Korean Job Discussion Forums

[mtnbk13]

So

I'm looking for my first job teaching in Korea with my fiancee. Are there any things that are just stupidly hard to get that I may want to bring with me? I don't know, maybe deodorant is 20 bucks a stick or something; those kind of things. Also, books, especially English literature types, hard to find, expensive?

Along the same lines, what foods am I going to miss most? Fruits? Candy? whole wheat bread?

Conversely, what is awesomely cheap that I should look forward to buying in Korea and not bring with me? Clothes, electronics?

[BS.Dos.]

My own students.

[mtnbk13]

[BS.Dos.]

It's 02:44 here in Korea.

Helpful logs in at 09:00.

[mtnbk13]

what time does class start?

[Drew345]

Flat sheets and some wire coat hangers (until you get a few from the cleaners) were bizarrely difficult to find. I had to get the flat sheets from Dongdaemun from a market specializing in hotel supply. Wire coathangers were also in some corner of Dongdaemun.
Even bring a pillow if you have your favorite; the pillows here are about half size and filled with foam or beads (Costco has some foreign pillows now). Never did find pillow cases that weren't pink or purple here.
If you like particular cold capsules or other over the counter medicine, bring those.
There is deodorant here now, but it is $5 for 2 oz instead of $2 for 5 oz in America.

[VanIslander]

- Habanero hot sauce
- more pictures to show students
- Cayman rum
- shoes my size (12-13 u.s. hard to find here) and skates too
- iodized salt
- more of my dress ties (the shiny, sparkly and pastel neckties in Korea no thanks)
- an international driver's license (takes minutes to get back home, hard to get over here, nice when on vacation for rentals)

[AmericanExile]

Toothpaste. American flavors are different than Korean.

I agree with sheets. I had no problem finding a big pillow at Lotte Mart which will be in any big city.

I agree with bringing spices you love.

Pekoe teas can be hard to find here. Earl grey is expensive.

Men should bring as many shirts as they can especially if you have big shoulders. Extra shoes if you have feet over size 8 (American). Korean men are under endowed in shoulders and feet.

[peppermint]

bring spices- they don't take up much space, and are well worth it if you cook. cold meds and pepto bismol tablets.Sooner or later, everyone seems to catch a wicked cold, or some kind of stomach bug in Korea. Even if you don't need them, someone around you will, and they will be very grateful for products that work.

For chicks, makeup, shoes if your feet are larger than an American 7.5 (although K-shoes tend to be ugly and uncomfortable, so even if you have small feet, you might want to bring your own),bras. If you've got an attachment to any brand of beauty or hygeine product bring it with you, unless it's a department store- type brand

[Robot_Teacher]

More American market brand name clothing.

2 more suit cases luggage allowance for not only clothes, but spices and other things. Having someone willing to ship more to you after arrival in Korea would be awesome. "Meh, please get me 3 pairs of Summer chino Dockers in xx inch waist and xx inch inseam, 3 new shirts, a new pair of shoes, etc." Really, if you've got someone covering your back like this, your golden and needn't obsessively worry about what to take with you on the plane. Either way, you can't take enough for a 1 year or longer trip to the other side where you'll be hard pressed to find shopping opportunities all too common in the states.

[the ireland]

*Brown sauce - I had it sent over after a month, god I love that stuff
*Butter - I like when my butter has some salt in it, not sugar
*Kimchi - it's not readily available in Korea and they just don't make it as well as we do in Ireland

[oldtactics]

Green tabasco sauce.

Mineral makeup if you use it - Korean makeup is generally high quality (if you have pale skin), but they don't have powder/mineral foundation here.

That's really it. I've found everything else here.

I agree about the meds recommendations - bring your favourite brands of pepto, antacids, painkillers, etc. Just nice to have in the cupboard.

If you/your fiancee is female and plus size, I recommend bringing more pants than you think you'll ever need.

[DrOctagon]

I brought everything I needed, but this is what I'll recommend. There are some repeats.

Cold Meds (nyquil and dayquil capsules)
Ibuprofen (Prescription pain pills here are weaker than OTC pain meds in the States)
Deodorant
Pillow cover
Your favorite toothpaste
Special Spices/spice mix (Adobo, Italian mix, Lemon pepper herbs (so good), mesquite barbecue, garlic salt, crushed Italian red pepper, etc.)

[Ruthdes]

Condoms, if that's what you use for contraception. Condoms here are horrible unless you make friends with a soldier and get them from the base.

[BS.Dos.]