Korean Job Discussion Forums

JLE · Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2006 11:06 am Post subject: Touchdown in Jeonju:

Evening people,

Am due to arrive in Jeonju this friday (Jan 27th) all the way from Kent (in the UK) via Osaka - damn, this is going to be a hell of a long journey...

Are (m)any of you fine people based there? I'm due to start teaching there for my first tour of duty and i'm going to need to find some friendly faces, western accents, and beer-paid tour guides!

I'm going to be teaching at the Sullivan-Compukid school.

Oh, and i'm at a total loss with my buying and packing: what really obvious things will i not be able to buy in Korea that i really will want?

Any handy teaching materials i should pick-up that may distract from my teaching inexperience? So far i just have my stationary and reference books!

Cheers in advance for any advice. I await the warnings and horror-stories once again Wink

edit: two other things - is it going to be a major hassle to get a mobile phone and internet access with (as yet) zero knowledge of Korea?

spliff · Joined: 19 Jan 2004 Location: Khon Kaen, Thailand

Do you mean Jeongju city?

xtchr · Joined: 23 Nov 2004

Hi, I'm guessing here, but with you being a Brit, I'd say you'd want to bring Marmite and black tea.

kangnam mafioso · Joined: 27 Jan 2003 Location: Teheranno

leave the reference books at home -- you won't actually be teaching. study up on games to play with the kids. just bring clothes and a few cd's/books. you can get most other stuff on the peninsula. also, valium is good for getting over the jet lag.

kathycanuck · Joined: 05 Dec 2005 Location: Namyangju

Bring lots of your favorite toothpaste and deodorant, a good novel to take your mind off the length of the journey, and some favorite snack/comfort
foods for the first blue days. You could also bring some stickers etc from home as treats for the kids; they'll love them. You can find most things in Korea; good luck and have a great time!!

JLE · Posted: Fri Jan 20, 2006 8:38 am Post subject:

pegpig · Joined: 10 May 2005

Don't forget to pick up your complimentary copy of the Dave's ESL Handbook when you arrive. It's bright yellow and not much bigger than a paperback novel. There should be a counter with them just after you pass through customs. If you don't see them, don't be afraid to ask one of the friendly officers in the area. They'll be more than happy to help you. English won't be a problem since most customs officers in Korea speak fluent English.

It's too bad no one mentioned this to me the first time I arrived. It could have helped me tremendously. I ended up going to the Canadian embassy to get my copy. Good luck.

I definitely gotta concur with the stickers thing. Bring lots - to the point of overdoing it. They obviously have stickers in Korea, but from what I've seen/found there's not much variety and very boring. If you're teaching adults you can probably cut back on the stickers - unless they're porn stickers. Those could work.

JLE · Posted: Fri Jan 20, 2006 10:26 am Post subject:

I detect tongues in a cheeks. Fortunately not my own. Besides, i'm looking forward to my new career for as a British Sticker promoter. Wink

fusionbarnone · Joined: 31 May 2004

I take it you mean Jeonju in Jeollabukdo nearest northern city, Daejeon. That's a nice medium sized city.

The ravers hang at Jukebox and Music Bank (as an aside, broke a tooth on fried mandoo. The cute dentista whilst hovering whirlling drill above my eye looked at me and said; "do you remember me, Jukebox?" she did an excellent job/new tooth for 100k). The main frequented bar happens to be Deepin. www.deepin.co.kr

The best food is in this part of the country.

The best kimchi/radish in Korea can be found at a 24 hr kalbi tang restaurant around the corner from Deepin. Had this stuff imported into China. It's that good.

The best, dos sult bebampup(romanized it for you) can be found up from cinema street(street where the cinemas start). There's a chinese entrance on the opposite side of the main road. Walk along cinema st. and the restaurant is on your left and has delivery motorcycles outside. The peckbun(side dishes) is the best anywhere.

As I mentioned before, the city is medium, the pace is pleasant, taxi drivers very friendly.

It's an almost homely, welcoming place.

You'll like it.

JLE · Posted: Sun Jan 22, 2006 6:44 am Post subject:

Thanks for the snapshot fusionbarnone, much appreciated, feeling quite positive about the prospect now. Very Happy

Take off is T-60hrs...

skookum · Joined: 11 Mar 2005

Are you misshapen in any way (by Korean standards which are not necessarily those of Westerners.) For an answer to this look at a group of Koreans (or other East Asians) then look at yourself. If there is a difference in size or shape, you may have problems getting clothes that fit you, at least outside of Seoul. Bring a few extras. If you have big feet bring enough shoes. If there's something you can't live without, bring it. But in actuality, no one knows for everything until it's too late. So bring adaptability and patience.

Jeonju's not a bad city, you coulda done lots worse. People are friendly there. Good public markets if you like to cook. Good restaurants if you don't. Supermarkets, department stores, mountains not far if you are into the out-of-doors, with reasonable public transport. Have fun!

fiveeagles · Joined: 19 May 2005 Location: Vancouver

I like it.

2 hours away from Seoul,
45 mins from the Ocean,
30 mins from National Parks,
30 mins from Moju Ski Mountain,
Reasonable shopping,
Good food,
I have found a good church if you are interested in that kind of thing,

There is supposedly a good foreigner crowd in Ik-San. It is supposedly well organized and into doing a lot of things. A few weekends ago, my friends went and played some rollerblade hockey over there.

The basketball scene here is great! Lots of good players and wanting some good competition. Dunking in games. It's a lot of fun.

I guess it depends on your attitude. I hope you have a great time!!