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GoingBackOrElse
Joined: 23 Feb 2005
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 Posted: Wed Feb 23, 2005 3:13 pm Post subject: Newbie questions... please help |
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Hail and Well Met,
My name is Dennis (SWM/27), and I'm sure you have already figured out that I have a desire to teach english "on the ROK". I have some history with the place (having been stationed there for about 15 months), but alas I was stationed in Camp Hovey (To-Kiri is not Korea! God bless Jong Mings Piano Bar though). I did get many chances to explore places outside of my "holding area", and not all of them revolved around drinking, sex and... well... drinking some more. For myself, to be lost in Korea is to be between Heaven and Earth. Anyway...
I have finally finished my degree (philosophy... no chuckles either! I'm damn proud of what I studied and look upon Western philosophy as a stand alone religion in itself... I've been facinated by it from adolesence. I WILL BE PUBLISHED!). I have no real qualifications as a teacher (outside of some tutoring), but none the less I feel armed enough to be able to function and be productive in a Hagwon.
Now the question is where do I start looking for schools? I don't want to live in Seoul nor anywhere even near "2ID land!" (see holding area above). I've heard lots of good things about Busan, and frankly I would love to live by an ocean again. Is Ulsan just as nice of a place? Masan? And if these places are decent places to live, work and have a little fun in, can I in fact expect the same kind of services I would find in Seoul? Like high speed I-net, decent shopping, laundry service... that ones real important to me since I have read that most apparts. don't have dryers and I hate washing my own clothes. Are there at least laundry mats? I don't remeber seeing any up in the north country.
And on the topic of apparts., I know that a Pyong (whatever) is about 36ft2, so about how many pyong is the average studio teachers get hooked up with? Are there any websites you may know of that post pics of apparts.?
Finally, if there are any individuals in these areas (or any other nice areas I'm unaware of) reading this and would perhaps be wiling to engage me in some e-mail dueling: helping me find a good school without getting scammed, answerring basic questions and just generally helping me in my recon work... I would really appreciate it. Take you out for a night of drinking when I get there! What do you say?
Sorry for the wordy post and all too many parenthetical references,
Dennis B. Phoenix, AZ - USA
[email protected] |
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kangnam mafioso
Joined: 27 Jan 2003
Location: Teheranno
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| Posted: Wed Feb 23, 2005 4:08 pm Post subject: |
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Pusan has everything that Seoul has. Why are you against living in Seoul? Traffic and pollution/crowds are just as bad in Pusan. Not sure about the smaller towns. I've never wanted the "only waegook in the village" experience.
Every town in Korea has high speed internet cafes that are open 24hrs and faster than you get back home for about $1 an hour.
Self-service laundry mats are almost non-existent. Dry cleaner shops are everywhere and cheap (a little more expensive if you want things pressed). Most people wash their clothes in machines in the apartment buildings and dry them on a rack.
For your job search, start with the "Korea Job" section of this site and research different places. Try to talk to current teachers to make sure everything is legit or ... just wing it. You'll want .... no less than 2 million won/30hrs week/ single housing/ 2 wks paid vacation/ roundtrip airfare. I would seriously reconsider working in the small towns. Good luck, Plato. |
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desultude
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Location: Dangling my toes in the Persian Gulf
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| Posted: Wed Feb 23, 2005 4:12 pm Post subject: |
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Your interest sounds well thought out and sincere, so I hope you get some good responses fron the area you are interested in. You might want to post this on the teaching board, though.
I am in Daegu, so not really in one the the places that interests you. Personally, though, If I had my choice of places to live it would be either Busan or Seoul. (I have a really good job in Daegu, so I can't bring myself to quit and move.)
Good Luck |
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canuckistan
Mod Team
Joined: 17 Jun 2003
Location: Training future GS competitors.....
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| Posted: Wed Feb 23, 2005 4:34 pm Post subject: |
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| I would love to live by an ocean again. |
Van Islander should be along soon to tell you about Geoje-do |
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GoingBackOrElse
Joined: 23 Feb 2005
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| Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2005 8:39 am Post subject: |
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just trying to get myself back to the top folks.... fishing for some love! come on... how many ft2 for an average studio where you guys are at (wherever that may be)
its ok, ya'll can answer... i dont't bite |
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cellphone
Joined: 18 Feb 2004
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| Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2005 8:53 am Post subject: |
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| i understand Captain Kirk is in the Ulsan area. he said it's alot less heavily populated than the upper Korea region. he seems to like to inform others from time to time. |
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panthermodern
Joined: 08 Feb 2003
Location: Taxronto
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| Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2005 9:38 am Post subject: |
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I suggest posting your resume on this and other websites expressing your interest in working in Korea.
I would look VERY carefully at the responses you get and fully research and check the schools as much as possible.
The majority of the responses you get from posting your resume will come from recruiters and should be looked at very carefully.
However, you might get an offer that you will like.
If they approach you, you have more leverage to negociate. |
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VanIslander
Joined: 18 Aug 2003
Location: Geoje, Hadong, Tongyeong,... now in a small coastal island town outside Gyeongsangnamdo!
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| Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2005 11:46 am Post subject: |
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| kangnam mafioso wrote: |
| Pusan has everything that Seoul has. Why are you against living in Seoul? Traffic and pollution/crowds are just as bad in Pusan. |
I disagree strenuously. Busan can be quite nice and not too overwhelming in size, especially if you live somewhere between nam-po-dong and hae-un-dae .
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| Not sure about the smaller towns. I've never wanted the "only waegook in the village" experience. |
It's wonderful. It has its advantages. And one won't be the only foreigner: there's too much competition in the hogwan industry for that. So if you get along with pretty much anybody then the small town experience can be quite positive.
