Korean Job Discussion Forums

zenotype · Joined: 24 Jan 2006

Hello all!

I've been reading the information on this board, and visiting various sites to collect information regarding things one should expect when living in South Korea, however I still have some specific questions I hope to get answers to:

My plan for Korea is to immerse myself in the Buddhist, and martial arts aspects of the culture while teaching. Normally, teachers are given 33 hours of work per week, and have the weekends off. So, with that in mind, I wanted to spend a couple of hours a day in a martial arts school, and as well another hour getting acquainted with Buddhist meditation practices. Therefore, I need to find a placement in the right location to permit this, without having to run around everywhere, or making the mistake of planning for something that may not be very practical.

Has anyone on this board done either of these things, or both in South Korea? I am not going there to party, or whatever else... I think, if these two possibilities where available to me there it would be to my benefit. As well, where in South Korea would these things be most feasible? I know Seoul is the busiest place, but I am also looking for a tranquil spot.

Sorry if my concerns are silly, but this is what I plan on getting out of Korea, apart from the teaching experience.

VanIslander · Posted: Wed Mar 01, 2006 5:03 pm Post subject:

Buddhists are everywhere, good taekwondo schools aren't.

So locate a good martial arts academy and work at one of the many hagwons that'll be in the general vicinity.

Sounds like you have no interest in Seoul either. And remember: the smaller the city, the less commute time you'll need between the four places (hagwon, apt., temple, taekwondo).

zenotype · Joined: 24 Jan 2006

Anyone know of any good martial schools then?

I was thinking of going to one of the following locations:

Jeolla-do
- Boseong
- Naju
- Yeosu Hyangiram
- Bogil
- Baekyang
Gyeongsangnam-do
Gyeongsangbuk-do
- Uljin
Jeollabuk-do
- Muju
Jeju

Troll_Bait · Posted: Sun Mar 05, 2006 12:03 am Post subject:

If you want to know about taking martial arts in Korea, then go to this thread.
http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/korea/viewtopic.php?t=53125&sid=18e3af24c12f0ccf7fc7d7ac238e1751

Troll_Bait · Posted: Sun Mar 05, 2006 4:27 am Post subject:

Here are threads about temple stays and/or Buddhism in Korea:

Buddhist Temple Stay

English Speaking Temple Stay

experiences with temple stays..

Buddhism... Interesting Opportunity

Daegu Buddhist Group

Invited to Dinner by Buddists

Temple Stay

Newb question: Tibetan Buddhism in Korea?

Buddhist Temple Stays...

Temple stays - anyone done it?

Temple Stay

Buddha's Bday:Temple drum playing and bell ringing - time &a

Buddhism in Korea

Golgusa Temple

Meditation Groups in Korea

once you've seen one temple................

Photos in Temples

"dae han tea" tea farm near bosung?

Today I went to Beomosa temple in Busan - AWESOME!!

Can South Korea Temples, Beaches Tempt Tourists?

Buddhists online?

temples

RACETRAITOR · Joined: 24 Oct 2005 Location: Seoul, South Korea

Wow, so Buddhism hasn't been totally killed off in this country yet.

xingyiman · Joined: 12 Jan 2006

If you are wanting to mix the martial arts and Buddhaism (as in Shaolin temple type stuff) you probably aren't going to find many TKD schools that do that. TKD is just a sport here much like it is back home. I would recommend that you choose a different Martial art such as Tagkeyon, Hapkido, Judo or some other but I wouldn't dive into TKD as an effort to immerse myself in a true martial art experience. There are a whole pile of different martial arts schools withing walking distance of most neighborhoods I've been in here. Take my advice and do something in Korea that you otherwise can't get back home.

Troll_Bait · Posted: Mon Mar 06, 2006 5:39 am Post subject:

Cedar · Posted: Mon Mar 06, 2006 7:50 am Post subject:

Ugh. Why TKD? You know there --are-- arts practiced by monks, and they sure as heck are not practicing TKD.

Stay in small towns/cities for transpo reasons as stated.

Be willing to do ANY martial art that has a good instructor.

You'll be fine. Just pick the town with a decent school (and 33 hours a week is NOT decent) and come on over. The rest will fall into place. I'd say Daegu. But I'm biased. But, honestly, martial arts are kick-ass in Daegu.

zenotype · Joined: 24 Jan 2006

You're right, I mentioned TKD simply because I thought it would be more practical, but mostly definitely I would go for Shaolin, or any art practiced by the monks. I��m ready to take any martial arts, as you stated I should, as long as the teacher is good.

I've set my heart on Andong, as it is the academic centre of South Korea, hopefully I can find something there.

Pak Yu Man · Joined: 02 Jun 2005 Location: The Ida galaxy

thursdays child · Joined: 21 Sep 2005

Andong, Andong, ANDONG... go there. There are jobs going there too - PM if you want to know more.

J.B. Clamence · Joined: 15 Jan 2003

I don't understand why it is that every single time someone starts a thread expressing interest in Taekwondo, several people jump on and tell them to try a different martial art instead. What's wrong with Taekwondo? I've done it, but have since moved on to a different art, but that's just my personal preference. I'm not going to use my personal preferences to talk someone out of trying something. I know a lot of people who have found practicing TKD to be very fulfilling in many different ways. So if you're interested in trying TKD, then by all means give it a try. A lot of people will try to tell you that if a particular martial art isn't useful for kicking someone's ass in an alley, then it's useless. There are so many benefits to studying a martial art. Don't let that kind of narrow thinking limit your options.

Mills · Joined: 07 Jan 2006 Location: Incheon

Just to occasionally piss-off my kids, I tell them that taekwondo originated in China... Laughing

, there have been some harry moments.

tomato · Posted: Tue Mar 07, 2006 2:29 pm Post subject:

Hello, Zenotype!

Would you be interested in �� ȣ�� (Brain Respiration)?
That's a commercially canned meditation course. It has even expanded into the United States.
Hongseong, in the Chungnam province, has a population somewhere in the five digits.
I worked at a school which was right upstairs from one of their schools.
We had several students who attended both.
(They certainly didn't have a long commute from one to the other.)

Right down the street there was a �ձ⵵ (hapkido) academy.
They were apparently congenial to foreigners, because three foreign teachers from three English schools attended there.

I'm not saying you should go to Hongseong, I'm only saying that it might be possible to arrange such a package in a medium-sized town. Don't accept a job where I worked without writing to me first.

One trick you could try is to ask the prospective employer to scan the appropriate pages from the Yellow Pages and send them as attachments. Most foreign teachers who spend their leisure time learning something new are good teachers, and most savvy directors probably realize this.