Korean Job Discussion Forums

[InDaGu]

[Zyzyfer]

Fair enough. Perhaps "wound up" was a bit strong for what I meant. But rather than complain about what everyone else does, I'd rather make a positive contribution when I can. It's like, the person already signed up here, probably in an attempt to gather as much information as possible, so I'd rather help out with that than complain about the tendency - hardly a new tendency - to gush about Seoul and Busan.

Anyway, not trying to bust your balls or anything. I just hope the thread starter hasn't run away screaming at all the banter. I know I for one didn't start even looking at this site until after I had completed my first year.

[Aquaricorndos]

[yeti08]

A few people have asked about Incheon. I lived there last year and wasn't a fan. Though I have a lot of friends there that have been there for 2-5 years and like it a lot.
It really depends on where you are put, like Seoul. I was working in New Songdo (clean yet VERY boring) and living in a dumpy little town nearby. There are different neighborhoods with more to do, but the parks are unimpressive and the architecture is even more bland than Seoul.
Yeonsu-Dong is decent. Bupyeon is better. And that folks is about it. I really don't know what else to say. I live in Anyang now and like it a lot more.

[minos]

I've lived in gangwon-do....great place, but it ignores the problems I mentioned before:


The horribly skewered age ratio: There is no getting around this.

Go to a random beautiful beach in gangwon-do: no surfers, no bikini clad women. Replace it with barbwire, aging hikers, and 35+ yr. old fishermen.

Where are the young beach goers??? Seoul and Busan!

I imagine when folks says "great social scene in ________" They really mean great [i]expat[/i] social scene. And by expat they mean their fellow hagwon workers.

That's not a "social scene"

I generally prefer to mix it up with Koreans(gasp!)...I'm crazy like that.

I also like dating them. Something that becomes harder when 30-40% of the population is over 35 yr. old. The other 40% is under 18.

I've lived in both Seoul and rural areas.

I've driven the entire Korean coast line AND crossed the peninsula twice by motorcycle. It's Florida-style retirement community all the way for most of Korea. Anybody who says otherwise is lying.

Entertainment options reflect this....For example, a city with 100k-200k people likely has zero western night clubs and 2-3 places for a decent cocktail or a western style bar.

A bazillion hoffs, pc bangs, sexy noraebangs, and tea rooms. If that's your thing 24/7 go for it.

[ontheway]

Here is a list of the 40 largest cities in South Korea by population as of 2005:

Seoul 10,183,705
Busan 3,655,349
Incheon 2,590,863
Daegu 2,520,679
Daejeon 1,451,792
Gwangju 1,402,446
Ulsan 1,084,882
Suwon 1,034,735
Seongnam 984,260
Goyang 893,372
Bucheon 854,348
Yongin 677,665
Ansan 670,884
Cheongju 628,150
Anyang 625,426
Jeonju 623,060
Pohang 508,051
Cheonan 506,788
Changwon 504,118
Gimhae 436,640
Namyangju 433,059
Masan 425,903
Uijeongbu 401,929
Siheung 384,693
Pyeongtaek 378,202
Gumi 370,673
Jinju 337,974
Gwangmyeong 330,116
Iksan 320,759
Yeosu 303,122
Jeju 301,206
Hwaseong 288,047
Wonju 286,763
Gyeongju 276,204
Gunpo 275,492
Suncheon 270,416
Gunsan 264,328
Paju 255,080
Chuncheon 254,492
Mokpo 242,166


Each person will have to figure out what kind of place they prefer. Some like big, crowded cities. Big cities with terrible commutes can make your life miserable if you don't like commuting. In a large city you are likely to be put in very cramped housing. Some can find everything they need in medium sized cities. Everything is close by and there is little commuting, work is usually a short walk and you can get larger better housing. Some prefer tiny locales, but you can be isolated in a very desolate spot. This makes some people happy, so to each his own. Some people want nightlife, lots of other foreigners and a modern city where they can have access to a world that resembles home. Others enjoy being situated close to nature, beaches, skiing, hiking, rock climbing, or biking. Korea is small and you can be in the country and still take a short trip into a big city often enough for most to be happy.

