Korean Job Discussion Forums

[klue_sedgrib]

Hey Guys,

I have been offered jobs in both Osan and Daegu. I heard that Osan is like 40 mins away from Seoul which would be convenient, but Daegu also sounds like it has everything I need.

The hagwon in Osan is like 9am -7pm and the one in Dageu is brand new, less hours and more free time. Both are the same salary.

Any thoughts on either would be much appreciated.

Thanks!!

[overdrive2023x]

Got a few friends in Osan. They go to Seoul like Thursday-Sunday. It's on the Line 1 Express train route, so you should be able to get to Seoul pretty in about 30 mins. There's a US base there though, which can be good or bad for some people.

If you're American though, and make friends, they could walk you on so you could go shopping for western stuff, and indulge in western sized portions of fast food.

[Skippy]

I would go with Daegu. Sometimes even close to Seoul is NOT close to Seoul. Having to take a train, wait for train, trip in. Plus the train does not run all the time. Sometimes you might be stuck with getting a taxi which can be a touch pricey. If you like young dumb and full of cum young men then go with Osan. (not to disparage the Military, just the general behavior, ESL teachers are similar but less full on.). It all depends on how you are going to be spending your free time. If you are a night time person then Osan might be okay. If you are a laid back person who goes out once in a while then Daegu.

Daegu has it's own US military too. Daegu is a city with the proper amenities. Plus it has it's own waygook night time fun. Or Korean whatever floats your boat.

Plus for newbies in a city is a good start. Osan is not a a bigger city.

Well OP what are you looking for and how do you see yourself spending your time?

[YTMND]

Depends if you want to live in the south or north. Do you want to go to Busan or Seoul? If you want to go to Seoul more often, Daegu is NOT a good choice. Yes, it's possible, but what happens when you get to Seoul? The subway stops working and you'll be caught. Instead, go to Osan, and you can take line 1 in less time.

[soomin]

I live in Daegu, and like all cities, it depends on where in Daegu you'll be~ I first got a job in Chilgok and was in the slums with no access to the subway system, and 45 minutes or more to get to the downtown area by express bus. Now I'm in Suseong-gu, which is the rich part of town. Not too far from the downtown area, and tons of Western restaurants and amenities while not being too noisy at night. If you live in the downtown area, you can experience big city life and be surrounded by neon lights and have tons of fun in the foreigner scene~

I love Daegu~~ Also, by fast train it is less than 2 hours to Seoul (but it is around 80,000 won round trip) and by slow train 4+ hours (but half the cost). Daegu is really close to Busan and Daejeon, as well as cultural cities like Gyeongju as well. Busan has an airport to Jeju Island, so getting there isn't too hard, either. Daegu is a big city without the rat race lifestyle. Seoul is flooded with people and much more difficult to navigate than Daegu... I've never been to Osan, but everyone always says... "close to Seoul" is not Seoul. I think it would be better to be in a big city than to be near one, but that's just my feeling~ I rarely go to Seoul, and when I do it's just to go clothing shopping (there's no Forever 21 or H&M in Daegu, but other than that, Daegu has all I need)

[tanklor1]

I spent a year in Osan. It's an okay place. I did enjoy the easy access to Seoul. They also have a couple of express buses that head in there as well.

[young_clinton]

Osan, It's very close to Seoul, which you will want to go to on the weekends.

[warmachinenkorea]

[amcnutt]

Like some people said, it depends on your priorities. Osan is closer to Seoul, if that's a big deal for you. It still takes a while to get there, but closer than Daegu is.
You mentioned both have the same salary, so that's not a factor. I would personally go with the school with less hours and more free time. Not that I'm lazy, I've just worked long hours at hagwons in the past and after a while it can be a bit draining, even if you enjoy it.

[Tyshine]

[luckylady]

so far all anyone has mentioned is the location - but OP - you have a red flag going off and you don't even see it - a brand new hakwon with a NET who hasn't been in Korea yet is a questionable situation.

that is, brand new - how much experience does the owner have and who is running the hakwon? many people start hakwons as business opportunities with NO education background whatsoever - what do you know about the people working there? experience-wise? have they even worked with NETs before? if not, they won't have a clue as to what kinds of issues you'll be dealing with. do they even have students yet? really, this might be an issue, some think as soon as the NET arrives, students come like manna from heaven.

the hours are also very long at the Osan one, how much do they want to pay you for a 10 hour shift? is that Poly?

in general, location should be considered only after you've found a decent position; the good and the bad ones are all over.

[soomin]

[Pa Jan Jo A Hamnida]

Daegu is dire. DongDaegu Station is cool though. Can't comment on the other location.

[young_clinton]

[YTMND]

Another way to look at it is, I would rather take a crappy job near Seoul than a crappy job in Daegu. If you are going to be that close to Busan, why not take a crappy job in Busan? For that reason, a Daegu offer would have to be above average (good hours, really good pay, and good apartment). Otherwise, you are not really getting any benefit from living between the major cities. Daejeon would be a better choice. You could also visit Jeju and Gwangju.