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Korean Job Discussion Forums
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gjwilliams1980
Joined: 06 Apr 2010
Location: Manchester, England
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 Posted: Wed May 26, 2010 6:02 pm Post subject: Arriving in Changwon soon....! |
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I have recently secured a job in a hagwon in Changwon and I have a few questions! Done a fair bit of research but any extra help is appreciated....
1. Can anyone recommend a good ESL in Korea text book or two...good, hints, tips lesson plan idea type stuff that may help me prepare myslef! I know the schools have their own in many cases but it would be good to have some prior knowledge.
2. World Cup...will any bars be open really late (some of the games are on at 3.30am...probably not the best idea for midweek games but maybe at the weekend?
3. Could anyone put me in touch with a local football (soccer) team; Korean or Ex-Pat; preferably a decent competitive standard.
4. Getting around..was planning on getting a mountain bike; nothing crazy just solid and good for the odd adventure..good shops; second hand dealers?
5. I've read lots about difficulty of getting clothes for guys who are tall. Are there any good Korean online stores; preferably also with English language that I could check out before I fly over so I can decide how mental to go on clothing shoppage!
Any help would be much appreciated! |
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Senior
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
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| Posted: Wed May 26, 2010 7:26 pm Post subject: Re: Arriving in Changwon soon....! |
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| gjwilliams1980 wrote: |
| I have recently secured a job in a hagwon in Changwon and I have a few questions! Done a fair bit of research but any extra help is appreciated.... |
Congrats on getting a job. You should really enjoy Changwon. It's quite a happening place, and it's improving in all areas really fast.
| Quote: |
1. Can anyone recommend a good ESL in Korea text book or two...good, hints, tips lesson plan idea type stuff that may help me prepare myslef! I know the schools have their own in many cases but it would be good to have some prior knowledge. |
Honestly, your study time before arriving would be better served learning hangeul (the letters, not the whole language).
It's a good idea to have a lesson ready to go, just in case they take you off the plane and throw you straight in front of a class of kids. Just make a PPT about you with some photos of your house and city, and some stuff about your home country. If you are from the States, I would make it about your home state. Put some music and youtube videos in there as well. The more bells, whistles and flashing lights, the better.
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| 2. World Cup...will any bars be open really late (some of the games are on at 3.30am...probably not the best idea for midweek games but maybe at the weekend? |
You won't have any problems here. It will be wall to wall World Cup as long as Korea is still in it. I hear that some businesses and govt divisions will be closed in the immediate aftermath of Korea games, but don't quote me on that. Even if it's true, I wouldn't count on hagwons closing.
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| 3. Could anyone put me in touch with a local football (soccer) team; Korean or Ex-Pat; preferably a decent competitive standard. |
There is an expat team, but they play mostly ad hoc friendlies against other foreign teams, and the odd Korean team. There is no competitive league system like we are used to. You can't just rock up to a club and get thrown in the Senior C's team. There are leagues, but they are all Korean, and I think they are like work teams, or old buddies. Maybe if you learn Korean you could get on one of these teams.
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| 4. Getting around..was planning on getting a mountain bike; nothing crazy just solid and good for the odd adventure..good shops; second hand dealers? |
Real bikes are expensive in Korea. Your best bet is to try to pick up a second hand bike form another expat who is leaving. Changwon is awesome for bikes. There is a bike loan system and heaps of bike paths.
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| 5. I've read lots about difficulty of getting clothes for guys who are tall. Are there any good Korean online stores; preferably also with English language that I could check out before I fly over so I can decide how mental to go on clothing shoppage! |
I can't really help you here. Korean clothes fit me really well, except for being a little short in the arms. There are a few tall Koreans around, so you must be able to buy big clothes some where. Try gmarket.com. It has an English option. Knowing hangeul doesn't hurt though.
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| Any help would be much appreciated! |
The biggest piece of advice I can give is to learn hangeul. It will be the most valuable three hours you will spend. It isn't difficult. It's about as hard as if you had to relearn how to count. Good luck. |
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shifter2009
Joined: 03 Sep 2006
Location: wisconsin
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| Posted: Wed May 26, 2010 7:58 pm Post subject: Re: Arriving in Changwon soon....! |
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| gjwilliams1980 wrote: |
I have recently secured a job in a hagwon in Changwon and I have a few questions! Done a fair bit of research but any extra help is appreciated....
1. Can anyone recommend a good ESL in Korea text book or two...good, hints, tips lesson plan idea type stuff that may help me prepare myslef! I know the schools have their own in many cases but it would be good to have some prior knowledge.
2. World Cup...will any bars be open really late (some of the games are on at 3.30am...probably not the best idea for midweek games but maybe at the weekend?
3. Could anyone put me in touch with a local football (soccer) team; Korean or Ex-Pat; preferably a decent competitive standard.
4. Getting around..was planning on getting a mountain bike; nothing crazy just solid and good for the odd adventure..good shops; second hand dealers?
5. I've read lots about difficulty of getting clothes for guys who are tall. Are there any good Korean online stores; preferably also with English language that I could check out before I fly over so I can decide how mental to go on clothing shoppage!
Any help would be much appreciated! |
Bikes get stolen quiet a lot here, if you invest in a good bike, invest in an event better lock. The world cup will be on at the local expat bars at the International Pub or at O'briens (the owner might not have his screen back up in time otherwise he has another smaller bar in the same building that will have um on) The guys have been playing pick up games of soccer every Wednesday at the rotary lately, I do know they had a serious traveling team going last year but I don't know if that is still going. Hope all that helps |
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