Korean Job Discussion Forums

tick · Joined: 28 Apr 2008

I am wondering about whether to accept a public school position in Icheon. The contract is too vague for my liking on the topic of housing. The recruiter from Canadian Connections assures me that everything will be to my liking. She seems trustworthy but it would be great to hear as much from a fellow teacher. As you can imagine, the last thing I want is to arrive in the city and have to find my own digs, with or without the school board's 300,000 won allowance, or to be placed in a homestay arrangement.

If anyone has thoughts to share on the Icheon program as a whole I would equally be obliged. I am also dying to know about living in Incheon itself. Is it a sleepy Seoul satellite city or a happening metropolis?

Thanks in advance

wanderingbear · Joined: 09 Dec 2008

bump.

I'm also looking for info on living in Incheon. Good? Bad? Lame? Awesome? Any advice would be great.

Thanks

oldtactics · Joined: 18 Oct 2008

Icheon and Incheon are two different cities - which one are you researching?

Ya-ta Boy · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: Established in 1994

Incheon is a big industrial port city just to the west of Seoul. I've only been there a couple of times so I can't say much about it.

Icheon is a smallish city (maybe 150,000? people) just to the southeast of Seoul. It's going to get connected by subway to Seoul sometime 'soon'. It has a medium sized E-Mart on the east side of town with a McDonald's in the same building. There is also a Pizza Hut near the bus station. As of 2 years ago, those were your two choices for Western food.

I used to live in a burg south of there and E-Mart was where I had to do my shopping. The city seemed nice enough. It's newish and not much traffic. There must have been other foreigners around but I never saw any. There's a yearly pottery festival there, I think, but it's at a different time of year than I was there. (I only lived in the area for about 4 months.)

Can't say much about housing, but the W300,000 will get you a bigger nicer place in Icheon than in Incheon.

Good luck.

ZsoZso · Joined: 07 Feb 2009

If you're talking about INcheon, then it's a pretty fine place to live considering. It's close enough to Seoul if good partying, shopping, food (well relatively good food) is your bag. I knew over 20 of public school teachers there, the vast majority have been at their schools 2-3+ years. Incheon itself isn't so bad depending on where exactly you're living, although it's slightly polluted Laughing

I miss that place personally.

Edit: As always, however, it's luck of the draw on who you're working with in the school itself.

sobriquet · Joined: 16 Feb 2007 Location: Nakatomi Plaza

Be careful there was a fellow on here who thought he was going to Incheon and ended up at a school in Icheon.

True story

Thread dedicated to it somewhere

nomad-ish · Posted: Tue Feb 17, 2009 4:26 pm Post subject:

i believe the OP means Incheon. canadian connection doesn't hire for Icheon (that's with GEPIK).

sobriquet · Joined: 16 Feb 2007 Location: Nakatomi Plaza

nomad-ish · Posted: Tue Feb 17, 2009 4:32 pm Post subject:

espoir · Joined: 09 Oct 2008 Location: Incheon, South Korea

Also check where you are in the city, such as which district. Even though i'm in incheon, it takes me about 1hr from my apartment to get to bupyeong to meet up with all my friends. See the problem is I live in the slums south of dongincheon station. Its an absolutely smelly, polluted Ghetto and I cant wait to leave it behind. But there is a complete black and white in terms of areas here.

For instance some of my friends live up in Bupyeong market, only 5min from bupyeong station and they have fanatasic places. Also they are super close to a wide variety of restaurants and bars.

In terms of nightlife and meeting up with other foreigners, Bupyeong is the only place to go in incheon really. There are a number of good restaurants, such as first nepal if you love amazing Indian food. Also as previously mentioned, the main watering holes are Goose Goose, G7, rock bar and n's pub. They are all within 5mins walk of eachother and alwayd have a number of foreigners there.

wanderingbear · Joined: 09 Dec 2008

oops, I was asking about Icheon, the smaller city. This would be my first job also if i accept it

BreakfastInBed · Joined: 16 Oct 2007 Location: Gyeonggi do

Kid65 · Joined: 20 Jul 2007

wanderingbear · Joined: 09 Dec 2008

you're like a celebrity, i read that thread while searching for info on Icheon.

everyone is saying that Icheon is a small rural town, but I look it up and it has almost 200,000 people ( i think ). Did you find yourself getting bored there?

im considering a contract that would have me teaching from 2pm - 9pm, M-F. Are there things to do in Icheon after 9pm?

sometimes at night i like to get a drink and sometimes during the day i like to get a coffee. are there any bars in Icheon? are there coffeeshops?

any other advice would be great, i got offered this contract in Icheon, and it would be my first teaching job.

John_ESL_White · Joined: 12 Nov 2008