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Korean Job Discussion Forums "The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Teachers from Around the World!"
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sweetsun
Joined: 25 Jul 2006
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Posted: Tue Aug 15, 2006 8:38 am Post subject: Is there anything positive? |
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Come on now is there anything positive about living in Seoul. I will be leaving in three weeks and I am reading a lot of negative on this forum. I am aware of the difficulties of living in a different land but there must be good things as well.....I need something positive to go on..... |
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Bibbitybop

Joined: 22 Feb 2006 Location: Seoul
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Posted: Tue Aug 15, 2006 8:44 am Post subject: |
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Seoul rocks. I am new here, but very happy. Many people who post on this board are disgruntled teachers who have nothing better to do than post about what irks them. Don't get me wrong, there are many great posters, but people enjoying the city are not constantly in front of the computer. Seoul is the place to be in Korea for many people because there is so much to do. Take what you read with many grains of salt. Before I came here, I questioned my decision due to what people wrong on Dave's and what former teachers told me about Korea and Koreans. Most of the nay-sayers are negative to begin with. Read through more old posts, you will see this point of view repeated by other posters. Keep an open mind about your experience here. If you can't handle the differences in culture, stay in Westernized world. |
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ajuma

Joined: 18 Feb 2003 Location: Anywere but Seoul!!
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Posted: Tue Aug 15, 2006 9:02 am Post subject: |
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No, my problem with Seoul has NOTHING to do with the country...only the people who live there (in Seoul)! I'm VERY happy in my small town. Seoul is good if you pretty much want to party and hang out with other teachers/expats, but for the REAL Korean experience, you need to get out of there!
I've never lived there, but my son did (after 1 1/2 years in my small town) and he HATED it! He said that the people were much ruder, harder to get to know (he had lots of friends, but all people who attend my uni), and generally "too much".
Seoul is basically NYC in another language. |
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Bibbitybop

Joined: 22 Feb 2006 Location: Seoul
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Posted: Tue Aug 15, 2006 9:09 am Post subject: |
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Ajuma is right about it being like NYC. It is very busy. In Seoul, however, I have been able to get a true Korean experience from the Korean families I know. I know my situation is not typical because I was connected to families in Seoul through Korean friends from college, but they have shown me traditional Korean meals, etiquette and other cultural interests. I like the fact I can go hang out with a traditional family one night and go eat a burger around Westerners the next. |
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ajuma

Joined: 18 Feb 2003 Location: Anywere but Seoul!!
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Posted: Tue Aug 15, 2006 9:13 am Post subject: |
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Yep...but that's pretty unusual. It's harder to find Koreans to go out for a beer with, hang out with, or just be friends with! In a smaller town (provided you're teaching at least one adult class!), you'll have a lot more opportunity to see how "real" people live.
The choice is yours OP! |
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wylies99

Joined: 13 May 2006 Location: I'm one cool cat!
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Posted: Tue Aug 15, 2006 1:01 pm Post subject: |
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Many people who post on this board are disgruntled teachers who have nothing better to do than post about what irks them. |
If the OP has legal problems with her school, are you going to help her? Since your situation is "not typical", who are you to simply disregard the legit problems/concerns of other posters? Your advice to someone coming to Korea isn't exactly the best.
OP- Just be smart. Arrive with a positive attitude, but be very smart and on alert. People are taken advantage of all the time in Korea, but there are also good people. When you read this board, learn the lessons and don't be fooled by anyone who tells you "everyone is happy and everything is great." That's not true anywhere.
Above all, be prepared and make smart decisions. If you do have problems, you'll find the legal and teaching advice offered on this board could literally save you from some hellish situations. |
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Grotto

Joined: 21 Mar 2004
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Posted: Tue Aug 15, 2006 2:45 pm Post subject: |
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Seoul
12 million people in one city
a hub of culture
plays, shows, museums, castles, art, zoos, shopping, dining, entertainment galore..
Seoul is what you make of it |
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PRagic

Joined: 24 Feb 2006
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Posted: Fri Aug 18, 2006 6:47 pm Post subject: |
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Seoul is THE place to be, and in no time, you'll have opportunities litterally being thrown at you. I'd rather be here than pretty much any other major city in all of Asia...Ok..Hong Kong is up there.
If you play your cards right, you'll continually do better here. If you work smart and play hard, it can be one of the best cities in the world to base out of. The negativity on the board stems primarily from work conditions at hakwons and some less than attractive university programs. People anywhere gripe about work. With a small international community in Korea, teachers just gripe on a message board. If it doens't apply to you, take it with a grain of salt. If it does apply to you, why reinvent the wheel?
All in all, though, people stay because there is always something to do, always somewhere to go, always someone new to meet, and a bucket load of opportunity. |
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Julius

