Korean Job Discussion Forums

[tesseract]

I've been offered a position in Shin Jeju and I would like to get information about what it's like to live there. Any thoughts on the lifestyle, things to do, weather, etc., would be helpful.

Specifically, I need to know what I would have access to on the island. I would like to study Buddhism, take classes in Korean, martial arts, pottery, pretty much anything to pass the time. I'm also interested in traveling around the island and the mainland. Also, I'll be 29 when I leave so I would be looking for an older, more laid-back crowd to hang out with.

And for the ladies: Any good English speaking OBGYNs on the island or nearby?

Thanks for any help.

[tesseract]

Nobody?

[snowy32]

Nobody else has replied so I thought I give it a go. I don't live on JeJu Island so I can't tell you for sure. JeJu is a lovely place......for a holiday. I think if I was teaching there for a year i would naw my own hand off. To get to the mainland you would have to fly and it's not expensive but it would add up quickly.
I guess it depends on how adventurous you are.
Summary: Jeju is beautiful and a great place to be in summer but if you like travelling alot then it's not so good.

[mithridates]

[Teufelswacht]

This may help.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rhymeswithjeju/

[PRagic]

For whatever reason, most of the jobs on Jeju pay for crap. Given the inconvenience of trying to see anything else in Korea while there, it is amazing to me that people actually accept offers from schools there. In my opinion, they should be paying a premium to get people there. The 'Hawaii of Korea'? Nope.

[celticjay]

I lived there for a year. Shin Jeju is the new city there it has most western ammenities such as good theaters a few western fast food restaurants. Jeju-si is only 10 minutes away and there are a few western bars there that foreigners go to. Most foreigners hang together as there are so few you tend to get to know them all. It's definitely not a fast paced life, but the summer months are fantastic. There's tons of great beaches, amazing scenery and good clean air. If you go I would recomend buying a scooter or some form of transport so you can zip around with ease. If you are looking for a nice quality of life its a great place. If you're looking to party and make big money I'd choose Seoul.

Best of Luck

[TroySantos]

HIYA!
Sorry to not reply sooner. I just now saw your post. I live in Jeju City. I've been here three months and I'm glad I am here. Beat up on the island all you want, but it suits me well.

Sure there are things that you aren't going to find here, but there are things here that you aren't (?) going to find on the mainland. One is a more moderate winter. It's currently around 12 celcius here. Won't get much lower than 5 or so even during the coldest part of the year.

Yes, we have Buddhism too. I go to a temple every weekend, and every other night for a couple of hours of meditation. Only thing is there are no monks at this temple who speak English. There are several laypeople who speak well enough so I'm not completely lost here. I was told that on this island I'd learn Korean easily and quickly because nobody speaks English. I've been meeting lots of people who speak plenty well enough. Even people at the temple. Unfortunately, no monks here speak English. I was told that there might be a monk at the big temple in Seogwipo city, in the southern part of the island, but I haven't gone to see.

As for foreign restaurants, well, there aren't many western style ones. I've seen an Indian one in the city hall area though I haven't eaten there, and a friend told me there's a Spanish restaurant somewhere in the same vicinity. If you're vegetarian (I only mention this because you say you want to study Buddhism, and lots of Buddhists are veg - but not here in Korea!), there are only a couple of veg places. I've been to one and it was nice. In Shin Jeju, near a botanical garden, which I visited and enjoyed. Buddhist temples have all or mostly vegan food. My temple is all vegan, but very few of the people who come eat veg outside the temple.

I don't go to bars and have only met a couple of the other foreign teachers here so can't say much about socializing with other foreigners. I have almost never seen another foreigner on the street and have never seen another foreigner who looks like a teacher walk in or out of a school, or even near one. Where are they working? My boss told me that the are I work (at the Inje intersection in Jeju City) has the highest concentration of English hagwons in the city!

I get 2.0 million a month, paid apartment and all that. Usual contract stuff. Is this so awfully low? I can save 1.2 or 1.3 a month. How much can a person save in Seoul? Sure you'll make more, but are you going to make that much more? And isn't cost of living higher on the mainland?

Plus, the culture here is somewhat different than the mainland since it was isolated from the mainland for so so long.

Do you like fruit? This is the place for tangerines! Right now I'm enjoying more local persimmons ...! Fruit is just one of many reasons that I chose to come here. Weather is my top reason to come to the island.

Troy.

[xtchr]

[rhinocharge64]

Yep, below freezeing in fact. The last few weeks have been relatively mild for the time of year. Come December or January don't be surprised to see snow and yep the wind chill factor will be extreme. Sub-tropical my ass.

[TroySantos]

Okay okay you guys. Yeah, I worded that badly. I should have said it doesn't often get below 5 or so celcius. At least I've been told by a couple of Koreans who've lived in Jeju City all their lives. They say we get a little snow, but not much and not often. And, they say, it very rarely gets below zero.

Even the southern part of the island isn't much warmer than the northern part. I read in Lonely Planet's Korea book that Halla Mountain makes the northern part of Jeju a temperate climate and the southern part a sub-tropical climate.

As for wind-chill, I haven't noticed so awfully much wind though it may come in winter. I live in Samyang, a couple of minutes walk from the coast, right by that big water plant. 1-dong. I understand that this is a really windy part of the city. I'm bracing myself. I've got some wonderfully warm pants that I bought at Dong Mun market. I'll look for a jacket made of similar material if I can't hack the weather.

Troy.