Korean Job Discussion Forums

[mmarion1234]

I am moving to Korea to teach in Seoul end of Feb (Let me know what you think of Seoul!! ) my plan is to work for the public schools there and use the vacay to travel around to Thailand, Japan, China, Bali, etc. Do alot of folks do that?

. I love bikes...big bike, small bike, tri bikes, race bikes...and I cant leave my bike home. I am curious as to how people ship bikes. I have a pretty nice bike, so thinking maybe I should fly it out with me? Are there any cycle groups? I asked about triathlons earlier, but that didnt seem too big there..


..but what about a guitar?

Also, what about the apartments? I LOVE coffee...should I bring my own press? What about hangers? Or sheets or pillows??

I dont want to check too much stuff on the way over...I am thinking two big suitcases, a bike, and a guitar would be TOO much??

Let me know your thoughts!

[interestedinhanguk]

Yup, bring 2 big suitcases, a bicycle, and a guitar. The airline won't mind all that stuff. They'll let you do it all for no additional fee.

Bring your coffee press, they don't exist here. Make sure you bring hangers, Koreans don't have hangers.

Yup 4+ countries is fine to plan to visit in your vacation time. You'll still be able to save lots of money.

You'll be all set.

[IncheonTOEFL]

My biggest regret is not bringing my Pro-Flex touring bike on the airplane.

Once you get here, bike wise, you can expect crappy Chinese bikes for $75 and expensive Cannondales (3-4X what they cost in the states). Evemn a crappy Trek costs over $1000.

If you ship your bike after you are here, you will pay a LOT of $. If you check it on-board, it's just another piece of luggage.

Go to your bike shop and have it packed in a box. Check it and when you get here, you'll find the bike shops will maintain it cheaper than in the west.

[50ptoes]

you don't really need to bring any household supplies. Your school should provide you with some hangers, sheets, and pillows. if you don't like the ones they provide, you can go shopping after you get paid and pick out some better quality.

I brought way too many books the first time, but if you're in seoul, you definitely don't need to do this as there are great bookstores and an english bookstore. also don't go overboard on the clothes. plenty of decent shops in itaewon for foreigner clothes, even big/tall/fat.

bring your bike and guitar, but it will cost you an arm and a leg, of course. check with the airlines first.

[nathanrutledge]

The bike will kill you.

First, read the fine print on the airlines website. MOST airlines will let you bring a bike as a piece of checked luggage, BUT it must fit under a certain linear size, which unless you are a midget, it won't. Generally though, depending on the airline, you can take it as a piece of oversize checked luggage, for an additional fee. You might have to strong arm the people at the airport too...

I brought my Specialized with me, and American wanted to charge me 75 bucks just for the bike to go from Omaha to Chicago, where I transferred to Korean Air. KA lets a bike fly for 1/2 the oversized baggage fee of 50 dollars, so 25 for a bike. I had called and was told that the international carrier was whose rules would be followed and I stuck to it, so she let me take it for 25 bucks.

Now, when it arrived, the wheels were bent and the paint had been scraped off, the skewers were bent, etc. Cost me 70k won to get it fixed, all because the TSA took my straps, WHICH THEY TOLD ME TO USE IN THE FIRST PLACE. The box collapsed, the bike was crushed.

Long story short, bring the bike if you want, but it's going to cost you. Either on repairs or on a hard case, and on hassle to fight with the airlines. Of course, if you want to bring TWO bags AND the bike, you're really going to get hammered.

Personally, I'd leave the guitar at home. If you really want one, pick one up here.

[injuredeagle]

Wow, I can tell by your post, you do REALLY LOVE coffee.

yeah, I would be really careful with weight limits. Be sure you check on that. There are some pretty good guitar stores in most places, esp Seoul. I'd just buy one here and then sell it before you leave.

Don't worry about bringing coffee. Korea is in as much love with coffee as you.

No need for sheets and a pillow unless you really like your sheets at home. I brought my own sheets and I'm happy I did because they make this hard bed much more comfortable. But you don't need to. My school didn't buy me hangers, but really, hangers are cheap everywhere. Why pack hangers?!?

The real things to not forget are in this post. It's not the stuff you bring, but the stuff you don't settle before you leave that'll get you:

http://alexpickett.com/2010/11/22/checklist-before-moving-to-korea-or-any-other-country/

[Skylight]

You might want to bring pillow sheets with you. At my nearest Homeplus, I could get a pillow for $3-4, but the pillowcases were like $8-12+. So, heck, if you want to pay for pillowcases that cost three times your pillow, it'll be okay. I had my mom send over some pillow cases, though.

You won't need most household items. I get a few packs of hangers for something like 80 cents or 890W. Not even $1.

Make sure you bring enough deoderant though. What sticks I have seen are pretty darn expensive.

[Redcap]

Re. the bike and guitar :

Baggage allowance policies vary from airline to airline. Some are pretty liberal, while others will enthusiastically hit you up for excess baggage fees.

Therefore, it's best to obtain this information from your airline long before your departure date, so as to avoid unpleasant surprises at check-in.

In addition, your airline can also provide you with pertinent information related to packing, box size, etc.

[Redcap]

Re. the bike and guitar :

Baggage allowance policies vary from airline to airline. Some are pretty liberal, while others will enthusiastically hit you up for excess baggage fees.

Therefore, it's best to obtain this information from your airline long before your departure date, so as to avoid unpleasant surprises at check-in.

In addition, your airline can also provide you with pertinent information related to packing, box size, etc.

[mmarion1234]

Thanks for all the tips! I just dont want to show up at the SMOE orientation looking like a complete retard from overpacking. Its not the clothing that I usually overpack, just hate to leave my toys at home

Are there alot of competitive cyclist around?? I race bikes throughout the year, and was planning on training there...is it safe to ride outdoors or to do you need a trainer?

[oldtactics]

Definitely leave the household goods at home, especially the french press.

Cycling in Seoul is more treacherous than in most other cities, but when you live in a country that takes 5 hours to drive across, there are lots of opportunities for cycling outside the downtown core. I have friends who do long distance cycle trips on weekends, and it's no problem.

I don't know if there are a -lot- of competitive cyclists, but they certainly exist, Korean and otherwise, and it'll be easy to find groups to contact once you get to Seoul. Good luck & enjoy!

[hawkeyz11]

[northway]