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Where to live in Seoul? Outside Seoul?

 
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onabreak



Joined: 05 Mar 2007

PostPosted: Tue Mar 13, 2007 1:58 pm    Post subject: Where to live in Seoul? Outside Seoul? Reply with quote

Anyone living in Seoul have a recommendation? I am at a real loss after cruising dave's for a few weeks...

It seems like living outside Seoul is like living in another country, but if I had to choose that, which is the best non-Seoul locale?

Thank you for suggestions, I know once I arrive all things will come in to focus and I'll figure it out. I just want to make the best decision before arrival so I can concentrate on the teaching and classroom and partying rather than hating my city/section of Seoul.

Thank you fellow teachers for blazing the trail and helping me out.
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marylinda



Joined: 08 Jan 2007

PostPosted: Wed Mar 14, 2007 1:48 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

maybe if you mention some of the places that you can go or are being offered a job in, people may give you some feedback on each place.
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blynch



Joined: 25 Oct 2006
Location: UCLA

PostPosted: Wed Mar 14, 2007 1:53 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

MIARI
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jaganath69



Joined: 17 Jul 2003

PostPosted: Wed Mar 14, 2007 1:59 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Cheongju is pretty good, two hours at most from Seoul by bus with around 200 white monkeys teaching here. There are a number of expat bars, you are close to some cool hiking and skiing and the fact that it's a university town makes it that little bit better. Its not heaven, but you can do a lot worse. If you are interested in taking a job here, let me know via pm, I can pass your details on to a friend.
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bixlerscott



Joined: 27 Sep 2006
Location: Near Wonju, South Korea

PostPosted: Wed Mar 14, 2007 3:59 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Changwon's pretty good, but it's not the big apple of Korea nor is it a small town. A growing young city (touted as "Young City, Changwon") of about 800,000 people, maybe more, who knows. They say it's 500,000 people, but I think it's alot more being that it's growing and very a prosperous small city with a highly successful mechanical engineering and manufacturing industries (not too polluted though, water pollution is the evident) and quite a bit of professional business industries too as pin stripe suits abound with mostly blue collar factory types (very few people speak English) around though. Pretty friendly and honest for the most part in my experience. Few speak English, but if your a savvy international man or woman, you can make do, just awkward. We have Emart, Lotte, Homeplus, TGIF, Bennigans, Outback Steakhouse, Korea Exchange Bank, 2 foreigner bars, and probably a litta more than I know about. It is said that 5 years ago, none of the modern stuff was here so it's growing (you can see it's still in it's infancy) and I can see they got new money coming in here (some are getting filthy rich) and they are very proud and happy Changwonians, I mean Koreans.

Changwon (40 minutes from Busan) is said to have a very high retention rate of foreign teachers I hear time after time and it has been proven to me. People say there are about 1000 foreign English teachers here, but I only know about 5 and have spoken with around 50 when out and about, but then again, I have only been here less than 3 months and do not go out much away from my litta dong that has old fashioned 5 day markets. Kinda cool, but I long for more culture, music, people, and such... I do know there is a bussah terminal to go leave Changwon and go to Busan and to the big apple, Seoul and explore Korea itself. Things I still yet to do, but look forward to as the weather warms up... Do I smell some good adventure coming my way? I am feeling excited...

I looked for a place with values and a balance and I think I found it. I knew the big city would be too corrupt and the small rural town would be too limited so I found Changwon. It took 6 months of full time research online while working part time in a store at home for me to choose Changwon and I think I did well on choosing a place to live and work. I still long for the action and unlimited possiblities of the big apple, Seoul though.

I was not paid to promote ambitious Changwon, just dug it up and flew over to live and work here knowing it takes experience to get good employment in Seoul...
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europe2seoul



Joined: 12 Sep 2005
Location: Seoul, Korea

PostPosted: Wed Mar 14, 2007 4:02 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Somewhere where ladies are plentiful and easy. Otherwise, Sokcho is a nice spot - good mecca for tourists over the summer (girls on a trip wearing bikini on the beach) and you can find some fisherman's daughter which is curious for a foreigner male in the off-season.

Ah - food is good if you like seafood. Nice clean air. 5 hours by bus to Seoul. I recommend pollack shike and abai-sundae.
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onabreak



Joined: 05 Mar 2007

PostPosted: Wed Mar 14, 2007 5:44 am    Post subject: Cheonan? Reply with quote

thanks for the info...Cheonan? anyone work/live there?
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just because



Joined: 01 Aug 2003
Location: Changwon - 4964

PostPosted: Wed Mar 14, 2007 8:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

bixlerscott wrote:
A growing young city (touted as "Young City, Changwon") of about 800,000 people, maybe more, who knows. They say it's 500,000 people

It isn't growing, in fact the population has shrunk by about 10 000 over the past 5 years as people have moved from changwon to the new townships in Jangyu(towards Busan) and Jinyeong(to the north) and smaller aprtments and housing are getting bulldozed for bigger newer apartments.....also it is the most expensive provincial city in korea for housing so people are moving to where it is a little cheaper...

It is 510 000....i can assure, it is part my missus' job to keep a track on these things for the city..

BTW...there is no way there are 1000 english teachers here. there are only approx 10 000 E2 visa holders in all of South Korea. Double the to 20 000 total including illegals(at the most)....

maybe 250 at the absoute max....
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