Korean Job Discussion Forums

BreBre711 · Joined: 11 Apr 2007 Location: Amsterdam...for now

Well, the whole discovery of needing official transcripts to legally work has depressed me, but I'm still going to post these questions. I have heard some things and I'm not sure how true they are but I am going to ask anyway...

*I heard you have to boil the water before you can drink it? Is that true?

*How do you do your laundry? Do they have Laundromats?

*Are the electrical plugs/sockets 220v European? (like the ones I would use here in Holland)

* Does your apartment have a bath/shower?

*What about hot water? I'm not trying to sound like a dope, but I assume you have hot water...??

*Do you ever watch Korean TV? Do the Korean stations ever show American/English shows? If so, are they subbed or dubbed?

*If you live in Seoul for example, can you buy monthly metro/subway/bus passes? Do they use subway tokens of some sort?

* Is it safe for women who travel/live alone?

* Do your apartments have fridges, stoves and etc?

* Have any of you had to ship stuff over (extra clothes and etc)-how much did it cost if you don't mind me asking(an estimate)

*Have any of you learned Korea just by immersion (no official classes)?
I ask because I tend to learn better through immersion...

* Was it hard to teach English and learn Korean your first year?

Ok, that's all for now!

Bre Smile

cbclark4 · Joined: 20 Aug 2006 Location: Masan

huffdaddy · Joined: 25 Nov 2005

tomato · Posted: Sun Apr 15, 2007 1:26 am Post subject:

Hello, BreBre711!

Most of your questions I could have asked before I came here.
Opinions will vary, but here is my two cents:

*I heard you have to boil the water before you can drink it? Is that true?

They sell well water by the liter at grocery stores and convenient marts.
It's not expensive.

*How do you do your laundry? Do they have Laundromats?

The Laundromat is one Western custom which hasn't disseminated into Korea.
Except for the apartment where I am living now, every apartment I have lived in has had a washing machine.
Now I wash my clothes in the sink.

*Are the electrical plugs/sockets 220v European? (like the ones I would use here in Holland)

Korea has round plugs and sockets, whereas the United States has rectangular plugs and sockets.
When I got here, I had to have a new plug grafted onto my computer.

* Does your apartment have a bath/shower?

*What about hot water? I'm not trying to sound like a dope, but I assume you have hot water...??

* Do your apartments have fridges, stoves and etc?

Korea isn't exactly rich but it isn't exactly poor either.
It's somewhere in between.
You won't have to make any major adjustments in terms of living conditions.

*Do you ever watch Korean TV? Do the Korean stations ever show American/English shows? If so, are they subbed or dubbed?

I don't watch much TV, but I think there are two or three English channels.

* Is it safe for women who travel/live alone?

Can't help you there, either.
Korea has a low crime rate, though.

* Have any of you had to ship stuff over (extra clothes and etc)-how much did it cost if you don't mind me asking(an estimate)

Yes, but it was a long time ago and I don't remember.
I saved up a few months' wages and told my friend that I was ready to pay for it.

*Have any of you learned Korea just by immersion (no official classes)?
I ask because I tend to learn better through immersion...

I'm afraid I can't give you good news here.
Except for Mithridates, very few of us have learned Korean period!
Some of us keep trying, though.
Here is my list of what I consider the best ways to learn Korean through immersion:

http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/korea/viewtopic.php?t=31230&highlight=zone++proximal+development

The best way to learn Korean is to stay away from other foreigners, stay away from Koreans who speak English, and seek Koreans who don't speak English.

I know I'm communicating in English by logging onto Dave's ESL Cafe, but do as I say, not as I do.

*If you live in Seoul for example, can you buy monthly metro/subway/bus passes? Do they use subway tokens of some sort?

I don't know.
I hate Seoul and I try to stay out of Seoul.
If you are sincere about learning to speak Korean, get a job in the smallest and most isolated community you can find.
In Seoul, you will see a person speaking to you in English every time you turn around.

* Was it hard to teach English and learn Korean your first year?

At first, I had trouble managing a kindergarten class.
Now, seven years later, I am the one offering advice on managing a kindergarten class.

