Korean Job Discussion Forums

[britneykay]

I'm going to be teaching in Daegu in August, and I am interested in how simple/cheap it would be to see China, Japan, Cambodia, Vietnam, etc. on the weekends. Is this unusual? I've looked at flights and found them incredibly cheap, especially since I live in the US, and flights to SE Asia from my hometown are insanely expensive. I am working at a hogwan and might be able to get Friday or Monday off to stay longer.. Any insight?

[mmstyle]

Okay, this is just me...but I think it is a lot of money to spend for a flight to, say, Beijing, just to spend the weekend. These days, it's not just the flight, but getting to the airport, sitting in the airport, getting through immigration at the other end, and getting to your hotel. Then reversing the whole thing when you come back (admittedly,t he last time I came back to Korea from a vacation, I went from on board a plane to on the bus in under 45 minutes).

I don't know anyone here who goes abroad during your regular weekend *though I am sure it happens).

[jboney]

Yes, it is possible. Last year I managed to travel to Taiwan, China, Mongolia, Japan, The Philippines, and Vietnam on weekends and vacation time.

The problem that you will have is working for a hagwon and living in Daegu. Hagwons usually get out later, so Friday night would be tough to get up to Incheon or Gimpo to get an international flight. I know Daegu has an airport, but does it have international service? I don't think so. Also, your hagwon might not be too willing to let you take a Friday or a Monday off. It's not that easy. I work at a public school, and I was able to take a Friday or a Monday off only because the students were taking exams and I wouldn't be teaching anyway. Even that came with giving presents, doing special favors, and asking very very politely and humbly for the extra day. I think I got 2 of those extra days last year.

Good luck with it.

[espoir]

[oldfatfarang]

Don't bank on getting extra time off (paid or not) while working in Korea. That goes for public school (it can and it used to happen), but hagwons.... never. My hagwon once charged me 240,000 won to take one day off to go get a visa in Seoul.

And don't forget that flights are booked solid over K public holidays. You have to book well ahead to guarantee a seat, but your private school/hagwon can (and will) change your holiday dates many times before you actually get your holiday.

Good luck.

[Kurtz]

Cheap flights?? Where??

You've picked the wrong spot and job to go swanning around Asia. Vacation times are fairly short for most of us, and these days I think twice about going abroad even if I have 2 weeks off.

Try finding a job in HK or South East China to be closer to other Asian countries.

Due to North Korea, South Korea is basically an island, and flights in general are not very cheap at all. Sure there are ferries but those take time, as does all the waiting around for international flights.

Quick weekends away to Japan or China is an indulgence a lowly English teacher should't be thinking about (unless you're a list ticking type of person). Also, how much culture and things can you do on a weekend? Not much.

Better to save your cash for a year, then hit the road.

[goat]

[DrugstoreCowgirl]

I was like you before I came. I invisioned myself traveling to a different country every weekend because everyone talked about how cheap travel was within Asia.

And then I actually got here.

I've taken 1 out of country weekend trip and it was just a spur of the moment type thing because my friend and I were both desperate to travel. We spent $440 for a weekend in Hong Kong, leaving Friday night and coming back Sunday afternoon. We've tried looking for other cheap flights, but they just don't really exist here. At least not on the weekends.

I also live in Daegu. It's usually a lot more expensive to fly out of here, so you should probably only look into Busan or Incheon. But Incheon is really far away, so it's probably not doable on regular weekends. If you book really far in advance you can get a good deal on flights for holiday weekends. We booked tickets to Taiwan for Buddhas bday (late May) back in Feb for about $300. The next week they were around $500. So you must book early.

I'd say wait to see most of SE Asia either on your vacation time or after your contract. Flights on Tiger Air and Air Asia are really, really cheap.

[AsiaESLbound]

The Kurtz is right. I'm saving for when I have time such as when I'm done with this job. I just don't see it having much value to spend $1000 on a weekend trip just to touch my feet down and say you've been to say...Kathmandu. That's nothing more than a short layover in my opinion. I demand more than a short layover for my money, but a real trip instead.

[DeMayonnaise]

Kurt....you won't even leave the country on a two week vacation? Geez...you could make a decent vacation to anywhere in the world with 2 weeks.

Weekend trips, yeah not so much.

[schlotzy]

I'd say the only two trips that even worth it on the weekends are Japan or China, but even then I'm not talking about regular weekends. I'm talking about 5 day long weekends where 2 or 3 days of holiday fall right around the weekend. Those seem to be rare this year

My advice would definitely be to wait until you have two weeks to take a proper vacation or until the end of your contract...you really can't see much in a few days. BUT if you are desperate for a change then:

China- look into Kangsan Travel's 5 day trip to Beijing. I believe it's around 750,000 won with everything included. I did it back in 07 and it was great for the short time. I'm not usually a tour-taking type of girl, but they really pack a lot into those five days--you could never see all of that by yourself in that time. I think it's good when you're under time constraints. The accommodations and flight were also great.

Japan- head to Busan to take the international Beetle ferry to Fukuoka for a few days. Its about 300,000 won round trip. However, honestly Fukuoka really isn't all that wonderful. It's easily accessible and the ferry only takes a few hours to get there, but once you get there..meh. It wasn't my favourite city ever.

[Kurtz]