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| Every town in Korea has high speed internet cafes that are open 24hrs and faster than you get back home for about $1 an hour. |
Yeah. If there's anything more than a corner store in town, there'a a PC room. It's that ubiquitous.
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| Self-service laundry mats are almost non-existent. |
I have yet to see one.
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| Dry cleaner shops are everywhere and cheap (a little more expensive if you want things pressed). |
Cheap, cheap, cheap. A buck to dryclean a shirt or dress pants. It beats havin' to iron.
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| Most people wash their clothes in machines in the apartment buildings and dry them on a rack. |
Koreans keep their clothes and apartments very clean.
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| For your job search, start with the "Korea Job" section of this site and research different places. |
I recommend www.pusanweb.com and click on the classified section. There are presently over 300 job offers there!
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| Try to talk to current teachers to make sure everything is legit |
I did. I didn't even consider institutes unless I could talk to past foreign teachers on the phone. The recruiter got the message and hooked me up with a hagwon that was willing to do so. Now I am happily into my third year with a great staff.
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| or ... just wing it. |
Not such a bad idea, as long as you build a great relationship of respect and tolerance with your employer, work hard and smile when in difficult situations, and be firm about your need to get paid (and be willing to put up with a lot of hassles that can come with some bad positions).
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| You'll want .... no less than 2 million won/30hrs week/ single housing/ 2 wks paid vacation/ roundtrip airfare. |
Two weeks vacation? Darn. My small hagwon has no one to replace me so I only get one week off, when the local shipyard workers have their summer vacation. Many small hagwons give two weeks: at the end of the contract!! But, other than that, the above pay and working conditions seem standard to me too.
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| I would seriously reconsider working in the small towns. |
So that you could spend an hour a day commuting underground and in crowded buses, get pushed around often, yelled at, see people spitting everywhere???? (I went over six months before I saw that practice here, outside of big cities).
No thanks.
I think small towns are ideal for one's first six months, especially if one plans on being in Korea for two years or more. It takes months to adjust to the local habits and conditions, one's job and the new things to see and do. After four to six months though, the rest of one's first year will be as pleasurable as one makes it: it depends on what one wants. In a small town there is no shortage of dinner invites and other activities like hiking, sightseeing, bowling, billiards, etc that you will be offered if you are open to it and develop a reputation (easy to do in towns - word travels surprisingly fast) as a friendly guy who likes Korea and Koreans. |
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VanIslander
Joined: 18 Aug 2003
Location: Geoje, Hadong, Tongyeong,... now in a small coastal island town outside Gyeongsangnamdo!
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| Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2005 11:57 am Post subject: |
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| I've heard lots of good things about Busan, and frankly I would love to live by an ocean again. Is Ulsan just as nice of a place? Masan? |
Ulsan stinks, literally. And Masan is the ugliest city in the otherwise beautiful southeastern province of Gyeongsangnamdo.
If you want the feel of a town and the beauty of the ocean, I recommend Tongyeong, Geoje, Jinhae, even Changwon. There's a nice river through Jinju, and it's not far from the ocean (and is close to Jiri National Park too).
Farther from Busan is Tongyeong or Yeosu. But it may not be for you, maybe too rural, because you haven't mentioned Jeju Island as an option: a lot of ocean there, decent sized city for the basics, small towns, but a long way from Busan and other big cities.
Feel free to PM me anytime.
I'm 40 minutes by ferry south of Busan, on Geoje Island. |
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ajuma
Joined: 18 Feb 2003
Location: Anywere but Seoul!!
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| Posted: Fri Feb 25, 2005 7:32 am Post subject: |
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Geez...I've got to disagree with VanIslander again! (Guess it's because he didn't respond to my PM!  )
Ulsan, while SOME areas stink SOMETIMES...it's a lot better than it used to be! Ulsan is my "Korean hometown". I was there long before World Cup (2002) and the air pollution was REALLY bad...even far outside of town. But I recently revisited and was amazed at the change in the place. Almost no pollution...lots of places to walk/bike/hike, and a very supportive "teacher" community.
If you're looking for a "big city life" with a "small-town feeling", Ulsan is the place! |
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GoingBackOrElse
Joined: 23 Feb 2005
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| Posted: Fri Feb 25, 2005 10:40 am Post subject: |
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Well, I posted my resume on this site (if you want to call it such), and though I wasn't expecting the glory of Rome to spring up before my eyes overnight, I was kinda hoping for at least a greedy recriuter to e-mail me back by now. Perhaps I should recast my net into a larger lake. Anyone some other good sites where I can post my shiznit?
shiznit...only in America! Ebonics... the german of the new world... fo shnizzle! (or would that be schnizzlen?)
And again folks (sticking with the germanic theme), thanks for all your help. |
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panthermodern
Joined: 08 Feb 2003
Location: Taxronto
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| Posted: Fri Feb 25, 2005 10:48 am Post subject: |
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Super secret PM message sent ...
Check your in box. |
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ajuma
Joined: 18 Feb 2003
Location: Anywere but Seoul!!
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| Posted: Fri Feb 25, 2005 5:13 pm Post subject: |
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| I think you need to be a little more pro-active. ONLY posting your resume doesn't help much. Have you contacted any schools and applied? There are currently over 400 job listings...sure ONE will be what you're looking for! |
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VanIslander
Joined: 18 Aug 2003
Location: Geoje, Hadong, Tongyeong,... now in a small coastal island town outside Gyeongsangnamdo!
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| Posted: Fri Feb 25, 2005 5:25 pm Post subject: Re: Newbie questions... please help |
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| GoingBackOrElse wrote: |
| I have finally finished my degree (philosophy... no chuckles either! |
No snickers from this philosophy grad.
You may want to PM the new user "plutocracy". He too is just finishing that major and is coming to Korea in the spring. |
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