Korean Job Discussion Forums

[DWAEJIMORIGUKBAP]

and be somebody's fool this year..... (smashing pumpkins reference, but really I listen to that line and it's exactly what's on my mind right now...)

Hi all

I've lived in Korea for around 6 years now, mostly in Seoul or Ilsan.

You know what? I'm thinking of moving to the sticks.

I've been trying to so tightly control my life here and although I've always got what I wanted (loacation of choice, salary of choice etc) life hasn't worked out productively.

I always analyse my choices down to the nth degree. I go through every contract job offer with a fine tooth comb, making sure everything is just as I want it, right location, what are the restaurants like, what would the social scene be like, how far by subway to gangnam, Itaewon etc, how would I feel living in that style apt, what will my freetime hours be and what can I plan to do in it etc.... Only public school / after school or college gigs for me!

I mean I've had a lot of fun, sure but I've not saved a penny and have drunk and gambled and whored and basically wasted the lot away on fun times.

6 years, nothing to show (except experience and stories of course.)

I've also always fought the flow. I mean Korea is so frustrating sometimes and I fight for every clause of my contract to be fullfilled, every hour of overtime to be paid, everything my way etc... And the result is you're often in a working environment where relationships with employers or co-workers are strained because of this and it burns you out. And half my contracts have only made it to the 6 motnh mark due to my constant fighting and demands etc.

You know what...? For my next job in sept I'm thinking of just saying 'f*ck it' I really just feel like letting the hell go and going with the flow and taking the first public school or decent as / haggie job I'm offered even if it's in Ansan, Anseong, Chuncheon, Busan or WHEREVER. Now I am sociable so there WILL need to be other foriegners to make friends with (I just don't keep Korean friendships long, the differences are just too much.)

Sod how long it takes to get to Itaewon to buy salami, cheese and meat and second hand books. Balls to whether or not I can get a good cappucino or curry or a feeling of being somewhere cosmopolitan.

I really just feel like spending a year of my life letting go, going with the flow at work (putting up with some cr@p perhaps or giving more compromise than usual - eg going on school trips with all the Korean teachers instead of refusing and lying that I have other plans when really I think it will be a bore) and making do with less and more simple surroundings etc. Even socially too, trying to hang out with folks that I don't find immediately charismatic or interesting / exciting and spending some time getting to know them anyway. I even exercise and worry about how I look etc a lot, but then often when I've imagined I look like sh*t, that's when women have wanted to talk to me! So why not let go!

So my question is - have you lived in the Korean boonies before and what would you like to tell me about it etc... Which would be cool places to consider (I'm really likeing the idea of Busan, or Jeolla do, maybe Ansan....)

Cheers.

Dwaeji

[DWAEJIMORIGUKBAP]

Bumperoo

[Grantasmagoria]

Busan is in the boonies?

[DWAEJIMORIGUKBAP]

[asmith]

I live in the sticks. It's not too bad.

[Grantasmagoria]

I've never lived in the true sticks but I did live in a smaller town outside of Busan. It was great, much quieter, more hassle though because you stick out a lot more. The Korean dining options were suprisingly fantastic, my friends and I found a favorite watering hole and became good friends iwth the owner. If we wanted any of the big city things, Busan was less than an hour away.

Now, I'm in Busan and I love it. Better weather, the subway isn't a crowded nightmare like in Seoul, tons of beaches within a few hours. If it's too big for your liking, you can always get a job in one of the more moderate sized cities down here, like I mentioned above. Come to Busan on the weekends when you need your bigger city fix. Could do the same thing up near Seoul. The longer I'm here, the less I need Western style food options because I think 99% of the restaurants here are not very good and/or overpriced. If I'm really dying for something, I'll just cook it myself.

[Forward Observer]

[DWAEJIMORIGUKBAP]

[I'm no Picasso]

My eventual plan in the ROK is to do basically the same thing. At the moment, I'm spending a lot of time studying Korean, because I don't want to move to the middle of nowhere and not be able to communicate with anyone around me.

Right now, I'm young and there's a lot to be said for going out every weekend, having tons of people around all the time, etc. etc. Plus I'm still cutting my teeth at this classroom teaching thing. But my goal is to work on hard on my Korean while I'm here (and there are decent classes around), and once I feel like I'm up to snuff, after a couple of years, make the move to the middle of nowhere for a year, just to try.

Good luck man. I think it's a good idea.

[iammac2002]

I lived in Chungnam, in a small village called Hongseong. It was awful. There was absolutely nothing to do but sit in your hole and die. They had one Lotteria, a Mr Pizza, and only Korean shops with small clothes and small shoes 5km away. There weren't foreigners, and if there were, they never came up to greet you. The Koreans don't speak any English, not even the best students.

At least you get a big hole with a big kitchen and a big bathroom and big closets and a big balcony with a big window. And a desktop if you're lucky. You might also get one Friday a month off and go on special trips every month.

[Epicurus]

if you want boonies, I assume you mean a real rural location?

Ansan isn't rural.

[Daegudavid]

Fish sticks?

[DWAEJIMORIGUKBAP]

[Perceptioncheck]

[thoreau]