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Korean Job Discussion Forums
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InDaGu
Joined: 28 Jun 2010
Location: Cebu City, Philippines
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Aquaricorndos
Joined: 29 Apr 2011
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 Posted: Sat May 21, 2011 1:42 am Post subject: |
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To try to answer both, I am doing my own research in the non-Dave's sense. Of course the posters here are biased to one extent or another, but what I'm looking for are those subjective perspectives to get a sense of one place or another as described by someone who lives/lived there and teaches/taught there. Ultimately I'm sure I'll have a very good time both teaching and living wherever I go, but since I've only been to Seoul I was hoping for some "these are my thoughts" kind of answers on places outside of it, positive and negative.
So yeah, I'm not basing any decision solely on one person's views from a thread on Dave's ESL. And as the OP, I made clear how Seoul, Busan and Incheon are not being considered so posts praising them are nice but do little for me. But hearing what people have to say about other cities (one person saying Gwangju is alright, another saying it's not worth it) is another way to get a sense of life for foreign teachers in those areas, which is part of any good research when looking into where to live for a few years. |
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Aquaricorndos
Joined: 29 Apr 2011
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| Posted: Sat May 21, 2011 1:44 am Post subject: |
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| @InDaGu: Thanks for those links though! It's another way to scout a city, to see what the city has to say about itself. Served you well right? |
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InDaGu
Joined: 28 Jun 2010
Location: Cebu City, Philippines
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| Posted: Sat May 21, 2011 1:50 am Post subject: |
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| Aquaricorndos wrote: |
| @InDaGu: Thanks for those links though! It's another way to scout a city, to see what the city has to say about itself. Served you well right? |
No problem. Like I said, I've been here (in Daegu, obviously) for 3 years, and have passed up the opportunity to go elsewhere.
As far as I know, most Korean cities have a website like that, but I was responding to the previous poster rather than your query. That's why I included cities you are excluding.
If you'd like an objective opinion comparing different cities, perhaps you could only address people who have lived in multiple cities? |
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Aquaricorndos
Joined: 29 Apr 2011
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| Posted: Sat May 21, 2011 1:55 am Post subject: |
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Actually, while an objective perspective would be grand, a subjective view would be good too. Many people have lived in different cities but I figure a few have opted to just live in one. And of course there are people who have visited other places and can offer that insight too, if they are so inclined.
At the end of the day it is my experience, so what is great for one person may be god awful for me regardless of how much raving and praise is given for one area or another. Or the opposite, I could love an area intensely disliked or found boring by someone else. Still though, it's good to hear all voices whenever possible, so that I can try to make as good a guess as I can (and for anyone else following this thread who is moving to Korea) in regards to where I will enjoy myself as a denizen and teacher, and maybe where I will not. |
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minos
Joined: 01 Dec 2010
Location: kOREA
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| Posted: Sat May 21, 2011 6:17 am Post subject: Re: Deciding where to "prefer" to teach and live.. |
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| Aquaricorndos wrote: |
Finalizing my EPIK formal application (the one you send in after the interview) and I'm scratching my head over where to prefer to live. I'd like to take a break from big cities so I'm nixing Seoul, Busan and Incheon, but I'm reading the threads and it seems like that's where all the young folks are! Me being a 23 yo guy, I'd like to be able to make friends around my own age group. Being in or near a decent-sized city makes sense in that regard, and would put me somewhere closer to the true Korean culture and environment.
I get to list 5 places to prefer to live in, so right now I'm looking at Daejeon, Gwangju, Daegu, and two random provinces. Are there any suggestions based on people's experiences teaching and living in these cities, or any provinces that deserve a special shout out?
Thanks! |
It's not a matter of city versus country side. Young koreans generally try their damn hardest to make it in Seoul or at least Busan for jobs, mates, and lifestyle. Leaving only families and old folks....
Would you like to live in a family oriented suburb and/or a florida retirement community? That's about 90% of Korea outside a major city.
The problem with living outside Seoul is a serious lack of youth culture. It's not like the states where one could be happy living in a quaint town with a vibrant beach scene, arts scene, or extreme sports(snowboarding) vibe. Unless you like hiking....alot....
I've seen EPIK schools with some ridiculous runner rates...some small towns are literally 60% over age 55. As for dating if you get a smaller city(under 100k)...
