Korean Job Discussion Forums

[uofagirl]

So I'm finishing up my second year at the same company in Seoul. I visited Ilsan for the first time today(I know, pretty sad it took two years huh?) and fell in love with the area(near Lake park). The fresh air, the park, the shopping area(can't remember the name but it's across from the concrete square/park area), and just the general vibe really impressed me. Now I'm considering looking for a public school position out there for September.

There are several things that I'm pondering and although the decision is ultimately on me, it'd be nice to hear some other people's opinions.

The company I currently work for also has a very successful kindergarten school. I have been offered a position there for September. The hours are 9:20-12:20 and 1-2:20 Monday to Friday. The perks include a 2.5 million salary(since it'll be my third year with the company), a 1 month paid vacation and all the other standard clauses. The school is in an awesome part of Seoul and my apartment is great. It'd definately be much easier to stay as moving will be a huge pain as well as finding a new job(looking at after school programs at the moment). The problem is that I'm just not sure if I want to teach kindy. I know I can do it but I enjoy elementary aged students a bit more.

So after visiting Ilsan, I'm extremely interested in moving out there(love Haebangchon for the proximity to everywhere else in Seoul but that's about it). Fortunately/unfortunately, after reading a lot of the literature out there on the GEPIK program, I am definately more weary of stepping into the unknown. I know several recruiters are hiring for Ilsan right now and that now would be the perfect time to go for it. Aside from the positives of Ilsan listed above, I think working in a public school would be a great experience for me as I plan on heading over to Hong Kong next year to work in a public school(yes, I have a B.Ed). I guess the negatives to GEPIK is that it pays less, there's less vacation, the hours are longer(not teaching hours but hours in school), and some disorganization that seems to be taking place within the Gyeongi Education Office(I'm also aware that the experience one has largely depends on the school and co-teacher)

I'm really torn about what to do. My salary does matter to me and an extra 300 000/month a year is a substantial difference over the year(though loving my job as opposed to just liking it is nice too). The vacation isn't that big of a deal and I guess the hours needed to be there is reasonable. So what should I do? After re-reading this post several times, I'm really still up in the air. If anybody has any additional insight on this situation, please share.

[OCOKA Dude]

[SeoulFinn]

I used to live six months between La Festa and the Lake Park. I liked Ilsan (Jeongbalsan was my subway stn.) a lot more than Sillim-dong where I lived for 2 years. Ilsan is modern, clean, quiet (for Korea ) and the buildings are in pretty good shape because they are relatively new. Ilsan has pretty good selection of stores and coffee houses and couple department stores as well. And if you like to jog or ride a bike the Lake Park is good place for that. Too bad that you aren't allowed to swim on the lake, though!

In case you want to go to Seoul the subway is pretty good, but they also have many busses running as well. For example, I think it was bus number 9700 that goes to Gangnam in an hour or so. Which isn't that bad considering the distance and traffic. In case you miss the last subway the taxi isn't that expensive either.

If you decide to move to Ilsan, I'm pretty sure that you'll like the area as much as I did!

[uofagirl]

SeoulFinn, that's exactly where I would like to live. I noticed there were a ton of officetels on the main road facing the lake. It's a really nice area, perfect for jogging, rollerblading, and taking a stroll(all of which I enjoy). It would also be great on rainy days because La Festa is so close. It's such a modern/trendy shopping area.

I'm still up in the air about what to do. Was it easy to make friends, Korean or otherwise, there? All of my friends live in Seoul(most only ten minutes away from me by taxi) and that would definately be a drawback to moving there. Did you work for a public school or a hagwon? Did you usually go into Seoul for the nightlife on weekends? Sorry with all the questions but I'm really interested in moving there but obviously I'm still weighing the pros and cons. Thanks again!

[SeoulFinn]

Yes, the officetels facing the Lake Park are really nice. Nice and a bit pricey. I lived in "Hallamillat" (한라밀라트) just between the mall and the park. I'm not sure if "Lakepolis" (레이크폴리스 II or III) is officetel or not, but I know that they have a gym, sauna and pool as well. Definitely worth checking out!

Was it easy to make make friends?
Yes, but I think that depends on the person. If you make friends in Seoul I'm sure you'll make them in Ilsan as well. Anyway, there are guite many foreigners around there as well. Try Starbucks or any popular drinking venue and... voila!

Did you work for a public school or hagwon?
As a non-native English speaker -I'm just a Finn after all- I'm not qualified to work on that field. Besides I was too busy conducting research for my Master's Thesis (Korean Studies)... and thinking if I should go for a PhD after that.

Did you usually go into Seoul for the nightlife?
Not that often. Sometimes I went there to meet some friends, but most of the time I became thirsty I stayed near home. Ilsan has zillions of small bars and nightclubs worth visiting.

Sorry that I can't help you as much as I'd like to. Maybe you should contact "Ilsanman" from these forums. He might still live and work in the neighborhood and be bigger help to you than I could ever be. Take care and good luck!

[OCOKA Dude]

Speaking of Ilsan (actually Goyang -- Ilsan is within the city of Goyang), it was ranked in this week's "NewsweeK" as one of the top 10 small cities in the world. Interesting how this area has been neglected for so long (mostly due to the fact that it is within nine miles of the DMZ), to become a boom town virtually overnight. Everyone I know who lives there loves it (including an aunt of mine.)

