Korean Job Discussion Forums

[me_voy]

My recruiter suggested a school in Incheon...anyone have any opinions on this city?? I've heard several different answers on how far it is from Seoul...might as well as for more answers on that question.... Thanks!

[aishiii]

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=incheon+site:eslcafe.com

[SanchoPanza]

Incheon has 3 things going for it:

1/ Close to Seoul
2/ Close to airport
3/ Deokjeok Island

Everything else sucks. It is directly in the culture shadow of
Seoul and therefore there is NOTHING here. 2.5 million people
but no Costco, no microbreweries and relatively few proper
restaurants.

I takes about 40min. to get Itaewon from Bupyeong Station on the
Yongsan Express. But you have to leave the partying early to catch
last subway.

Lots of Thais, Bangladeshis and Indian types here, so Immigration
is overtaxed. Therefore privates a plentiful, safe and lucrative.

[fustiancorduroy]

You are better off working elsewhere. Although Seoul is not the be-all-end-all, there are few redeeming qualities about Incheon. If you are still interested, I would suggest working near Bupyeong. Although I haven't been there in a few years, I remember it having a Lotte Mart, a couple decent restaurants (and a McDonald's), a nice video game arcade, and a foreigner bar (Goose Goose). But really, I think you'd be better off in places like Bundang, Ilsan, and, of course, Seoul proper.

[tanklor1]

I'm currently living in Incheon. I heard a lot of bad things before moving; mainly it being the armpit of the country. but I gots to tell ya' Incheon's been nothing but good to me. I have npo complaints about moving here other than the pollution and while it does lack culture the same could be said of most of the country.

[Cerberus]

everytime Incheon comes up on dave's the usual description is one of an industrial hicktown.

any disagreements?

I almost took a job there.

and I'd agree about Bupyeong. One of the posters here once told me privately there is NOTHING TO DO (at all) outside of Bupyeong.

[tanklor1]

[LemonHead]

I really wouldn't bother with Incheon. You are much better moving to Seoul. Incheon really has not much compared to Seoul for westerners. I really regret coming to Incheon.

[imakemyselflaugh]

Incheon isn't all bad. It REALLY depends on where you are in the city. Bupyeong area is probably the best place to be, but if you are along line 1 of the subway (not Incheon line 1... the real one), there are express trains to Yongsan that are pretty quick.
Around Arts Centre/City Hall/Munhak (Namdong-gu) would probably be ok too. Avoid anything that you aren't right along a subway line (or are far down on the Incheon line).

[beercanman]

Has there ever been a thread about Incheon (and there seem to be many) that doesn't mention Seoul being not too far away?

[rickpidero]

I would prefer heart of Seoul, but living in Incheon has been great for me. It is basically Seoul though. Especially if you live on line 1, you can get into the best places in Seoul very easily. I unfortunately live off the subway line, which is a huge inconvenience. So, I blow a lot of money on taxis and buses. If you can live in Bupyeong, Juan, or Art Center you will be fine. People who say there is nothing to do probably don't have any friends.

[Easter Clark]

I don't get what is so special about Seoul. Is it the black markets? The night clubs? If that's the case, then move to Itaewon or Shinchon. Otherwise, every mid-sized city in Korea has precisely the same norae-bang--hof--Mr. Pizza--Dunkin Donuts/Baskin Robbins--norae-bang--anma--samgyeop-sal restaurant--layout.

[isthisreally]

Where you live and whether you like it really depends on the type of person you are. I lived in Gimpo when I first arrived in Seoul and really didn't enjoy it. I was always meeting girls in the clubs in Seoul and couldn't meet up with them during the week. I wanted to eat foreign food and at restaurants in my guidebook and couldn't. (except for American fast food and Italian). I wanted to do Brazillian Jiu Jitsu, couldn't. I wanted to study Korean during the week, couldn't. The list goes on and on. Then there were tons of foreigners who loved living there. People would hang out at the bars and made great friends. I on the other hand made friends spread all over Seoul. I would say that most people that lived there were on the content/happy side. People even renewed their contracts and left Korea and then came back looking to work in Gimpo. But I wasn't one of those people.

You get the point. So really it just depends on you.

[guava]

[Gibberish]

Someone once told me that Incheon is comparable to a refugee camp outside of a major city, and having been there, I can honestly say it's pretty close. It's a concrete jungle, more than the rest of Korea, if that's possible.

So yeah, there's nothing to do but there's people everywhere and a general air of depressed boredom in Incheon.