Korean Job Discussion Forums

[s10czar]

I'm interviewing for a job out there next week and wanted to know the scoop. I know it's southwest and rural.

How do you like it there? How's the public school system?

Ok, here's the real question...Jeollananmdo: Hell on Earth? or livable?

As for me, I could actually use some peace and quiet.

[toadkillerdog]

I lived in Suncheon for around 6 years. It is pretty rural but I loved it down there. Jeolla Nam Do is very well known for its excellent Korean food, plenty of mountains for hiking. Jeolla Nam Do also has some good beaches if you are into that.

I recommend Jeolla Nam Do and if you find it too rural for your sanity then weekend trips to Busan or Seoul are quite doable.

[rowdie3]

No...no one lives there...in fact you would be the first foreigner to EVER go there and you would be treated like a celebrity....or your would be killed and eaten upon arrival...

Of course people live there. It has a big city called Gwanju that has many foreign teachers. Any part of the countryside in Korea is exactly the same as any other part of the countryside in Korea.

[chellovek]

^^^^^

So true. I was in Gwangju the other week and even saw a black person.

[rowdie3]

A black person?? OMG! The locals must have lost their shiznazz over that one.

[Vagabundo]

Jeollanamdo is also known as the hick redneck province of Korea.
very conservative socially, but quite leftist politically.

enjoy.

[tomato]

I'm in Hwasun, which is a short bus trip from Gwangju and has a population of about 17,000.
There are several foreign public school teachers, but I seem to be the only hagweon teacher.
The town has a Lotteria and a Baskin-Robbins.

Gwangju has an organization which offers Korean classes and a variety of other services for foreigners.
The office is located across the street from a business district with a pedestrian walkway.
The business district has a Dunkin Donuts and a Burger King.

[willteachforfood]

Personally I think that Jeollanamdo is the best province in Korea...and no, I am not joking. As long as you live in one of the reasonably sized cities: Suncheon, Yeosu, Mokpo, Gwangyang, or Gwangju then you'll be fine...meet tons of foreigners, have plenty to do (within the confines of what's available in Korea), be close to the beach (generally mediocre beaches, but OK beaches for Korea)....I live in Gyeonggi-do now and it's WAY better down south...for one thing the weather is much more temperate in the winter.

[Hyeon Een]

[Smee]

Whoa, tomato, I had no idea you were in Hwasun.


This isn't 2004, there is a ton of information about living, working, and visiting Jeollanam-do online. You can find tons of pictures of just about every part of the province, and the "what's Jeollanam-do like?" thing has been done countless times here, on other forums, on blogs, and in the newspapers.

http://briandeutsch.blogspot.com/search/label/Jeollanam-do

It's not all that rural--parts of it are---and there is plenty to see and do. Searching this forum and blogs will give you more detailed information. Your daily life in, say, Mokpo or Suncheon will be pretty similar to your daily life in Seoul or Busan. Those two cities have more entertainment options, it's true, but if you're probably not going to South Korea to experience non-Korean food or customs.

If you're going into it afraid of it being "Hell on Earth" or, at "best," "livable," maybe it's not for you.

[Oatmeal Prince]

[Vagabundo]

[toadkillerdog]

Jeolla is very left-leaning politically but fairly conservative socially. That being said my wife and I had very few problems being a mixed marriage.

IMHO the advantages of living in Jeolla far outway the disavantages. I found the local people to be quite friendly and open. During my time there I had ZERO foreign friends (aside from 1 co-worker) but many Korean friends. Here in Daejeon I can't meet Korean friends to save my soul. I just think the Jeolla people are generally open, honest and trustworthy. You pretty much know where you stand with them all the time.

And again, its hard to beet the food. U-lee Restaurant in Suncheon (behind the Samsung building in old-downtown) is quite possibly the best restaurant in all of Korea.

[dyc]

So how does "leftist-politically, conservative-socially" play out in everyday life? I.e. what does this look like in the personalities of the people?

[Hank the Iconoclast]

I love traveling around Jeolla province. Great nature and the best food in Korea. People are also more easygoing in Jeolla over Gyeongsang by a long shot.