Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Forbidden-Donut]

How long after arriving did you begin to feel settled? Obtain everything you need, make some friends, etc.

[Mr. BlackCat]

I've been here over 2 years and I still don't feel totally settled. People come and go, so you're always saying good-bye to friends and making new ones. You learn stuff everyday which either helps you or at least makes you understand things better.

I had lived overseas before and was fortunate enough to work with and meet some great people my first month here, so I settled in quite quickly. I'd say within a couple of weeks I could find my way around the city (not always the easiest or quickest way, though) and had some friends to hang out with. Luckily my boss at the time was very helpful with the language barrier and would write me notes if I needed a pharmacy or something specific at the store. The K teachers really helped me learn some basic Korean as well as introducing me to some Korean food.

I guess it all depends on your situation.

[Rock]

It'll take you just one month, or two, depending on your financial situation. That is, if you're referring to creature comforts and all.

Other than this, you'll probably get as acclimated as you want by following your own interests, find your niche, or what turns you on there in Korea, and basically learn a little of the language and etiquette so you're not completely dependent on your Korean co-workers.

I'd say about six months to a year will make you more confident and settled in. By then you should know how to order the foods you like when you go out to eat, converse a little, get to know the ups and downs of Korea and handle things a little more composed.

[dogshed]

Every couple of months my neighbors have different dogs.

[highlander_76]

it really depends a lot based on your contact and/or the amount of contact you want to have with Koreans. Even though living here is not tough, it is really, really hard to ever feel like you fit in, if that figures in to what it means to you to be settled down. Within about two months you can get in a good rhythm, but seriously count on just really getting to get a handle on the culture after one year, many more if you want to feel like you really understand what's going on here.

[Dome Vans]

I found that I felt settled, personally, after a month of getting here. I live in a small city but have felt welcomed by my fellow korean teachers, people in the city are really nice: offering lifts, getting discounts, given freebies etc. I felt accepted. My schools have been really good and I have a good standing with them, but then I think that's because how I am has helped that.

The ex-pats here are as you would find everywhere, you like some, you don't like some. It's been no different.

School is the area that has taken longer. After reading a few threads about how native teachers don't really understand about the needs of korean kids and teaching and their culture it has meant a lot of adjusting and evaluating my performance in the classroom. I learn different things everyday when I'm teaching, how to get them to think, how to sort out the talkers/bad students, what makes them tick. I feel very confident when I walk into the classroom, I'm always well planned and the lessons are always interesting so have a good base. But until you've been teaching here for years then I don't think you'll ever be able to nail the teaching culture on the head here.

But then again I think that as I teach about 350 kids a week, and I only teach them once, I'll never quite get that consistency or chance to see an marked improvement.

[mysteriousdeltarays]

It depends upon where you are. It might be a while.

If you are in the boonies you are probably surrounded by F-2 types and the Kyobos who are sent over here to "meet their families" in lieu of strike three felonies and they are doing life in a California penitentiary.

At least in Seoul you can meet up with and converse with child molesters wanted by Interpol.

[StAxX SOuL]

I�d say I spent the first month getting acclimatised... at points I was living off pasta, tuna and sweetcorn in the evenings because I wasn�t sure what else to do... I had plans to actually do some cooking then realised what my kitchen facilities consisted off and the lack of anything recognisable in the supermarket that I�d feel confident cooking in a frying pan... then I started getting acquainted with the neighbourhood, the local eateries, the spiciness of the food the little mom and pops place were selling, all before discovering and living off Don Kass for a considerable while...

Arriving in March, I�d say that by mid April I was totally settled... lots of socialising at every opportunity to build up a social circle I thought was cool... made some loose friends to go out with then made friends through them and with a couple of chance meetings I found myself in an awesome situation with a bunch of people that I�d hang with back home... from their I never looked back

How long it takes all depends on how adaptable and how sociable you are...