Korean Job Discussion Forums

Sapa · Joined: 05 Nov 2007

Hi, I have just been sent some info on a job near Gangnam station in YangJea. It is for an ECC school. i have heard that Gangnam is one of the better places to be but can be expensive. I have never heard of Yangjea and searching on here gave me nothing. Is it a good place to live? We want to be fairly central in terms of going out places to eat and shop and general entertainment. We don't really care for clubbing.
Also, what are the ECC schools like for working conditions? Again, the search function was useless, thousands of results.

craigmcc1982 · Joined: 07 Jun 2006

You're referring to YANGJAE. It's on line 3 (Orange).

Try using that for your search.

Sapa · Joined: 05 Nov 2007

ah, that gives me a few more results!

yeremy · Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2008 2:59 pm Post subject: Yangjae

There's a Costco there plus a number of luxury auto dealers. The area around Costco is vibrant and appears to be alluent. I can't help you more than that. Good luck.

crescent · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Location: yes.

My ex-girlfriend lives there. Great area. More wooded and slower paced than most of the other parts of the city.
There's a nice stream we used to take walks along.....

*sigh*

Binch Lover · Joined: 25 Jul 2005

I can help you on two fronts.

I used to work for ECC but not in Yangjae. I had a very good year there thanks to good coworkers and an excellent schedule. I got paid on time (admittedly a shit salary), and there was not too much bs. If you're a first time teacher, it's a good place to start because the curriculum is very comprehensive. You don't have to make any extra materials or do too much prep, just show up and teach. You should check with current or ex-employees of Yangjae ECC first before you sign anything though.

As for the area, I live near there now. Yangjae is very close to Gangnam, one of the busiest areas in Seoul, with lots of bars, cinemas, stores and restaurants. It's not the most fun place and it's quite expensive, but it is a travel hub so you can get to most places in Seoul easily from there. In Yangjae itself, there is the Yangjae stream which is a very nice place to walk or run or cycle. There are also mountains close by for hiking and walking. Itaewon is also only 20-30 minutes away depending on traffic, and 15 minutes in a taxi at night.

runlikegump · Joined: 05 Nov 2007 Location: Seoul

I'll echo what others have said about Yangjae. The area on Yangjae stream is great for walking and running, and is only about a 5 minute walk from Yangjae Station. It's only about 5 minutes by bus to Gangnam Station (trusty #402), has plenty of amenities, and is only one subway stop on the orange line to Nambu Terminal, behind which is an excellent hill for hiking or running on the trails.
As for "more affluent=more expensive" theory, yes and no. If your school is providing your housing, it won't matter at all to you, except that the apartment you get may be smaller than one in a different area of town for the same loot. But as far as costs of daily living go, the only thing I've found more expensive in Gangnam than in Gangseo-gu (near Gimpo Airport on the west side of town) where I lived last year is a gym membership. Groceries, coffee, food, all the same.

sineface · Joined: 27 Feb 2006 Location: C'est magnifique

I agree with everything said about Yangjae. I lived there last year, and agree it was pretty nice, but very easy to waste money in. I also liked that most of the people around were adults / business people, which pleased me on the weekends and after work because I worked kindy at the time. The huge and amazing flower market there is definately worth going to. Cheap as chips and looks and smells much better than the rest of Seoul. Over and out.

Sapa · Joined: 05 Nov 2007

Cool, sounds good to me. The only thing I am concerned about now is that I really can't find any info on Yangjea ECC. Even a google search of "yangjea ecc" came back with only 2 results. The location is not listed on their website either.

yingwenlaoshi · Joined: 12 Feb 2007 Location: ... location, location!

Mr. Pink · Joined: 21 Oct 2003 Location: China

Yangjae is now in Seocho-Gu...a few years ago it used to belong to Kangnam-Gu.

From Yangjae station you can have access to a lot of cool stuff: Costco is 5mins away by bus. Kangnam Station is 10mins away by bus. You can take another bus to COEX which takes about 20mins or so.

The area is pretty good, with some mountains nearby...it is on the edge of Southern Seoul which is nice.

I have no idea about the ECC, but the area is a lot nicer than many other areas in Seoul.