Korean Job Discussion Forums

[silverquill]

This is such a personal thing. And, there are other factors.

My wife and I, for our first six months, lived in a place so rural it wasn't even a village. We were at a boarding school with 20 students, and a half-dozen Korean staff. We had a nice community (and a LAN connection in our little house). We enjoyed walking through the fields, past the pigs and cows, up into the mountains or along the river. But, we had each other. We're also a bit older than the recent college graduate. And, I had the advantage of having been a Peace Corps volunteer and living in a small village for a year. And, I grew up in small towns.

Some people are city folk, and some are country folk - it just depends on what you want.

We're in Cheonan now, a city of 1/2 million, an hour from Seoul (32 min. on the KTX). It is saner than Seoul, but not isolated at all. So, maybe it is a good compromise.

[gmarthews]

My wife and I really liked Choenan, Silverquill. The art gallery by the bus station was so cool, with those Damien Hurst sculptures outside and that huge sculpture made of bits of bus, like big nuts and bolts or something.

We used to stay at a nice love motel called Western Motel whenever we visited, it wasn't the most flash but it was still pretty nice.

We always said that if we came back to Korea then we'd aim for Choenan but in the end we chose a different province as it seemed a shame to go back to Chungnam when there are so many other places to go.

[Eedoryeong]

[DWAEJIMORIGUKBAP]

Well it seems I just scored a GEPIK job in Anseong.

Anyone got any info on Anseong....?

[DWAEJIMORIGUKBAP]

Well thanks for all the replies peeps.

My last day of work here in Seoul is next friday and I will be working for Gosam Elementary School in Anseong City the following week.

I'm looking forward to being back with GEPIK as I always felt more human and secure working with them and I will NEVER (well maybe a summer camp before I leave or pt work) work full time for a private company in Korea again. I took an as job for the low hours but you're just a hakwan Barney again and after 6 years I want something more dignified.

I'm looking forward to the slower pace of life, more greenery, getting back into yoga, studying Spansih a few times a week after school and saving more money and less pressure at work.

And like the title of the thread suggests, I will be making an effort to go with the flow more at work which shouldn't be too hard as the one time I worked in a more country(ish) area before the people and co-workers were a lot more laid back....

Ciao Belli!

[DCJames]

[DWAEJIMORIGUKBAP]

Well folks I am officially now a Country Mouse.

The Anseong job fell through and I took a job with CEPIK (Chuncheongnamdo Education Program in Korea)

I live in Nami Myeon, Geumsan, Chungcheonamdo.

First of all - it IS beautiful here where my school is. Literally gorgeous (if you've ever been deep into the countryside in cheolla buk-do - it's like that) It's WAY out in the sticks...

My elementary school has 31 students and 10 kindy students...! The caretaker graduated from the same school in the 1950's....

They don't have an apt arranged for me yet, so I'm sleeping in the schoolhouse for a few days... Am begining to regret only bringing one book with me....

The school is 12km from the nearest high street. Zoiks. Said High St does have a supermarket and some restaurants, clothing stores, pc rooms etc. I THINK that's where they're going to house me. Lord knows how I'm going to get around and to and fro school.... I think I'll need to buy a scooter with my first paycheck... Better yet do my test and buy a motorcycle, if I can find somewhere too do it... In the meantime I think I'll buy the first cheap scooter under 50cc I can find (pretty sure you don't need a liscence for 50cc - right...? )

Well I'm gonna go with the flow like I said in the thread title and see if I can meet the challenge... Lord knows life in Hbc wasn't good for me...

[xingyiman]

[DWAEJIMORIGUKBAP]

[Hank the Iconoclast]

[oldfatfarang]

[DWAEJIMORIGUKBAP]

Well I've been out in the sticks for almost two weeks now.

I'm not dissapointed.

I wake up to fresh air and beautiful scenery every morning.

My school is surrounded by green mountians, a stream and farms. You can hear animals and birds.

My students are much better behaved and polite than any students I've ever taught.