Check out the article:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13528949/site/newsweek/page/9/

[screw_driver]

i have lived in Ilsan for 3 months and I'm sorry to say I dont really like it. I tend to go to Seoul every weekend because i find La Festa to be a bit tad boring. However, it really depends on what you are looking for. I'm young and single and like to party. It would be a great place to live if i was a bit older and settled down though. If you're looking for a quite and relaxed lifestyle then Ilsan is the place for you

[Francis-Pax]

I live in an Officetel right next to LaFesta (rented on my own) and I work for a public elementary school in Ilsan. I have lived in Ilsan since I came to Korea. I love it.

However, I have been unfortunate in not being able to find a job I like there. I first worked at hogwon there that resembled Orwell's 1984. I currently work at a public school in Ilsan. While the students and co-teachers were great I have grown increasingly frustrated by the rigid administration. I have also become frustrated by having to spend 40 hours a week locked inside a brick building in very close quarters with Korean teachers that don't seem to give me any space. I also have been insensed by having to do extended winter and summer camps when the Korean teachers enjoy their very long vacation. Oh, and I almost forgot to mention that I had come to an empty school for days at a time, even when there was nothing to do.

Ilsan is a great place to live! However, it is home to a lot of hogwon hell and elementary school positions. I just got a uni job that will force me to move out of Ilsan. I feel bad about that because I love Ilsan but I have to go to a job that will help me retain my sanity. GEPIK sucks!

[LiquidSunshine]

Ilsan is a suburb. It has one nice park with a big lake. It has La Festa: a large steeet to shop, eat, drink, walk....and well, that's pretty much it. there are a few little sections here and there but those two are the main attractions. Ilsan is populated by young families. People who can't afford a nice house in seoul move to the burbs to buy a nice place for their family. Once the kids get to certain age then they move back to Seoul.

It's not a place to party as there are two or three "good" bars around town. If you want a nightlife go to Seoul. Ilsan is rollerblading, running, coffee shop, cycling and not much else.

Ilsan is basically a good place for young couples or young couples with a child.

And don't believe the hype about public schools. They're not much better than the average hagwon.

[LiquidSunshine]

If you want to really meet Koreans ... go live in a small town. don't live anywhere near seoul or pusan. When I lived in a small town most of my friends were Koreans. In seoul, it seems to be different. This of course, is my personal experience.

Then again, I don't go out of my way to meet people. It's probably just a numbers game.

[Mea]

I'm trying to decide where in Korea to look for a job and I must say that Ilsan sounds nice... I do love big cities but for reasons other than the bar/nightlife scene, so it would be nice to be near the park/lake but still close to Seoul. However, it would really suck to be lonely all year and I might chose Seoul just to increase my chances of not living like a hermit all year (like I currently do...)

Anyways, does anyone know how much rollerblades are in Korea?

[mind_body_and_seoul]

I used to live in Ilsan and I really didn't like it, but that was mostly due to the evil hagwon where I worked. Also, I didn't really meet many foreign friends there. I loved the Lake Park and LaFesta, but I hated being so far from Seoul. It takes more than an hour to get to Itaewon on the subway and even longer for Gangnam and Jamsil. I don't travel by bus because the traffic is terrible and I don't want to die. Most of my Korean friends and foreign friends live in Seoul, hardly any live in Ilsan. It was so hard for me to meet other foreigners there. I used to say hi to every foreigner I ever passed on the street because they were so rare.

Anyway, Gangnam is way nicer. I just love being in the center of everything and near my friends. In Ilsan I felt so isolated and when the final incident with my evil hagwon boss happened, I felt so alone and scared.

I do miss the kids I used to teach at that hagwon though, even though a lot of them were spoiled brats. Some of them were really lovely though.

Whatever you do, don't teach at a hagwon. Hopefully the public schools there are better, but I dunno. It seems that Korean parents and teachers don't want their kids to be disciplined by foreign teachers. The parents don't mind when the Korean teachers hit their kids with sticks, but if I made one of the kids stay an extra minute after class for bad behavior, their mother would phone up and complain, "Max doesn't want to attend anymore because the white girl was so horrible to him." So the next time Max was bad I just sent him to the Korean teacher who hit him with a stick and that's totally okay with his mom because she trusts the Korean teacher. I just don't get that.

I love the school I work at now though. (It's not a hagwon!) The kids are very well behaved and they expect me to be a respected (yet still kind and fun) teacher, not a foreign clown for them to be rude to. I also have co-workers at this school, it's not just me and the boss like at the hagwon, and it feels good to be treated with respect by the other teachers.

I hope you have a good time in Ilsan if you move there. It is a pretty area, but if you don't have a decent job and friends then it's not worth it. I often wonder how the kids I used to teach are doing. Maybe if you teach at a public school you'll teach them . . .

[Sody]

Well I live in Goyang, or very near Ilsan. About a twenty minute walk from Lake Park so I know this area pretty well. My best advice to you is to stay in Seoul because you will never make as much money here as you can there and you said that money was very important to you. Gepik is all about the experience and not about the money. Trust me on that, you don't get paid much.

The Gepik schools around here usually require you to take a bus and to go to rural areas unless you are lucky. There are also less hagwons around here compared to Seoul.

What one of the previous posters said about the area was totally spot on. It really is geared towards people who want to be the suburbs. If you are the type of teacher who likes to spend a lot of time alone then it will be ok, but you will teach primarily kids. You will not have to teach kindy if you do Gepik.

Lake Park really is quite nice though isn't it? BoL to you.

Sody

[cwaddell]

[Kimchieluver]

FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!! Stay away from Kindy.. Go to Ilsan