It's important to choose the type of school that is comfortable for you. Do you like working days or evenings? Class size and school size coupled with the mix of students will have a major impact on your work life which will be the most important factor in how you enjoy your time in Korea. You can choose public school, private school, after school, hogwan, international english school, unigwon, university. Some prefer public schools because they're safer and have better vacation. But, they generally have very large class sizes, longer hours and annoying bureaucracy. Hogwans have much smaller class sizes and often better pay, but the chance of finding a really good place is matched by the chance of being cheated on pay, or other benefits. Universities are often prefered, but usually have more difficult hiring standards.

Of course, you need to find a decent employer and a good contract.

It's probably more important to pick the kind of students you prefer: pre-school/kindergarten, elementary, middle school, high school, university, adult or some mix. If you don't like your students or can't deal with a certain age group, you will have a terrible daily work life.

There are many other factors: Are you coming to save money, begin a career or just have fun? Do you actually want to be a good teacher and work hard at it or is this a short term lark? How desperate is your life back home and how badly do you need to succeed in Korea? How long do you plan to stay? How old are you and what kind of people do you want to hang with, what kind of activities do you like to get involved in? Do you want to learn Korean and make Korean friends or will you isolate yourself in a small group of English speaking expats? It could be a mix of any of these things. Each person has to figure this out individually, and will probably change their preferences with time and experience after they arrive, if they stay long enough.

[Aquaricorndos]

@ontheway: that's really helpful advice, thanks! And the city pop sizes I think is helpful too for people following this thread. Especially the "what's your age, why are you in Korea, and who do you want as friends" considerations. And of course, to each his or her own. I lean a little away from megacities and lots of ex-pats in favor of more personable friendships with Koreans and some expats in a 1-1.5 million pop. city or the whereabouts. But then again I am also the kind of person who likes local bars and cafes more than nightclubs.

If anyone can say anything about Ulsan that'd be good. I've heard mixed things, but it's the last independent metro-city on the list so I thought to ask.

[InDaGu]

[minos]

I'll put this debate to a close:

Ask a korean where anyone in their 20s wants to live, work, go to school, etc.

Busan and Seoul will be the top choice 95+%

Watch Korean TV. Those folks all live in Seoul or near it. THe culture comes irectly from Seoul.

Tons of countryside folks come to Seoul(expat and korean)every weekend becuase there really isn't anything comparable.

Everywhere else is just a shadow more or less(maybe Busan less so) of Seoul.

The korean countryside is fun in short bursts. College teaching is fun becuase you work 10 hours a week so you can just drive around the countryside all day.

I'd never do a year in a normal hogwan outside of seoul. Trust me, I have friends who did this and they hate the weekly commute to Seoul to get anything done or have fun or date.

[InDaGu]

[Abacus]

Debate closed? Hardly.

You'll find the same threads in Taiwan forums. 90+% of the people say it's Taipei or nothing. Yet I hated Taipei for the two weeks that tried to convince myself to live there. I visited Kaohsiung (2nd biggest city) and I loved it. And almost everyone that I know in Kaohsiung also loves it. And I hear the same things about Taichung and Tainan from the people that ACTUALLY live there. And what I have been trying to figure out is if cities like Daegu and Daejeon are similar to the non-Taipei large cities.

What I do agree about is that I (for what's important to me) will avoid the smaller cities.

[Aquaricorndos]

@Minos and others: I appreciate the comment but need to stress that this isn't a debate over whether one city is better than any other. What I was looking for (I'm the OP) is what people had to say about one city or another, or a province. That may be negative (this place is boring/not enough women/they look at me funny, etc.) or it may be positive (this place has a really cool jazz scene or whatever).

What I'm getting at is that Seoul and Busan are where a lot of the people live and so where a lot of the "action" is, but not everyone is looking for a high-intensity environment. I was looking for what people had to say about other places, ideally in a positive light since it's clear what the criticisms are.