In reply to the second half of your question, it has been hard to learn Korean every year.
You don't have to learn Korean in order to please your director and your co-teachers.
In fact, most directors and co-teachers are not very supportive of foreigners who study Korean.

daz1979 · Joined: 29 Apr 2006 Location: Gangwon-Do

ella · Joined: 17 Apr 2006

*I heard you have to boil the water before you can drink it? Is that true?

I drink and brush my teeth with bottled water, and I don't open my mouth in the shower.

*How do you do your laundry? Do they have Laundromats?

A clothes washer should come with your apartment. Some are not set up to wash clothes in hot water, only cold. Costco carries Woolite. Few apartments come with dryers so you'll probably have to dry your clothes on a drying rack. Dry cleaners are all over and not expensive.

*Are the electrical plugs/sockets 220v European? (like the ones I would use here in Holland)

220V 60Hz.

* Does your apartment have a bath/shower?

Usually showers but some have baths. Some showers are not partitioned off from the rest of the bathroom in any way, they're just a shower hose mounted on a wall, and a floor drain. You may need to buy a shower rod/curtain.

*What about hot water? I'm not trying to sound like a dope, but I assume you have hot water...??

Yes.

*Do you ever watch Korean TV? Do the Korean stations ever show American/English shows? If so, are they subbed or dubbed?

Yes, yes, and both. Usually subtitles. American TV shows are along the lines of ER, CSI, and SatC. Movies are shown ad nauseam: Matrix, the Mummy movies (Brendan Fraser), and so on. The more violent, the more they're shown. Cartoons, as far as I can tell, are always dubbed.

*If you live in Seoul for example, can you buy monthly metro/subway/bus passes? Do they use subway tokens of some sort?

The subway has tickets which you buy at the station, but you can also get a T-money card onto which you add money and just swipe at the subway.

* Is it safe for women who travel/live alone?

Yes. If you're white and female and from the West, you're battling the *beep* image while you're here so keep that in mind when selecting your clothes. Modest dress is recommended: cover your midriff and shoulders, shorts should be at least mid-thigh. Westerners in general seem to dress sort of shabbily compared to Koreans, IMO. Leave the torn, baggy stuff at home.

* Do your apartments have fridges, stoves and etc?

Yes.

* Have any of you had to ship stuff over (extra clothes and etc)-how much did it cost if you don't mind me asking(an estimate)

Yes. Check the web site for the postal service in your country. So far I've had three small(ish) packages shipped to me, each via GPS through the USPS, and they cost $20-30 each. Got here in about a week.

*Have any of you learned Korea just by immersion (no official classes)?
I ask because I tend to learn better through immersion...

I took a semester before I came. It helped tremendously to be able to read and write and know basic conversational phrases, I strongly recommend it. It's slowly improving as I live here but I'll be taking classes next semester (my school offers them) as the structure helps me.

* Was it hard to teach English and learn Korean your first year?

No. I have several years of experience teaching ESL and held out for a good position. This makes all the difference in the world. You do not have to "pay dues" nor should you take "any job," no matter what anyone else tells you. Know what you want, what you're qualified for, and get the best possible position you can. Korean will be my fourth language and learning it has not been difficult as I already know another Asian language, which helped.

superacidjax · Joined: 17 Oct 2006 Location: Seoul

kat2 · Joined: 25 Oct 2005 Location: Busan, South Korea

Ship things by boat. It takes 2 months to get here, but is relatively cheap.

I feel very safe here. I could walk anywhere any time of night here in Busan, and not worry about it.

Definitly buy bottled water. You can buy 12 liters for less than 4000won

All your other questions ahve been answered.

pdx · Joined: 19 Jan 2007

BreBre711 · Joined: 11 Apr 2007 Location: Amsterdam...for now

That is exactly all I needed to know! Well, for now anyways... Wink

But seeing as I'm having transcript problems (go to this thread for more info http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/korea/viewtopic.php?p=1138894#1138894 )
I am not even sure if I will even be able to come over now...but if I get this worked out then I will be asking even more questions!! Smile

Until then I will be lurking in the shadows once again Twisted Evil

TTYL!
Bre Smile