The food at lunch is way better than Seoul and Gyeonggi public schools. It is fresher (no doubt from the nearby farms, I'd guess) and of better quality.

The food nearby the school is amazing. I go to one of my student's mother's restaurant for dinner and monday I had a huge pan of kimchi chiggae (the same one you get and cook on the table if you eat for 3 - 5 people) which must have had at least 250 grms of pork in it and tons of tofu and 8 side dishes including a huge half a fish, 3 fried eggs and rice for 5,000 Won. Last night I had a bowl of pork so big I couldn't possibly finish it (over 300 grams easilly) with chongukjang, 8 other side dishes (including fish again) beansprout soup and rice. I paid 4,000 Won and they gave me 3 cans of tuna as a gift to take home....

The co-teachers are very kind and polite and leave me be.

And despite my friends worrying I'd feel alientated and bored, I'm not. Now there are less stimulations and distractions around me (casinos, bars, clubs and the like) far from missing them I feel healthier, calmer and less complicated, so I'm fitting in with my surroundings.

[tomato]

Hello, Pork Head Soup Rice!

I found your town on the map. You're right, it's in the sticks.

In case anyone is interested in a small town with lots of gringos, try Hapcheon in the province of Gyeongnam. They have lots of foreign teachers, but most of them don't stay long. They might be still looking. Most, but not all, of the foreign teachers live in an apartment house called Hanmi (Korean-American relations). Don't let them put you there, though. The manager hates foreigners. He recently kicked me out, tried to kick another foreign teacher out, and rumor has it that he hopes to kick all the foreign teachers out. Why he accepted the job, knowing that it entails working with foreigners, I don't know.

The co-teachers tried to find me another apartment in Hapcheon, but the manager badmouthed me all over town. So they got me an apartment in Myosan, right close to one of the schools where I work. You won't even find this place on a map.

This is the kind of place I have been trying to find for 10 years. The apartment is twice the size of the one in Hapcheon. It has a splendid front window view, showing 180 degrees of the surrounding mountains, and it saves me a bus trip to one of my schools. I don't know who's luckier, me or Oliver Twist.

Incidentally, if you want to practice Hank the Iconoclast's Korean lesson, Hapcheon is an eup and Myosan is a ri.

Hello, iammae2002!
Hello, nero!
Hello, gmarthews!

Dog! We ought to schedule a small convention!
I was there from 2002 to 2005, working at Kim's English School.
Last I heard, she has had to downsize and couldn't afford a foreign teacher--unless one of you worked there since then.

The hagweon business must have deteriorated since I was there.
When I was there, there were three foreign teachers from three different schools who got together and decided to enroll at a local hapgido academy.
They did a very impressive demonstration of their skills at the Children's Day festival.

That was the only place in Korean where I felt as if I was locally famous.
Nearly every time I went out on the street, children I didn't even know hollered, "토마토!"

Hello, Steelrails!

[DWAEJIMORIGUKBAP]

^^^^^

Yup I'm definately going too have to pull my finger out and start learning more Korean.

Basic convo - food / money / counting / directions / greetings - was enough in Seoul or Kyeonggi-do, but i'm going to need more here....

Yeah TOMATO apts int he country are way better. Once in Hannam City I had a huge 2 bed aot with huge kitchen and living room, two big bedrooms and a large bathroom with bathtub! Also the panoramic mountian view....

My new place in Geumsan isn't ready yet, but I've seen it. It is in an oldish building, not so pretty and the view is merely okay (mountains in the background, some industrial stuff such as car parks etc in foreground) but the size is the most important thing to me (that's what she said) and it has 2 bedrooms, a kitchen, living room and bathroom as well as large balcony, so that's cool.

[MattAwesome]

I dont know if this point is helpful, but I lived in the boonies in the states. it was boring and awful, so I left the first chance I got. That's what most people do. I really prefer the big city life.
My korean is ok, better if i actually studied, and I save a LOT of money.
I dont remember if you are married, but maybe a 7th year in korea isnt what you need. Why not try another country?