Korean Job Discussion Forums

[kiwikid]

Hi, I've accepted a position in Gongju and was wondering if there are any other foriegners living there? I will have to sort out accomadation once I get there so any information on the city itself would be appreciated.
Cheers.

[indytrucks]

Not in Gongju myself, but I've been there many times. It's a pleasant little-ish town full of history (old capital of the Baekje Kingdom) with a river that runs through the middle, a fortress in the centre of town and a tomb park just outside. I can't comment on the social scene/foreigner population, but I do know ther are a couple of unis in town so there must be foreign instructors/restaurant-bar district. Gongju is about an hour away from Cheonan by bus, two and a bit hours to Seoul.

[animalbirdfish]

Had some Bulgogi near the bus terminal back in 2003, I think, and then departed the next day. Little-ish is right, but you're only a couple hours from Seoul - and even closer to Daejon, for whatever that's worth - if you get bored. Nice national parks in the vicinity, too.

Here's the Wikipedia entry:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gongju

[princess]

[ajstew]

Hi,
I taught in Gongju for two years at the education university there. It's a smaller city, and you'd probably be happier on the side of town near the other national university, since it's larger and has more foreign professors. Making the trip to Seoul is time consuming, and unless you get out very early on Fridays, you'll spend about 2 and half hours to 3 hours getting to the express bus terminal if you leave Gongju from 4 pm or later. That's frustrating. But not nearly as frustrating as it would have been... had I spent the weekend in Gongju, because it would have been extremely boring. But if you don't like clubs and going out, etc..., it could be the place for you.

[oxfordstu]

Bumping this thread because I've been offered a job at a public school in Gonju. But it looks to be a very small town! Are there movie theatres? Restaurants? Bars? Other foreigners? I worry about being bored out my mind. 2 years ago I was in Daejeon, which was okay because there's definitely an expat community there and lots to do. But Gonju only has 145,000 people.
It's a really great job - teaching middle schoolers with 4+ weeks of vacation, and the pay is also really good. But I worry about being stuck in the middle of nowhere.

[frankly speaking]

Gong Ju is the worst. Though it is close to Daejon, it still takes over an hour to get there by bus. There are a few bars in the college area but nothing nice. There might be an English speaking movie theater there now but there wasn't 3 years ago. There is a Lotteria but they got rid of the KFC and any other Western Chain fast food. The students are rural types with low to medium ability. The atmosphere is calm and relaxed but quite dull. If your apartment is close to the school, you will be lucky. There were only about 10-15 Native English speakers there a few years ago. There are quite a few Philipino factory workers and few visiting professors from other countries. Stay away from any Hagwon there. They are the worst but if you get a job at the University or the public school it won't be so bad. The public school there is ok. There were a few very kind teachers at the elementary school but not many spoke English. The real problem would be if you cannot communicate in Korean at all. It is not a very foreigner friendly place. You will be isolated and bored if you don't have someone with you.

The upside. Very beautiful natural parks and historic sites. The museum is quite nice for a small town. The library at the university is adequate. The Korean restaurants are ok and the people are very pleasant. There aren't a lot of problems over all. It is very laid back and the air is clean.

Good luck if you go there.

[hubba bubba]

[oxfordstu]

They're offering me 2.6. The only thing I worry about is the location, which, from your posts, sounds awful. It's not at a hagwon - it's at the public school.

[jaganath69]

[oxfordstu]

Yeah, I've pretty much decided to pass on this one. The salary is good, but I don't want to be stuck out in the sticks bored out of my mind.

[kiwikid]

I'm still here and just signed on for my second year. Gongju is a fairly quiet place (= good for saving money) but my job conditions make it worth it. There are a couple of bars that foreigners drink at but usually people organise to meet up there rather than just turn up and expect to see foreigners there. It takes about 40-50 mins by bus to Yuseong in Daejeon. 1hr 30 to Seoul (depends on traffic). There are 2 swimming pools here, lots of gyms and teakwondo places and about 4 hapkido schools. There are about 12 or so foreigners teaching here and another 8 arrived yesterday for the new English Village (which is advertising a job now with good pay). There are 2 movie theatres. Fast food = Pop Eye (?)chicken, Pizza Hutt, Lotteria, Dunkin Donuts, Baskin Robins. The river cuts the city in half and the newer half near the main university is busier, but it only takes 20 min on the bus or about a 5000w taxi ride to get there from the older half of the city.
I have enjoyed my time here because I have an excellent job. Next year I think I might head into the surrounding cities a bit more for going out, drinking etc. I found it to be no problem to go to Seoul for an afternoon of shopping etc. If you want to be out drinking every night or go clubbing then Gongju is probably not right for you. Then again our foriegner population has almost doubled with the new teachers for the English Village so it'll be interesting to see if things pick up next year. If you have any questions pm me.
cheers.

[Bukowski]

Stu,

I was a little troubled by the negative comments about Gongju. Not sure about the other posters, but there is much more to Gongju, Chungnam, Korea, Asia, and this planet then just drinking and finding expats. That being said, you certainly should find a place that you enjoy, but I have never found Gongju to be boring.

Granted, it's my opinion that only boring people get bored (perhaps I just don't know what you mean by "boring"). Anyway, it's unfortunate that a couple of posters could influence you so easily.

Good luck on your job hunt.
AC

[oxfordstu]

Do you live there, Bukowski? I've never lived in a small town, and I'm not really sure that I would want to. Plus, I'd rather teach high school than middle school, so these were the factors that influenced my decision, certainly not other posters.

If this was February, I might be inclined to grab it, but the school semester doesn't start for three months, so I've got some time to pick and choose. But thanks for your input. Cheers!

[Pyongshin Sangja]

Gongju is the most beautiful place in Korea.