There are some young people usually assigned by the government or working in hospitals not to mention rural colleges so you will eventually meet some people younger than your parents to hang out with. |
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TheUrbanMyth
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Location: Retired
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| Posted: Sat May 21, 2011 8:52 pm Post subject: |
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[quote="edwardcatflap"]
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Ie.g.
Pointing, starring, locals gossiping about you, Principals not understanding Western culture, or insisting you follow Korean, ajoshis complaining when you're seen out with a Korean girl, general lack of respect for foreigners (e.g. poking breasts, feeling arm hair, asking personal questions etc...or insistance you teach people English for free, local women who don't speak English or won't put out before marriage, parents who don't approve of foreign boyfriends, clubs that don't let foreigners in etc.. . |
All of which are problems that can be solved generally by one or another adaption of SNIP/ or simply being bluntly honest about the issue. |
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Who's Your Daddy?
Joined: 30 May 2010
Location: Victoria, Canada.
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| Posted: Sun May 22, 2011 1:15 am Post subject: |
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Satellite cities are best. You can take an express bus in if you want, but there are things happening in the satellites.
You get the advantage of an easier day to day commute/life. Housing is cheaper. You can get a car and drive in your area. Do you really need the big city 7 days a week?
Over the long term I find it easier not living in a big city because you can isolate yourself better. |
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sallymonster
Joined: 06 Feb 2010
Location: Seattle area
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| Posted: Sun May 22, 2011 3:10 am Post subject: |
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OP, I suggest that you apply to GEPIK, not EPIK. There are several nice, planned smaller cities in Gyeonggi-do that could suit your needs, like Ilsan and Suji. Yet, these cities are close enough to Seoul that you can have big city amenities on almost a moment's notice.
If you insist on applying to EPIK, I suggest Daejeon or Ulsan. I've actually never been to either, but Daejeon is one hour from Seoul on the KTX, and Ulsan is one hour from Busan by bus. Believe me, you'll appreciate having access to Seoul or Busan. Korea's two biggest cities have so much going on that the rest of Korea doesn't, like nightlife options, international food, and fun things to do.
Be careful about listing provinces on your application. You might end up in a nice small city, or you may end up in the middle of nowhere. For example, if you get Gyeongsangnam-do (sp?), you may be placed in Changwon, a planned city near Busan, or some village nowhere near Busan or Daegu, or anywhere else in the province, and you won't know exactly where until the end of orientation. |
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InDaGu
Joined: 28 Jun 2010
Location: Cebu City, Philippines
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| Posted: Sun May 22, 2011 4:03 am Post subject: |
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| sallymonster wrote: |
Korea's two biggest cities have so much going on that the rest of Korea doesn't, like nightlife options, international food, and fun things to do.
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Are Seoul and Busan the only 2 places you've ever been?
OP, this is exactly why I said you should ignore what you read in this forum. |
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edwardcatflap
Joined: 22 Mar 2009
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| Posted: Sun May 22, 2011 6:39 am Post subject: |
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| I don't think anyone's trying to say that other cities don't have good nightlife, international food or fun things to do. They're just saying there are more of these things available in the two biggest cities. As you'd expect. Instead of just coming on here repeatedly telling people not to listen to anyone else apart from you, why don't you tell us all how wonderful Daegu is? |
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Lparsons7641
Joined: 17 Jun 2010
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| Posted: Sun May 22, 2011 7:06 am Post subject: |
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| What are some people's opinions on Incheon? |
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InDaGu
Joined: 28 Jun 2010
Location: Cebu City, Philippines
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| Posted: Sun May 22, 2011 7:37 am Post subject: |
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| edwardcatflap wrote: |
| Instead of just coming on here repeatedly telling people not to listen to anyone else apart from you, why don't you tell us all how wonderful Daegu is? |
That's just the point, I'm saying people shouldn't listen to posters talk about their cities, including me. Unless you have lived in more than one Korean city, you have nothing to compare your own city to. Visiting a city for a night or 2 tells you nothing about what it's like to live there. |
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sallymonster
Joined: 06 Feb 2010
Location: Seattle area
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| Posted: Sun May 22, 2011 6:23 pm Post subject: |
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| InDaGu wrote: |
| sallymonster wrote: |
Korea's two biggest cities have so much going on that the rest of Korea doesn't, like nightlife options, international food, and fun things to do.
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Are Seoul and Busan the only 2 places you've ever been?
