Korean Job Discussion Forums

[geofftucker]

I am considering offers to teach in Korea and wanted to ask which cities you would recommend as the best places to start for someone who hasn't done this before. I love to travel and experience other cultures, but I'd like some ideas of where to consider - and where NOT to consider.

I have a good friend here in the States who has family in Seoul, so he has told me a good bit about life there. I see there are discussions on this board, too, about the best parts of Seoul.

Where else in Korea would you recommend as the best place(s) to consider?

I know this is probably a repeat of similar questions in the past, but I didn't see it listed.

Thanks for your suggestions/feedback.

[verve]

For culture, I recommend Busan. A lot going on there - festivals, events etc. and it's close to some other cool spots like Tongyeong.

Plus, it has beaches and is an all round great place. Try http://wiki.galbijim.com/Main_Page for info on cities.

[heynice]

classic question of what your preferences are. If you like big cities and beach, Busan is right for you. If you just like big cities, Daejeon and Daegu are fine choices. For the biggest city, choose Seoul.

top choices for new teachers with little or no Korean ability:
1 Busan
2 Seoul
3 Daegu
4 Daejeon

[verve]

Good suggestions by heynice.

But, don't let your lack of Korean language skills or knowledge about Korea limit your choice... if you're level-headed, practical and know how to look after yourself, you can have a great experience in any lesser -known city.

In fact, many people have done this, and had a far more unique experience than going with a generic choice like Seoul or Busan.

But, as others will point out, smaller cities can get lonely and you can feel isolated. Then again, Korea is well-connected.

Think carefully about what your priorities are, take the plunge and enjoy the ride.

[DrOctagon]

Seoul is the only place a foreigner can live and be happy in Korea. You can buy ricotta cheese and eat Austrian food for Christ's sake. Everyone knows Westerners can't live without ricotta cheese and Austrian food. And when you go to a Starbucks the workers will actually take your order in English. It's amazing. Lastly, You can't buy XXXXXXL urban clothes (the cheap, outdated ghetto kind) outside of Seoul, so you'll be hard pressed finding clothes that fit you living anywhere else.

[Ukon]

SEOUL SEOUL SEOUL SEOUL SEOUL

Busan and Daegu being good secondary choices...

SEOUL has everything the other places in korea have(except beaches)...also all the famous, well connected people live in Seoul...Hanging out with millionaires on a regular basis is quite fun, the best of the best in Korea is usually almost always in Seoul....the best variety of EVERYTHING is also here...

Let me put it this way, 90% of the complaints on this board about korea(aside for bad jobs) generally comes from not living in Seoul...even my friends who are so close to seoul they're connected by Subway complain to me about...yep...NOT living in Seoul...

[afsjesse]

Rubbish! Seoul is my favorite part of Korea and I do wish I lived there, however that does not mean I was not happy in Busan or with where I am now, in the sticks. It all depends on what you want. Busan is nice and not nearly as congested as Seoul. The weather is warmer and it has beaches.

If you like the countryside, then perhaps a job in the sticks, like mine, would be for you. It's quiet, more "Korean" in your daily experiences and quite nice if you like being alone. I'm 5 hours from Seoul which is far, but there are buses that leave for there several times a day.

Go where you want! But I would choose Seoul!

[esetters21]

Seoul, just like any other place in Korea has many negatives going against it. There are just not enough of those for me to consider living anywhere else on this tiny peninsula (I have been to many of those other places). Like afsjesse said, what you are comfortable with should dictate your choice. I choose Seoul. Good luck in your decision.

[JongnoGuru]

ACHTUNG NEWBIE!

Seoul Is Not For You Lot

Not until you've done your 5 years' hard labour out in the sticks, at any rate. In the meantime, you are welcome to make the occasional, cranky, time-pressed weekend dash up to Seoul for the purpose of:

-- marvelling at our godlike exploits;
-- gawping at our lavish lifestyles and high-grade upholstery;
-- staring in dumb amazement at our awe-inspiring selection of fatty clothes; and
-- just wishing you were having our kind of fun.


I don't understand these lists of options people are posting. For there are only 2 places in Korea: 서울 & 시골

[geofftucker]

Thanks to everyone who replied tonight. I really appreciate your feedback. It was very helpful.

I am an urban guy by nature. I like to visit rural areas but I don't think I'd want to live in one for the long-term. I grew up in a small town and small places still feel claustrophobic.

Not to take this question off topic but here's part 2:

If I go with a school in or around Seoul, which part of town is best to consider? I know the public transit is good and I am quick to learn those systems because I like to be mobile.

I had assumed that Seoul was the right place to start for a newbie because of its size and variety. Glad to know my hunch is correct.

[RufusW]

[Ruthdes]

I'm going to disagree with RufusW and say that my advice would be to concentrate on finding a good school, rather than worrying exactly where in Seoul you want to be. Get recommendations from people, etc. I think that everywhere has it's pros and cons. It can take a while to get to some of the hangouts, but there are quite a few big hangout areas in Seoul, so you'll probably be close to somewhere.

I'm in Gangnam (south of the river), which is great to hang out in, but expensive. It's also not too far from Itaewon (the main foreigner area if you haven't worked it out yet), but ages from Hongdae (a great club/bar district).

A lot of people I know live in Haebongcheon, which is next to Itaewon. There are heaps of foreigners there and a great selection of international foods. Some people hate it though.

Some travel times from here:

A couple of things to think about:
*be close to the subway. Actually, it's kinda hard not to. If you can get an interchange station, all the better. The buses are great, but the signs are mostly in korean, so it takes a little to get comfortable navigating them.
*If you want Seoul, don't settle for Gyeonggido. I'm not saying that it doesn't have its pros - i'm sure it does - but if you want to be in the thick of it, living there will limit you. I know a lot of people living there who spend the weekends crashing on friends' floors in Seoul, or shelling out 30,000-40,000won cab fares.

Good luck! Finding a good hagwon/school is the hard part when you've got no personal reference point so concentrate on that.

[esetters21]

[VanIslander]

Korea is a surprisingly easy place to live. Anywhere in the country. Depending on the kind of person one is.

There should be NO advice given to a newbie until the newbie says something about themself, their preferences, way of living, habits, interests, background.

The op says nothing about themself, just wants blanket newbie advice. That's a bad idea.

Know thyself. Share that info and then advice can be wisely given.

[esetters21]