Korean Job Discussion Forums

[eventually]

Asked for a position in Seoul. Got Pyeongtaek, under the impression it was the south side of Seoul. I've been hosed, haven't I? How awful would this be? Still kind of want to go to South Korea, so if it's doable I'll do it. Otherwise I am holding out for a better job.

[eventually]

[redacted]

[amnsg2]

20 minutes from Seoul, right?
Pyeontaek is actually a pretty good location. You're on the KTX, it's easy to get to other cities; you won't just stay in a Seoul bubble; when you get bored of Pyeongtaek you have Seoul; when you get bored of Seoul you have other cities to visit.

If you asked for and really want Seoul but your recruiter is palming Pyeongtaek off on you, you should tell them. This time round I asked for Elementary, but got offered loads of 'mostly Elementary' positions that were blatantly Kindergarten. It was only when I said firmly what I wanted, and turned down babysitting snotty pukey smelly still-in-nappy 3 year old angels they started to send me the jobs I really wanted. First time around I accepted the first job without checking the city it was in (not the big city they told me it was) and all worked out fine.

Just check where in Seoul these jobs are, Pyeongtaek is an hour but parts of Seoul are just as far away from anywhere fun.

*Edited to add more adjectives

[eventually]

[eventually]

[please note I am not talking about drinking/partying. I'm in my late 20s and quite over that. I'm talking about late night thai food and a movie.]

[thebektionary]

Pyeongtak is not bad. My friend lives there and when I went to visit her it seemed fine. It's very urban. There was a nice big mall that had Western food. Though, at the time I was living in Chuncheon so anywhere was better than there and I considered Pyeongtak "Seoul".

[amnsg2]

If you want to see Pyeongtaek, try searching 평택시 on http://local.daum.net/map/index.jsp

Click the little white robot thing, and it takes you to streetview, usually outside the town hall somewhere in the city centre.

[Landros]

there is plenty on post and songtan is not far which is a little itaewon. also the American troops are moving there so the area will be more and more developed. great for motorcycling.

[I-am-me]

Where are you from? If you are coming from a big city, then Seoul would be for you. If you are coming from some farm town in Iowa, Pyeontaek would suit you fine. I prefer Pyeontaek over Seoul. The US air force base and army base and nearby so easy to get some western stuff. Fast train to seoul only takes about 50 min. Make sure you ask about your apt and if you have to pay the key deposit.

[english puppet]

Yeah, for what it's worth, I'm "in" Seoul and it's still a 50 minute subway trip to Seoul Ctr - a bit longer if you hit things wrong. You'll probably get a lot more space for your money than living in the "center" whatever that is.

Maybe you can get surprised by some small quaint town in Korea but much of Korea looks the same to most.

[eventually]

I'm coming from a city/town of about 80,000 in Indiana. I was hoping to live in a bigger city, though, as I thought it'd be a fun adventure. Pyeong Taek seems okay enough. As long as there's decent public transport and open stores/shops/restaurants around, with lots of 'culture' [excellent restaurants, theatre, music, etc] and nightlife less than an hour away, I'm happy.

[eventually]

amn - thank you so much for that. could anyone tell me how to find a specific address? I have one for the school and I'd love to see the neighborhood.

[blm]

Make sure it's actually Peongtaek though and not one of the towns near Pyeongtaek.
Because of the train station you are not far away from Seoul but if you don't live near that train station and your adding a bus trip as well it really adds up.

As for late night Thai, good luck with that even in Seoul.

The late night part isn't a problem and Pyeongtaek has a couple of nice cinemas but Korean food options aren't as multicultural as some other nations.

[createasaurus21]

Good luck with late-night Thai in Pyeongtaek, I'd guess there are only one or maybe two Thai places there.

[I-am-me]