Korean Job Discussion Forums

[dogshed]

[Lostone7]

[the noodles]

No one has yet mentioned Busan.... It's a big city, but is it fun, vibrant, cosmopolitan. Should I expect a fair amount of hustle and bustle?

[Lostone7]

[hang10]

Small towns! simple answer dont do it! Think about it, you will be bored to death just like me! Plus if you wana do some privates and your in a Hagwon thats got a hard policy you'll buggered.

Seoul is the way to go, big city. Easy to make cash there!!!

If your looking for a challenge and want to go for a small town, DONT it just anit worth it! Not for a year anyhow!

[hang10]

[charleschiliang]

r small korean towns really that bad?
they seem to have a really bad reputation from what i've read on the board.
As a city-dweller all my life, i've never once been to the countryside and i just thought living in a small korean town/village for the first time would be a refreshing change from the mundane cities.
i'm not sure if everyone is being sarcastic so i'll appreciate it if someone could verify this

[Louis VI]

I've lived only in Korean towns ranging in size from 50,000 to 80,000 for going on eight years, never anything bigger, places with as few as three red light intersections: one an always quiet farming town, one a noisy coastal nightlife community for shipyard workers in a bigger city close by and one a touristy seaside town that closes down by 9pm. I LOVE IT! Cheap frequent buses connect smaller towns with the bigger cities, especially Busan and Seoul. Foreigners are friendly and easy to meet, even if only a dozen of them in town. Locals may stare but they sure warm up to you quickly if you smile and introduce yourself. I can't imagine being anything but miserable living in the crowded big cities with their subways, hustle bustle, pushy pushy, impersonal, status-judging zombie walkers. Really, not for me. But I grew up in a town of 5,000 back home. If you come from a city of a million-plus then you should probably stick to a city of a million-plus. Rural life ain't for city folk unless you've got Michael J. Fox and a pig.

[oldtactics]

I love small towns in Korea - unless you're really in the country, i.e. somewhere with 5,000 people, any town in Korea will still be densely populated with a main drag and bars, restaurants (Korean) and shops. That said, you really, really need to be the kind of person who can motivate themselves to be productive - If you can focus on learning languages, writing, photography, reading textbooks, getting into shape, riding & repairing bikes, researching, etc etc etc, then you'll be fine. If you're someone who judges your self-worth by how many nights a week you party with friends, then it's maybe not the best choice for you.

For a first-timer who has 'never once been in the countryside' then I'd say maybe stick with a bigger city this time around. Korean cities aren't the same as back home. Try a city with 500k - 1mil. - the foreigners tend to still have a few special bars that they spend time at, so it's easy to meet people, but it's also 'city' enough that you don't feel isolated.

Good luck!

[karenology]

^^What about a town with, say, 10,000? Would it be likely that there would be any other foreigners in town? I asked this in another thread...specifically the town I am about to take a job in is Toechon-Myeon, and other posters said it was beautiful but very isolated. But when I look up transit directions by Google Maps, it only looks to be an hour to the eastern edge of Seoul by bus. Is it really that difficult to catch a bus in the rural areas of Gyeonggi-do?

The job seems great; it's a GEPIK job and I don't want to deal with the stress of a hagwon. I don't need to party every night, especially since I'm going to be a public school teacher! But my boyfriend hasn't found a teaching job yet, and I am not sure how likely it is he'll be placed near me!