Korean Job Discussion Forums

[bbrou17]

I'm moving from denver, co. to South Korea in feb. 08. initially, i planned on moving to seoul, but the prospect of livin in a city of 20 million isn't sitting well. anyway, i'd like to know if anyone here lives and works in deagu, and if so could you tell me what you like about it (are there parks, hiking trails, or other out door things?). is the city nice? is your school fair with working hours and pay? I would appreciate any help i can get.

[butlerian]

I work at a uni in Daegu. I like Daegu very much. Seoul is too busy and hectic for me. The occasional weekend there to sample the good variety of international cuisine is enough for me. As long as you're not located in downtown Daegu, you should be ok. Good connections and mountains all around. Temples and other places not so far away. A very good location all-in-all.

As for schools here...it's the same as anywhere in Korea. There's good and there's good. Moon Kang hagwon is meant to be ok, but other than that I'd stick to the public schools and universities unless you know any better.

[whatever]

Nope. Nobody lives here.












That said. It's okay, in my book. There's stuff to do. I don't feel like going into much detail, but it's surrounded by mountains, has parks, has pro sports teams, has a nightlife, is conservative (if that's your thing...it isn't mine), is close to other major cities, has women (who have a rep for being especially beautiful in Korea...not so sure about that), has whiskey, has work, doesn't suck (entirely).

I lived in Jeju and more exotic locales outside of Korea before coming here. I would rate it as normal and predictably normal (for Korea). But there's no hash...that's a problem.

[ldh2222]

[whatever]

[bbrou17]

no hash huh.... that is a problem. conservatism is a problem as well, but if i can avoid politics i will, i get enough of that at home. what it comes down to for me is whether seoul can offset the obvious problems of such a large population with cool sh@# to do. my biggest problem is the hygiene of large populations; polution, noise, crowded everything, open space, and all the things associated with the concrete jungle. If i do not move to seoul, that will be why. if i do, its because deagu needs dealers. just kiddn, or am i?

[kingplaya4]

Deagu is a polluted concrete jungle too. Anyone who tells you differently must've grown up in London then moved onto a teaching job in Seoul.

[the eye]

[bbrou17]

i grew up in a small town as well, 12-14,000. if you don't mind me asking, where in deagu do you work and live (kingplaya)? crickets at night? thats my speed exactly. what are the drawbacks? do you like your school? it seems like there must be a price to pay for a place like that. on the other hand, keep in mind that i've never been to korea and have no idea what to expect.

[bbrou17]

sorry, i was confused. the questions in my last response were intended for the eye, i wrote kingplaya in parentheses because i confused the names.

[the eye]

Apsan, Daemyoung Dong, Jisan Dong, Beomul Dong, Manchon Dong, Sang In Dong and Siji Dong are all areas that offer what I mentioned.
I work at a great school. No trade offs.

Apsan, Daemyoung Dong, Jisan Dong, and Beomul Dong are closest to Downtown.
Manchon Dong is a little more built up, but not crowded.
Sang In Dong and Siji Dong are a little further away from Downtown but they are on the subway line.

[Cohiba]

Remember "Cohiba's Rule":

Think twice before you live outside of Seoul. "In Seoul" and
"outside of Seoul" are like two different countries. Seoul
is an interesting place with variety and venues for most
tastes. Outside of Seoul you will find a homogeneous Korean
culture. I don't mean this in a bad way, but you will never
find things like: French, Greek, Indian or any other ethnic
foods. Markets that sell sherry, pate, pastrami, ricotta cheese.
Specialty shops that sell dart accessories, cuban cigars or
cowboy boots.

The FFF Equation: FFF=Fun For Foreigners.
If FFF in Seoul = 100, then FFF decreases at1/distance.
So 2km from Seoul FFF=1/2(100)=50;
10km from Seoul FFF=1/10(100)=10. This rule is
a rule for nightlife, food and foreign products only.
Nature etc. is on a different scale altogether.

This means you will be wasting a lot of time commuting
to Seoul. This is especially a drag if you have been
boozing on a Friday night and there are no buses or
trains.

I, unfortunately, live in Incheon where the FFF factor
is almost in the negative range. I know!

[brento1138]

I lived in Manchon dong. I really thought Daegu was fine, especially if it is your first time in Korea. I think the whole "Daegu is conservative thing" is over rated... And women look exactly the same there as they do in Seoul, no better no worse. The people seemed friendly enough, and there was a good foreigner scene. Subway connected up the city well, and hey, lots of cheap buses and taxis. Would I want to live there again? At first I'd say no, but you know.. it's not bad. Sure, if I got offered a good job. Too bad it only has one downtown though... although the downtown isn't bad at all... lots of good stuff there. And it is central, so easy to meet up with anyone there.

[brento1138]

[BRawk]

I spent a year in Daegu and I agree with "brenton", there are some good foreign restaurants in Daegu.

However, I'm not realy a fan of Daegu.
1. It's really hot in the Summer. It has the hottest temperatures in Korea.
2. The air quality is terrible. Daegu sits in a valley and quite often turns into a chemical soup.
3. The surrounding countryside isn't all that nice compared to other areas.