Korean Job Discussion Forums

[ryn]

my girlfriend and i are basically trying to figure out where in korea we would most prefer to live/teach. we feel like busan may be the place...but we want to make sure we explore all our options. basically we want a city with a vibrant night life and an abundance of culture (ie - museums/music/festivals/markets and shops/interesting neighborhoods/food) but with enough nature to find some peace and quiet. the more liberal the city the better i think. something along the coast would be greatly preferred (hence the interest in busan). if anyone has any advice it would certainly be appreciated. thanks for your time.

[Passions]

Goto Seoul, not Busan.

[swetepete]

I like Busan, and I like Seoul too. I'd go Busan, myself.

I lived near Seoul three years, and now I live in a really small city. I came here because a lot of other people wanted to work in Busan too, and I couldn't get a really good job there that started in January...all I saw was split shifts and not much money, or else teaching little pukers and pant-pissers, so I went for the easy money in the sticks instead. I'm wishing I had taken the financial hit, though, and gone to Busan anyway...I don't care for small cities, I now know. I do lots of weekenders to Busan, and am just getting to know it, but it seems pretty cool.

Busan is big enough to be interesting for a while (about 4 million people), and the coast is good...if you get out of the city, there are some pretty little islands and beaches and bamboo forests and mountains and stuff. You can also do semi-cheap weekend trips to Fukuoka if you want. Nice city, Fukuoka.

Seoul is dirty dirty dirty, and while it may be fairly liberal in pockets, if you don't know where you're going you're fairly likely to wind up in a real poop-hole. I like it there, up north, but the air is brown. There is culture there too, for sure, but I think if nature is your bag you're better off in Busan. It's a bit dirty as well, but not so smoky as Seoul.

Either is good. Seoul is fun, but I'd recommend Busan simply because the air is better and it has something of a beach culture. It's crazy crowded in the summer but not too bad in the off-seasons. Also they have interesting weather there, with typhoons and the occasional storm-surge.

Seoul is a great city, but if you do decide to go there, make sure you do lots of research on where exactly you're going to work...I mean, like, the neighborhood. Obviously you're going to be careful what job you take, I just mean be careful you don't wind up in some stinky old rotting hick-ville an hour and a half from the cool parts of town. Seoul's BIG, eh...like, if you want Manhattan, make sure you don't accidentally take a job in Long Island, you know?
Good luck to yas, hope you find something sweet!

[twg]

I'd say Busan just because I've been in or around Seoul for five years.

The ease of getting to Japan from there is a selling point for some

[jdog2050]

[Yaya]

I'd say Ilsan in Gyeonggi Province is a good bet. That district has undergone rapid development but is still a far cry from Seoul when it comes to pollution and stress. But if you miss the urban scene, Seoul is just a 50-minute bus ride away.

[willneverteachagain]

[Homer]

This is hilarious willneverteachagain.

How long have you lived in Busan...do tell?

Lets see...I have lived here a while and there is a very decent nighlife (especially in the Busan National University Area). There are lots of great places to hike. You can get most of what you need as far as goods or decent substitutes.

The beaches are of varying quality and if you venture a bit away from the main beach you get a decent place to swim.

The bars here do accept white people no problem...except for a few isolated places. You go to the Busan National University area and there are several places where westerners hang out.

So...I would say Busan is a good place to live. Seoul is also a good place to live with more cultural activities. Then again it is only a couple of hours away by KTX train for a weekend trip from Busan...

You want the lowdown on Busan try out pusanweb (pusanweb.com) or pm me.

[willneverteachagain]

[VirginIslander]

I really enjoy myself living in PNU. PM with questions about life here and finding a decent job here.

VI

[Homer]

[VirginIslander]

I once visited Chicago--does that make me an expert on that city too?

[Yaya]

I was in Osaka for three days in 1998, I'm an expert on that city, YEAH!

[crazy tigger]

I'm just wandering are there many clubs and societies in Busan which FT's get involved with or is the place to meet people in bars? I wil be going over on my own and although I don't want to exclusively socialise with other foreigners I think it would benice to meet some. I do intend on learning Korean while I am there so would there be language classes where I could meet other foreigners?