Korean Job Discussion Forums

[depth]

trying to choose a GEPIK city, need some advice...

base on 3 criteria:

1) large city with a busy downtown (including good nightlife)
2) close to seoul
3) cheap living expenses (rent & food)

Anyang is my #1 pick

so please tell me, based on 3 above criteria which is the next best...bucheon or ilsan? or another city?


I have also eliminated ineligible cities:

bundang - higher cost of living
suwon - further away from seoul than the other 4 cities mentioned

thanks

[SpedEd]

I've been to all the noted areas. None of them are regarded as premiere areas with regard to proximity to Seoul, especially measured in the amount of time needed to reach central Seoul via subway. However, there are some really good alternatives to living in Seoul, hence the lower cost of living.
I agree that Suwon really bites and it's very far from Seoul way out in Kyunggi-don't.
Bucheon is like the last stop of the Bundang line if my memory serves me correctly. The area itself is relatively upscale, but far out again.
I've heard of Anyang, as it was located very close to Ansan city on line 4 where I lived for half a year. The only noteworthy thing I heard about the place was the high ratio of immigrant workers there. In other words, stay away from Anyang.
Ilsan is located in the northernmost fringes of Seoul. There the air is reportedly cleaner and there are lots of mountains for the risktaker to take on. The closest I was to this city was Dobong. I can attest that the air is good but the living isn't that exciting. Also, more staring, but nothing like a place like China.
Now on to Bundang (area). It's actually firmly located in Seoul, just not in central Seoul. Ask the Koreans. It's one of the most desirable and upscale places located in and around the big S. Yet, it's far enough away from the hustle and bustle of Seoul. And, yes, you will have to pay more to live there. I would include Bundang in my shortlist of good areas within Seoul to live, along with Seocho.

[yeremy]

The op is dead wrong about Anyang. Anyang is not the dead-end place to live he said it was. It's 35 to 40 minutes from Seoul and there's a fairly large and active foreign community in Gyonggi-do in general. The op spent six months in Ansan, which is not that close to Anyang, so how does he know what it's really like? I lived near Anyang for five years. It's a good area, with plenty of bars, western restaurants, E-Marts, subway transportation, buses, etc, but you do have to travel if you're looking for nightlife beyond Number 10, the Blue Parrot in Gunpo City, or the WA Bars, etc. Most foreign teachers in Gyonggi-do gravitate to Itaewon anyways, so it probably doesn't matter where you end up. As a city, Anyang by itself has a larger population than Seattle, WA and your cost of living will be reasonable as long as you don't rent your own apartment, which most foreign teachers do not do. If you're looking for nighlife plus the opportunities to make more money, then Bundang is one of the places for you, but you should know that a lot of people want to live there.

[jamiekarin]

I live in Bucheon and it is a pretty nice city to live in. It is about 45 minutes via subway to downtown Seoul (and it isn't one of the last stops on the line, it is about half way between yongsan and incheon). The nightlife is decent. There is a decent foreigner community. There are three foreigner bars in Bucheon (new canada buddy, old canada buddy and cafe nicolia) and another one really close in Bupyeong (goose goose). Around Bucheon station has pretty good night life. If you are all about the nightlife it is about a 20-30$ cab ride from itaewon or hongdae the big nightlife spots in seoul if you don't get on the subway by 1130. They are always expanding here as well, in the 10 months I have been there they have opened a massive shopping complex with a waterpark on the roof as well as another massive entertainment center with indoor skiing. I have been to ilsan and it is a nice city I have heard and has a few foreigner bars and an alright night life. There is a nice park and the city is cleaner than most, however I think it is a little bit further away from Seoul than Bucheon is.

[Ilsanman]

Bucheon beats Ilsan hands down for being cheap, and it's also slightly closer to Seoul. Not by a lot, though. It really depends on what areas of Seoul you prefer. If it's Kangnam or Itaewon, Bucheon's closer. If it's Jongno, go for Ilsan.

Ilsan is bigger for sure. Nightlife, I am not sure. When I lived in Ilsan, I hated the nightlife, but it was there. In Bucheon, there is a reasonable nightlife, but I don't frequent it.

[PGF]

I've been to all the cities you've mentioned. They're all about the same. Except, Ilsan is a bit cleaner, newer and it has been planned out better. But, do you really want a lot of $6 coffee shops? Is that why you are coming to Korea?

If you want to experience Korea, vear clear of the satellite cities of Seoul. If you want to be near Seoul and still feel like you are in Korea, go to Bucheon, or Incheon. Seoul is great if you are a waygook who needs money. If you are looking to meet koreans, make friends and learn about real korean culture... get away from seoul

[depth]

PGF,

really, i want to save money without getting burned out and be nearby to Seoul.

i guess i prefer public schools because of pay and entitlements security, but more importantly, the additional 2 week paid holiday plus return airfares for contract renewal.

i would have to run the gauntlet of trying to negotiate these 2 benefits plus longer standard holidays (above the 10standard holidays for hogwans) in a hogwan, just to be on par with public school benefits. If not able to negotiate, i really could do without the hassle of re-applying at different hagwon at end of each contract just to get a decent break, not to mention all the E2 hassles.

I absolutely will not do overnight summer / winter camps so that takes SMOE out of the equation, plus being outside of Seoul i guess will have cheaper living expenses. GEPIK seems the obvious solution due to proximity to Seoul. Yes i do want to be in a big city, and i do want to frequent Seoul....more so than be in a traditional Korean country environment.

I am also anticipating i will want to find my own housing at some point, so again, being outside of Seoul is probably going to be cheaper.

so yeah, if you have a better suggestion than GEPIK - Anyang or Bucheon, please go right ahead and post...



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thanks everyone else also for your answers