Korean Job Discussion Forums

[declan]

Hi.. Has anybody here lived in Gwangju either now or before?

I ve been offered a teaching position there in May but im not sure whether to accept.

I don't know what to expect if i move there. Actually the farthest south ive been is Daegu.

Whats to do in Gwangju? Is it easily accessible to other cities- Seoul/Busan etc. How does it compare with Seoul and Busan for example?

I'm in a small city now and i dont want a repeat in year two- very little to do, girls and not many foreigners.

So any comments or thoughts about Gwangju? All comments either positive or negative will be helpful.

Edited by mod team

[declan]

So anybody got something constructive to say about Gwangju?

I see the population is 1.4million so i think it would have all the necessities and conveniences that foreigners require.

Does anybody have any experience of Gwangju?

Maybe no foreigners have been there....

edited by mod team

[hogwonguy1979]

boring city from what I've been told. Just got a subway system. only a couple of expat bars. Only got Outback and TGI Fridays in the past year or so.

My friends down there come up to seoul almost every other weekend they can't stand the place its so boring

[declan]

Cheers for that reply..

I get the picture. But if Seoul is accesible easily enough from there it mighn't be prob. Currently i live about an hour south of Seoul in a tiny city-population under 120,000 people so its got to be better than that..lol

Its going to be dificult for me to find work in Seoul (where id like to teach) cos im not North American.

[hogwonguy1979]

given where you are it will be an upgrade. My friends make it to Seoul in about 2.5 hours via the bullet train

find a yogwon that will give you a frequent user discount and you'll be set

[chiaa]

I went down there a few years ago to visit a friend and let's just say I have not been back since.

[Koreabound2004]

I would say that Gwangju is an ideal place to live and work.....but I haven't been spoiled by living in Seoul....so...

I am in a small village about 20,000 here, so Gwangju is BIG CITY for me, in fact, a little too big. Somewhere around 300,000 to 500,000 would be ideal for me.

I visit Gwangju, maybe once every other month, its about a 2.5 hour ride for me. I have been to Seoul once in my 6 months here.

I think anyone can survive in Gwangju...it's a decent place.

[Styles]

I just finished a contract there. It wasn't too bad, but be warned if you are one of those who don't like staring or constant attention it might not be your cup o' nokcha, although being from such a small town i'm sure you are already used to that.

The cost of living is quite low yet the wages are still competitive with the Seoul ESL market. Its got a huge emart and a few large stores with western foods and products. Jeollanam-do is famous for its great vegetables and seafoods so if you are a food lover like my self, then you'll appreciate these aspects. They are very "country" down there and in some people's eyes, espcially elitist Seoulites they are considered to be the nations rednecks. They are a year or so behind seoul in fashion trends and whatnot but their charm comes from knowing this. It can be rough downtown if you are not cordial and a generally nice person/good guy. But the expats there are cool and most koreans will bend over backward there to help you out if they can, although most are ridiculously shy with using their english. Most of the students i had were really not interested in learning english(i guess this is typical in many places in korea) but concerned about their Toeic scores, so be warned if you are teaching conversation, they'll see no need to participate! . . .So keep it fun, or you'll be conversing with . . .yourself.

Two bars are good for expats. . .Soul Train and Mad Seasons. Just get in a taxi and tell them you want to go to Guemnam-no or shinae(downtown) and then walk towards the Burger King, once you find that. . .start asking for the waygookbars. Someone will probably walk you to them.

Also, there's an international center there with activities for foreingers, the program is a bit under developed, but they are adding new things every few months. This is their webaddress. . . [email protected].

Also, just speaking a bit of Korean, impresses the hell out of them. . .
Have fun.

[Styles]

Also, the trip to Seoul is 14,900 won for the non-stop cheap bus and 20,900 for the express coach. Takes about 3 and half hours give or take depending on traffic.

[Gollum]

Why is it that the 3 hottest girls I've known in Seoul happened to be from the "mountains" in the Jeolla province area?

By hot, I mean tan skin, tight body with zero fat, and beautiful shape.

Is this common in that area? I tend to be most attracted to such types.

On the flip side, I am told that Koreans say the hottest men come from down South, and the best women up North (meaning NK).

You folks living in that area have any input on this? Are the people generally darker? Koreans say that.

[declan]

Thanks for the info regarding Gwangju..

It seems to be a cool place to live. I havent been down south much so its a great location to see that whole southern area (Busan, islands etc.).

Its a large city and also Seoul is only about 3 or 4 hours away which is fine for a monthly trip to Seoul or something.

[natemk]

Gwangju isn't a bad place. It's got great food and the people are really nice. Walking downtown you can usually ask anyone for help (korean or foreign).

Ive only been here for 5 months or so. I did a vacation in Daegu and Busan a week or two ago, and I couldnt wait to get back to Gwangju. I found Koreans weren't helpful and just shunned me away for the most part. I did meet one really nice guy, but he was just there on vacation. Busan seemed really nice, many Koreans spoke English so it was easy to get around. I have to admit I wasn't in either place for that long, only first impressions..

Gwangju has the Big Emart mentioned, and Homeplus which has basically everything you need.

They have some nasty Hagwons here though, which one are you thinking about working in. Maybe I can give you some insight..

[banillaq]

Gwangju rocks!

[the_beaver]

Lived in Kwangju in '98, '99.

Loved it.

[Kimchi Cha Cha]

I've been living in Gwangju for the past 5 months, and have enjoyed it. It's a nice sized city, not too big, not too small with enough Western conveniences so you don't feel the need to go to Seoul too often.

The people may appear a tad rough around the edges, but once you get to know them are really friendly, a lot more than Seoul I've found. The food's great and it's a lot more laidback than other large Korean cities.

I'd like to stay longer but my hagwon here's closing next week and I've settled for Suncheon, an hour further south.