Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Skarp]

A question that may have an old thread - if so apologies

I am about to arrive in Seoul to start looking for a job in an institute teaching adults.

I've got a bit of money scraped together and will be staying in a cheap place (goshiwon or yogwon) for the first few weeks/months...

Which is the best bit of Seoul to be in?

Should I be near to Itaewon so that more locals will speak English and to reduce the freak factor?

Or is there another area of town people would recommend?


Any advice appreciated

Skarp

[Gord]

[Skarp]

Still looking for advice about which bit of Seoul it's best to stay in while looking for a job.


I don't need advice about getting a job - that is covered elsewhere.


Skarp

[qwunk89]

Try to find a hasukchip(boarding house), one-room tel (self-explanatory), or goshiwon (very small, one room usually for students). I'd recommend a boarding house, but I'm not sure if you can just rent it out for only a month. There's lots of them in the Shinchon - Hong-dae area; around 400,000 per month is about the average. If you can't speak some korean, find a korean friend to help you. You can also use the internet if you have a korean friend that can help.

[Skarp]

Thanks for the info...


Specifically I'm looking for advice about which district to be in. Is it much better to be in Itaewon, or will I manage OK in an different area?

I have a Korean friend who can make bookings etc.

I'm not into nightlife and such like. I hardly drink.

I'm not sure how I'll spend my time before I start working, which given how fussy I am might be a month or two. It'd be nice to do some tourist stuff. Start soome Korean classes. Find my way around. Get an exercise routine in place....

Thanks for any suggestions

Skarp

[peppermint]

If you are looking for an area close to possible work locations then Gangnam might be good. Lots of adult hogwons in the neighborhood (Gord is not always the expert he pretends to be), but I'd imagine cheap accomodations would be hard to find.

As much as I hate the area, Itaewon is probably a good place for you to stay. It's convenient within Seoul, lots of Western conveniences around (bookstores and western groceries, etc) and it might be a gentle way to ease into living in Korea, especially if you stay out of the bars.

good luck

[The Bobster]

To answer your question, I'd suggest staying in an area thatis likely to be close to where your potential interviews are likely to be, and I'd suspect the areas would likely be either Gangnam or more centrally downtown, like the Chungno area. Easy access to the subway lines, all that.

Best of luck to you.

[Tiger Beer]

If you want to teach adults, then its pointless to come over here and look for those jobs. They can easily be found at Pagoda, YBM and a few others. I worked at two different adult hogwans for two years. They are here. However, I'd suggest just applying to them now online. Once they hire you, they'll process the paperwork and you can come over and live in their housing. It'll save alot of time on your part, and you won't have to look for temporary housing. The best place to start to look is the Korean Job Board on this website. Just do a search for 'adults' to locate the schools and send them your resume beforehand. They'll also reimburse you the airfare this way. I came over once and found my own adult hogwan but didn't get any paid airfare by doing that.

Anyhow, I'm curious how you have your job situation in order already. If thats the case, then are you looking for a good place to find jobs? or just looking for a cool neighborhood to live in?

For cool neighborhoods to live in, I love HongDae and Shinchon. There is nowhere else in the entire country of Korea then I'd rather be than one of those two spots, and fortunately they are right next to each other!! (HongDae = Hongik University area). The main reason being is they are great places to hangout, lots of things to do, lots of people you'll meet, there are alot of young people, I can think of nothing but all good things to say about that entire area).