Korean Job Discussion Forums

[young_clinton]

In rural Chungnam, rural enough that the closest town has 500 people in it and the largest city in the county is 15000 people. Also rural enough where all the toilets in the school are squat toilets. They can be very rural. All the rural schools that I saw were well equiped with interactive screens and English classrooms and textbooks. Even with very rural areas you can usually readily get to Seoul or Busan for the weekend.

[Kimchifart]

[Hank the Iconoclast]

I lived in two rural areas. Buyeo (60,000 in the whole county) and Haman, Gaya-eup (20,000). I enjoyed it but that was largely because I was married and my first year was pretty laid back. I got more vacation than the folks in city too. I believe that has changed. The negative things though...it's a pain to get into the city unless you go on the weekends. There are only Korean restaurants. This was fine in Buyeo but Haman didn't really have any great Korean restaurants. The supermarkets are totally Korean. No western food whatsoever and they didn't even have any imported beers. The public transportation was also a bit of a chore and I had to be picked up to go to some of my schools. Lastly, if you like going to the gym, then finding one can be a challenge. Buyeo had one but it was extremely poor and still rather expensive compared to the US. I don't think Haman even had one. If they did, it would probably have only a few treadmills and some weight machines.

[Hank the Iconoclast]

[EZE]

The people in rural Korea are generally a lot nicer and friendlier than the people in Seoul, but the world is smaller and everyone will know everything about you.

For example, on Thursday after work, one of my students and his mother ended up behind me in the line at the grocery store. I was buying a bottle of Coke Zero. The next day, the student was telling the class I buy Cass beer. I chuckled and said it was Coke Zero. He explained the cashier at the supermarket told his mom I buy Cass beer all the time.

The only time I ever buy beer is Friday or Saturday, but the cashier is telling Koreans that I'm "always" buying beer and even letting them know my brand of choice.

Nonetheless, I still prefer rural Korea to Seoul.

[jacksthirty]

Having lived in the cuntryside (typo intended twice now, and also having lived in the city, a rural town is officially 'rural' when it does not have;

A cinema, and either a Homeplus, Emart, or Lotte Mart (Top Market is ok). Oh and a Wa bar as well!

Now I've never lived in a myeong or a ri (god forbid) but if your school is there you should be able to have an appartment in the nearest eup and commute from there everyday.

[young_clinton]

[Weigookin74]

Many so called "rural areas" have modernized somewhat over the past few years. Nowadays, you'd have to live in a place of 30,000 or less to experience real inconvenience. But, when I first came here, I lived in an area of 85,000 and it was extremely inconvenient. It's probably what a town of 30,000 is today in that it lacked most amenities previously described, not many who could speak English, close mindedness, (0(k blocking, virtually no dating opportunities, boredom, not many foriegners, ect. All modern things like electricity and indoor plumbing will exist, a nice outdoor park of some sort, hiking trails, bus service, ect can be found in the countryside.

My old town of 85,000 now, since I left, has a BR, a Lotte Mart, a dunkin donuts, a Wa Bar, more foriegn selection, more foriegners, a handful more of people who can understand at least basic English, prob less (0(k blocking than before (though I imagine still some).

I'd say the further south you go the more "confucian" it will be in terms of obnoxious or arrogant attitudes from some older folks and some who just don't like foriegners. The closer to Seoul you are, the more modern and open minded it would be.

My experience was that some locals liked me until they saw me with a Korean girl. So, if you don't date Korean women, more people will like you in these places.

In my old town, I got lots of go home earlies and extra days off. But I think it's not like that anymore. The schools make the current teachers stay until 4:30. (I suspect the recession has made even rural areas less desperate than they were before.) It was the only incentive I had to stay in my old town was the extra free time. I'm in a much larger city now.

In a nutshell, stay out of towns of less than 40,000 people unless you have either slackness from your schools, a desire to be forced to learn more Korean, you like nature, or want to save money, ect. (Saving money means staying there and not going to Seoul every weekend.)

[korwan]

I live in Buyeo. I have lived here for quite some time. Not so bad.

[Yaya]

[young_clinton]

[aqm22]

[aqm22]

[aqm22]

[aqm22]