Korean Job Discussion Forums

[nycbabyblue67]

I'd like to find a place in Korea where I replicate my current life style. I live in Brooklyn, NY in a scenic neighborhood with all the amenities I need within walking distance and great access to public transportation. There are plenty of options for recreation, culture and socializing, all within walking distance or 20 minutes on the subway. It also takes me 30 minutes or less to get everywhere I want to go in Manhattan.
I had a contract, but it fell through last week , so I am looking for another job with a late Feb-early March start date.
At first, I was set on being right in Seoul. The recruiters I'm working with seem to have lots of jobs in the Seoul suburbs, mostly a 30 minutes to one hour away by public transportation.
I'm not thrilled with being in a bedroom community/outer suburb of Seoul and have started to research living in Busan.
If I could find a job right in Busan, would the quality of life be better there than in a bedroom community/outer suburb of Seoul?
I'm a single 40ish female who likes to have a drink while hanging out with friends (not into drinking to get drunk), watching live music, theater, museums, and learning about other cultures. I'm also into yoga and fitness. I also like the beach in the summer.

[ramen209]

I'd say try to be right in the center of Busan rather than the suburbs of Seoul.

I live near the center of Seoul, and even though I'm 10 minutes by bus to a really cool area (Hongdae), it takes me 30 minutes to an hour to get anywhere else in Seoul by public transportation.

Even if you are 40 minutes outside of Seoul, once you get into Seoul, add another 30 minutes or so to make it to a desirable location. Plus, buses and subways stop around midnight, so if you like to stay out late, that would be a long (and expensive) taxi ride home.

Seoul probably has more options for social groups, theatre, art, etc. though. So it's really what is more important and convienent for you! Also, in Seoul, you're by an international airport so if you travel, than that's better.

[redaxe]

[Totti]

If you were to live in a place like Ilsan or Bundang it would be pretty good for a satelite city of Seoul.

Ilsan is about 35-50mins by bus to some of the decent areas of Seoul (Hongdae, Jongno, Itaewon). It's not that expensive to get back from Seoul at night if you share a taxi with some friends, maybe $4-5 dollars each and it's a lot quicker to get back at night, around 20mins. You have a theatre, IMAX, quite a bit of shopping in La Festa and WesternDome and enough places to go out for a drink. You can definitely practice Yoga here and catch a few theatre performances as well as TV shows being filmed around town. Plus you're pretty close Gyeongbuk palace.

Busan is cool though. Haeundae, Gwangali, and Kyungsang would be good areas to live in, but don't really have the same appeal as Seoul, apart from maybe in the summer.

[nycbabyblue67]

"If you really desperately need the money or have some other specific reason for choosing Korea, that's understandable. But I recommend doing some serious research on Korea and if you still decide to come here, please don't expect it to offer everything NYC has to offer because you will be disappointed."

Thanks. I lost my job in May, have had 9 interviews with jobs all over the US and have not recieved any offers. Being able to save some money and experience a different culture while living in a modern country with a growing economy seems like a better option than being unemployed in NYC .

[redaxe]

[nycbabyblue67]

[TK421]

[djsmnc]

[VanIslander]

[SanchoPanza]

I read this a fe days ago. Good sense!


Remember "Cohiba's Rule" (Now better than ever!):

Think twice before you live outside of Seoul. "In Seoul" and
"outside of Seoul" are like two different countries. Seoul
is an interesting place with variety and venues for most
tastes. Outside of Seoul you will find a homogeneous Korean
culture. I don't mean this in a bad way, but you will never
find things like: French, Greek, Indian or any other ethnic
foods. Markets that sell sherry, pate, pastrami, ricotta cheese.
Specialty shops that sell Cuban cigars, European pies, cold
cuts or rye breads. Just to name a few things. Also clubs such
as photography, drama, public speaking, sailing are 99% in
the capital city. If you want to experiment with a very Korean
culture, which unfortunately means "closed", then choose the
countryside. If you want to make money and have the lifestyle
choices similar to a western country, then there is no other
choice than Seoul.

The FFF RULE: FFF=Fun For Foreigners.

If FFF in Seoul = 100, then FFF decreases at
1/distance. So 2km from Seoul FFF=1/2(100)=50;
10km from Seoul FFF=1/10(100)=10. This rule is
a rule for nightlife, food and foreign products only.
Nature etc. is on a different scale altogether.

This means you will be wasting a lot of time commuting
to Seoul. This is especially a drag if you have been
boozing on a Friday night and there are no buses or
trains.

I, unfortunately, live near Seoul where the FFF factor
is almost in the negative range. I know!

[redaxe]

[redaxe]

[Yaya]

To the OP, you need to come to Korea with an open mind because most of what you want is in Seoul, and I'd argue that you won't get nearly as much of it even in Seoul as you would in NY.

Certain districts in Seoul have a good feel, with Garosu-gil in Shinsa-dong being one of them, but don't expect Tribeca, Soho and the like.

[nycbabyblue67]