago. He thought it was a really ugly city, very racially homogenous and closed off society, his exact words were “like Japan without all the interesting stuff” caveat is that he’s a typical old British guy that’s been an ex pat around the world since what seems like colonial times.
This is a guess but I wouldn’t say the COL would be any better than in London. I imagine rents are quite high.
In my current stage in life I wouldn’t move there. But if I was in my 20’s and single, based on everything I’ve ever heard and encountered I would move there in a heartbeat. But then again I always wanted to be an ex pat.
26, and tbh I’m a bit tired of London - could do with a change really. Can you please elaborate on what you’ve heard about life there? I don’t necessarily have to accept this offer, but part me has always wanted to trade Asian markets, and it seems this isn’t a bad way to break in. I’m told it’s quite easy to move b/w Korea, Japan, HK and China - not sure how true this is.
I was originally gunning for Tokyo, but it seems guys there like to hire locally, which was a bit of a surprise as I’ve always thought of Japanese to be friendly and open minded.
Japanese are extremely insular and I’ve heard as a foreigner you will quickly hit the glass ceiling in any Japanese firm you work for.
Anyhow, I’ve just heard dating is crazy there for Europeans and beyond that it’s just a fast paced major Asian city. What’s not to love? Have you traveled to a major Asian city complete with a tech slant etc, because if not, that might be your first step. For me, I’ve always loved traveling and basically living anywhere that’s not wherever I currently am. The more foreign the better. So for me, this would have been a huge draw in my 20’s.
Only downside would be the fat tail risk associated with being a short hop from the NK border if things ever go bad and Kim Jung goes for broke.