Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Smee]

Hi, I've hinted at this question before, but I'm wondering if I could hear some peoples' takes. I'll be moving to a public school when my hagwon contract finishes and I have three decent, similar offers outside of Gyeonggi-do.

I'm interested in learning/using Korean more and also in seeing more sights and places in Korea (plus in getting more vacation!) I'd like to get peoples' opinons on these areas and help me make my decision a little easier. Please pardon my indecision. It's been a long weekend.

1. Jeollanamdo - The money here is slightly less than the other two places, but money isn't everything. The school board is offering a decent vacation package. There's a lot to see here and a lot of natural beauty. And beaches. I haven't experiences Jeolla-folk first hand, but I hear they're a different breed. I have a choice of where I want to go here . . . I'm leaning toward a larger city so as not to feel so isolated. I do worry about being relatively far from both Seoul and Busan. (What do you think?)

2. Gyeongsangnam-do. With rural and provincial allowances the money is better here than at Jeollanamdo. I've been offered a number of positions here, but the most recent one is in �Ծȱ�. It's a slightly populated area north of Jinju and Masan (and outside of that I know very little.) Gyeongnam is really beautiful country, and the relative proximity to Busan and other towns on the coast make it somewhat ideal. But here I really worry about feeling isolated. (And my students tell me that in Gyeongnam they speak a really difficult dialect, but I dunno.)

3. Gangwon-do. Good money, good vacation. I love the mountains, beaches, tourist areas, and cities. I also like that it's close enough to Seoul to be able to visit on a weekend and stay in touch with people and places. I do worry, though, that I'd be making a mistake by not taking one of the other positions (which is why I'm looking for pros, cons, and tiebreakers.)


I'll be making a final decision in May. Any insights you all could share would make me happy. Thanks!

[jvalmer]

I wouldn't be too worried about the dialect issue. If your Korean is good enough to hear regional accents, then it's a non-issue.

[just because]

I know Haman in Gyoengsangnamdo and it is a nice little place and really not that far away(only about 30 mins) from Changwon and masan that it wouldn't be too isolated from homeplus, EMart, decent movies etc...

They are not any foregners that live there that i know of and it is quite small...talk to ya-Ta boy who lives about 30 mins north of Haman but in the countryside to, he will be able to help you out more...

[Milwaukiedave]

I lived in both Jinju and Daegu and really like that part of the country. Jinju is very beautiful, the only down side is that it is a smaller city with less to do. However, nothing beats a nice spring day at Jinju Castle over looking the river. Take a book with you and sit and read.

[saw6436]

Jeollanam-do. Hands down. Good people, excellent food, very little industry so relatively pollution free. The south coast is beautiful and easy to get too. I lived in Suncheon for 6 years. Now I'm in Daejeon and I miss Jeollanam-do everyday. 3 hours to Busan and 6 hours to Seoul. I would go to Seoul 2 times a year and was always happy to leave. People in Jeollanam-do are quite friendly. The stares and hello chorus you get there have a completely different vibe than in other places.
Also lots of very interesting places to visit that even 90% of Korean people know nothing of. Living in Jeollanam -do allowed me to see the "real Korea" not just some urban blight. How often can you drive in the country, stop at a local farm to get a drink of water and end up eating dinner with the family. Mind you the family shares their house with their livestock. So, I munching on some supurb Kimchee and "Besse" is behind me chewing her cud.
Oh, Jeollanam-do ladies are pretty hot.

[Smee]

bump.

I picked ���󳲵�. Less money, but greater peace of mind. Thanks for everyone's help, and thanks for the informative posts on Dave's as I searched for individual cities and ��. Next . . . we'll see where I'm placed. I gave them my 1, 2, 3, but it's a toss up.