Joined: 27 Jul 2006
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Posted: Fri Aug 18, 2006 8:10 pm Post subject: |
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You have to be the one to create the positivity. Korea does not come to you. More than elsewhere in Asia, Koreans are shy and riddled with cryptic cultural inhibitions.
If you want a social life, you be the one to learn their language.
if you want to be well regarded, you have to do twice as much PR as you would normally have to.
If you want a girlfriend, you will have to put in effort and pursue to some extent.
If you want korean friends, you will have to be the one to call them and organise activities.
if you want to improve your working environment, you will have to be the one to propose ideas while working around their loss of face concepts etc.
The only exception is.. if you want a teaching job, all you have to do is stick up a photo on the net, then sit back and ward off the load of offers. |
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jajdude
Joined: 18 Jan 2003
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Posted: Fri Aug 18, 2006 10:49 pm Post subject: |
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Julius wrote: |
, Koreans are shy and riddled with cryptic cultural inhibitions.
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I rather like that statement. I don't know how shy they are, except maybe with foreigners, but the other part was well said. |
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Qinella
Joined: 25 Feb 2005 Location: the crib
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Posted: Fri Aug 18, 2006 11:22 pm Post subject: |
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Seoul is fantastic. I love living here. People hype up the pollution too much, I think. You want pollution, go to China town in Bangkok. Godamn you can't even breathe there from all the go-kart exhaust. I guess it is strange that I can't see the sun most days but I don't have problems breathing or anything.
If you're coming to Seoul, that's great. I wish I would've been here my first year instead of a tiny little town. |
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The Lemon

Joined: 11 Jan 2003
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Posted: Fri Aug 18, 2006 11:36 pm Post subject: |
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jajdude wrote: |
Julius wrote: |
, Koreans are shy and riddled with cryptic cultural inhibitions.
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I rather like that statement. I don't know how shy they are, except maybe with foreigners, but the other part was well said. |
Yup.
But a mistake I made when I first arrived was being hyperparanoid of offending Koreans, who can be uptight about a long list of things. It's good to be aware of certain sensitivities and to not go out of your way to be a foreign boor, but I started to enjoy myself much more when I decided to stop walking around on their eggshells. |
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jinju
Joined: 22 Jan 2006
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Posted: Fri Aug 18, 2006 11:45 pm Post subject: |
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Lived in a small town, and live in Seoul.
Seoul is great. id never go back to the small town. ajuma is on crack, as usual. Seoul offers just as much of the "korean expreience" as any small town. What the hell is a "korean experience"? is Seoul NOT KOREAN? If you get the Seoul Experience isnt it infact also a Korean experience? Thats one of the most idiotic statements Ive ever read.
Seoul has everything you would ever need. Galleries, museums, cinemas, theaters, bookstores, nightlife, shopping, temples, palaces, etc etc etc. It is what you make it, and just because Ajuma's son was too obtuse to think of something interesting to do, or maybe suffered from bad upbrining by ajuma who never gave him the love of culture and art that Seoul could easily feed, well, I wont make him or ajuma my measuring stick for anything. |
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chilgok007
Joined: 28 May 2006 Location: Chilgok
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Posted: Sat Aug 19, 2006 12:39 am Post subject: |
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Julius wrote: |
You have to be the one to create the positivity. Korea does not come to you. More than elsewhere in Asia, Koreans are shy and riddled with cryptic cultural inhibitions.
If you want a social life, you be the one to learn their language.
if you want to be well regarded, you have to do twice as much PR as you would normally have to.
If you want a girlfriend, you will have to put in effort and pursue to some extent.
If you want korean friends, you will have to be the one to call them and organise activities.
if you want to improve your working environment, you will have to be the one to propose ideas while working around their loss of face concepts etc.
The only exception is.. if you want a teaching job, all you have to do is stick up a photo on the net, then sit back and ward off the load of offers. |
Wow, that's a pretty damn good summary. Of all the people in Asia, Koreans are definetly the most reserved. In China and Japan, I almost had to beat off friend-seekers with a stick. I couldn't walk down the block without someone approaching me for some reason or another. However, despite their seeming indifference towards outsiders, I find most Koreans to be really friendly and helpful, everybit as much as the Chinese and Japanese . In my short time here, I am proud to say I've made many wonderful Korean friends, but as Julius says, you have to be the one to make the effort. I've met too many lazy foreigners who've lived here for several years and make no effort to learn the language and who cloister themselves in little bubbles with other foreigners with no contact with locals outside of work. Seriously, what's the point in coming out here? Korea is what you make of it, it all depends on your mindset and your attitude. Make sure your coming out here for the right reasons, coz if you come for the wrong reasons, you'll be miserable. The best advice I can give is to do your homework before you come out here and learn as much as you can about the place and the school you'll be working for. You'll appriciate it that much more.
As for the negativity on this board, I agree with PRagic. Alot of it stems from bad working conditions, not general gripes about the country. It's important to seperate your work from the culture. Just coz your boss is a total jerk-off, doesn't mean that every Korean is. To avoid this situation be sure your not walking into a scam Hagwon. All I can say is: RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH!!!! |
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Roch
Joined: 24 Apr 2003 Location: Seoul
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Posted: Sat Aug 19, 2006 12:56 am Post subject: |
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Bibbitybop wrote: |
Seoul rocks. I am new here, but very happy. Many people who post on this board are disgruntled teachers who have nothing better to do than post about what irks them. Don't get me wrong, there are many great posters, but people enjoying the city are not constantly in front of the computer. Seoul is the place to be in Korea for many people because there is so much to do. Take what you read with many grains of salt. Before I came here, I questioned my decision due to what people wrong on Dave's and what former teachers told me about Korea and Koreans. Most of the nay-sayers are negative to begin with. Read through more old posts, you will see this point of view repeated by other posters. Keep an open mind about your experience here. If you can't handle the differences in culture, stay in Westernized world. |
What grade did you earn in Anthropology? |
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