OP, this is exactly why I said you should ignore what you read in this forum. |
Actually, I live in Suwon, and I have travelled around the provinces quite a bit.
I'm not saying that smaller cities and the provinces have nothing to offer. I agree that smaller cities have their merits. I'm just saying that Seoul and Busan offer things that the other cities don't. I practically live in Seoul on the weekends because, believe it or not, Seoul has a lot of things that Suwon lacks. And Suwon has a population of over 1,000,000 people, almost the same size as several of the metropolitan cities.
I think that living in or near Seoul or Busan is the best way to go when you're in your first year and still adjusting to Korea. After getting the lay of the land, then go out to the provinces if that's what you want. Then you'll know exactly what you're getting into. |
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Zyzyfer
Joined: 29 Jan 2003
Location: who, what, where, when, why, how?
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| Posted: Sun May 22, 2011 7:31 pm Post subject: |
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| Aquaricorndos wrote: |
| ...but still able to provide amenities and entertainment for 20-somethings (I mean, you know, I'd like to meet a nice K-girl...) |
If this is seriously an important part of the equation then, the smaller the city, the more you set yourself up for failure. Larger cities that are not Seoul/Busan should still be fine (think Suwon, Daejeon, Daegu, etc) but any smaller and this will probably become quite difficult.
Aside from that, I don't get why InDaGu is so wound up. Barely anyone has actually recommended their own city. Just kind of in general cautioning against planting yourself in podunk Buyeo full of these whimsical dreams of becoming a guru at Korean and living some sort of idllyic countryside lifestyle. Unless you go very small town (think the town in between three towns that all have one school and you're teaching at all three) or go island (Korean does island life quite well) then you're going to be disappointed.
I know, because I had the same fantasy, and when I arrived in Cheonan, staying in a high-rise apartment in the corner of an ugly grey and yellow city, the fantasy took a bit of a dent. I had a great first year, but when I did a second year there and all of my buddies had done their year and split, it started to really suck.
I think the most helpful thing to do is to divide by regions and get a general feel for what they offer and what you're seeking. Then just go with the flow as far as placement.
Gangwon Province - Plenty of mountains, decent beaches, very easygoing vibe to it all. I've never lived there but it's by far my favorite area in South Korea. Couple of hippie buds lived out there after a year in Bundang and enjoyed it. Very good for short trips, lots of neat little places to visit or escape to. Big cities are Gangneung, Sokcho, Wonju, Chuncheon.
Gyeonggi Province - Close to Seoul. Some nice bits in the countryside, like the islands off the coast, Ganghwa Island, and parts of Yangpyeong, but the cities are bigger than elsewhere overall and traffic is terrible all weekend, at least to me. The bigger cities will bore you if you want something more out of your time here. Major cities are Suwon, Anyang, Bundang, Ilsan, Bucheon.
Chungcheong Province - The northern half is the only non-coastal province in South Korea, I think. I don't have a huge amount of knowledge about it offhand. Very mountainous compared to elsewhere. Only major city I know is Cheongju, which isn't my cup of tea.
The southern half includes the coastal Taean Park region. I spent two years here and saw a lot around the Cheonan area by motorcycle. Feels a lot flatter overall than other areas. There are some nice bits but I wasn't all that fond of the natural terrain. The big city is Cheonan, and everything else is tiny. I'd say unless you hate mountains other provinces are more interesting. The Korean spoken here is particularly slow compared to elsewhere.
Jeolla Province - Not much knowledge. Seems flatter as well. Seafood is more prominent. The islands off of the southern coast, probably many of which are accessible from Mokpo or Yeosu, make a great way to escape. Contains Gwangju as well, which I've heard mixed opinions about. Stronger dialect than elsewhere.
Gyeongsang Province - As said, easy access to Busan, which it contains. I don't know a lot about the area but have heard a lot of great things and have enjoyed my two trips to Andong. Again, there is a stronger dialect in this region. Busan has a particularly unique accent.
Jeju Island - I've done a few trips and love the place in relation to Korea as a whole. Jeju City is a dump but Seogwipo seems really laid back. There's also a very striking dialect used here that can almost sound Japanese in a way. The eastern and western ends of the island have some, at least in my opinion, beautiful landscapes.
Jeez, sorry, I wrote a book. But I recommend just picking the province that sounds most appealing to you and just going with the flow. |
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