Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Becka]

Summary: new poster, hubby and I leaving Canada in one week to come over for Hagwon teaching jobs. We'll be living in a city that's considered "smaller" by Korean standards (so, only one million or so people).

I've sifted through the "what to bring" threads in the FAQ section, but I've heard how quickly things change over there in terms of available products, so I wonder if anything's changed in the last couple years (those threads are all at least a couple years old now).

In particular, should we still make a point of bringing our own:

deodorant?
hand lotion?
condoms?
skin products for sensitive skin?
fluorinated tooth paste?
Italian/Mexican/Indian cooking spices? (not that we plan to do much cooking - we love Korean food.)
underwear?
shoes?
video/computer gear?
cold medication/cough syrup?
coffee-snob coffee?

If there are other recent threads addressing this topic, I may have missed them in my search through the boards, so please feel free to redirect me if necessary. Thanks!

[Big Mac]

I would chop skin products and hand lotion off your list. You can get them in any grocery store. Also, unless you're extremely picky the toothpaste in Korea is fine.

You can buy deodorant easily in the black market stores in places like Songtan or Namdaemun. But you might want to bring a good supply until you find those places.

You can buy video/computer gear easily and cheaply in places like techno-mart or Yongsan Electronic Market. You may have trouble finding English software though...so I would bring that.

The cold medication in Korea sucks and so does the headache medication (if you like advil, I've never been able to find it in Korea). Bring a good supply.

Also, bring some large bath towels because Koreans tend to be more partial to tiny, wimpy towels. You'll find large towels but you'll have to look hard.

Also, bring fitted sheets for your bed...they're very difficult to find...though I think I eventually found some at Home Plus. I cursed the sheets they use in Korea...they're always sliding off your bed!!

[kermo]

Re: computer and video gear.
You probably already know this, but...

If you have North American machines you'd like to bring, like a DVD player or Playstation, you will find that because of region coding, you can't buy new games or movies here in Korea. You can't order them either-- Amazon won't send them. If you have a DVD player without "region-free" coding, or a PS2 without a special (illegal) chip, then stock up before you go.

Multi-region DVD players are quite cheap here, though, if you want to leave your stuff at home and save on space.

[Becka]

[TOGirl]

I would say a definite yes to the skin products if the ones you use are a specialty item, you can buy many of the big name brands but I made sure i had a few months supply and when I couldn't find what i wanted I asked my family to send it to me.

Also, I personally find the underwear undesirable, and stocked up. I don't like the toothpaste either but thats a personal preference.

As for shoes, if you are about a 9 (women) or larger you can only buy name brand shoes like Puma or Nike etc.

And I most definitely agree with Big Mac on the Cold Medication/Headache stuff, they do have some stuff, but I would recommend bringing a good supply.

They obviously have more variety in Seoul but in a smaller city you may have trouble finding what you want. Depending how far you are from Seoul you can always venture up there.

[inspector gadget]

If you like spices I would suggest bringing them, I brought about 12 different spices to cook with and happy that I did.

I second the toothpaste, I bring a years supply of it. Seoderant is not necessary though.

Bring some pictures and stuff to decorate with, makes your place look more like home.

I brought my laptop, a must if you like the internet, not having to go to a PC room is awesome. Also I brought my camera, along with a couple of hand held games.

Some say its a good idea to bring some little novelty items from your country to give to the kiddies. I bring I pile of Canadian pins or stickers, I get them free from your local MP's office.

Ah books, english books will likely not be found in small towns so you might throw in a few to keep your sanity.

[kermo]

[cypher]

[dharma bum]

if you want to fix the region problem, there's a freeware media player (DVD, MP3, etc.) available here that should play DVDs from any region on your computer (no switching regions or any of that):

http://www.videolan.org/


aside from that, condoms might be a good idea for reasons of product quality (as well as the oft-mentioned factor of size)

[Becka]

Thanks for all the suggestions! Sounds like what we're expecting. Guess I should also mention - we're not going to be anywhere near Seoul. We're moving to Ulsan.

(Um, so, how far is that by bus and how much for a roundtrip bus ticket for when we want to make a shopping trip to Seoul/Itaewon?)

[Big Mac]

Looking at the map, Ulsan is actually closer to Busan...so you're probably better off going there to get what you need. I don't know if there are black market stores there like there are in Seoul.

Long distance buses and rail are much cheaper than you would think in Korea. They're also very comfortable. A trip to Seoul might be something you should save for a long weekend.

I would say that it is about four hours to Seoul by bus on a good day. It's somewhere between 3 to 400 kilometres away...but I'm just judging by the map and having been out to the East coast on a bus once.

[Becka]

[coffeeman]

From your list, I would say

1) Deodorant. - You just can't find it here. Yes, there are some grey markets that sell it, but you won't have much choice of brands. You might have to settle for whatever tthey have at the time. You'll probably have to pay double the price you'd pay at home. I think you should pack a few sticks. They weigh nothing.

2) Condoms - Everybody has their own favorite brands. You won't find North American brands of those here.

3) Dress Shoes - There are shoes galore here - even ones in your size if you look around. However, most are vinyl which I personally hate 'cause I can't break them in. Leather dress shoes are much more expensive than in North America. Sports shoes, on the other hand, are cheaper than Noth America and so long as you are not larger than Men's size 11, you shouldn't have any problems finding your size.

4) Filter Coffee - This is a luxury because you're bags are probably approaching the weight limits allowed by the airlines. You can find nice coffee beans (ground and whole) at Korean department stores. A bit more expensive than North America. If you have a bit of space left in your bag, you can pack a can of Tim Hortons or whatever your favorite brand from home is.

5) Underwear - If you are petite, Korean underwear will do you fine. Otherwise, this is one real neccesity that you can't live without. Korean underwear is very expensive if you need a big size. Better to buy them at home. Head to Wal-Mart for a six pack.

6) Socks - Socks are cheap here, in price, but also in quality. Most of the ones I have gotten here are pure nylon. Too tight for my size 11 feet. Sweatty and itchy in summer. Get some nice cotton socks before you come here.

Hope this helps.

[Becka]

...another thing, I've heard conflicting reports on voltage adaptors.

Do you suggest we bring an adaptor in Canada? Buy an adaptor in Ulsan? Or wait to purchase electrical appliances once we arrive?

[peppermint]

Electrical adapters are both bulky and heavy, buy them here if you're bringing appliances. You don't need them for a laptop though, just a plug adapter that should cost under 1000W.

The reason why people keep mentioning Seoul for stuff is because you usually have to buy it at black market shops that tend to be around US bases. Im not sure if there's a base in Busan, but I know there is in Daegu.