Korean Job Discussion Forums

[aquarian]

I know that it's been done before, but I would appreciate a bit of reinforcement. I plan to be in Korea by February and have been working through various recruiters for public school positions. The recruiters were all shocked and almost outraged to hear that I do not want to live and work in Seoul. Yes, yes, I know about the FFF factor, but I think Daejeon seems quite pleasant. I'm 34, single and female. I did the clubbing thing all throughout my twenties so I'm not looking for that kind of action. I do like Friday night bevvies so would be looking for a reasonable expat community to hang with. I'm from Melbourne (Aust) so I do like big cities. Will Daejeon cut the mustard?

[blaseblasphemener]

Daejeon is a nice city, especially if you are located close to Dunsan-dong, which is the modern part of town.

Personally, if I had never worked in Korea before, I would opt for Busan, with it being on the ocean, across from Japan. It seems to have a more cosmopolitan atmosphere, with the beach vibe going on, better weather, and a hop across the pond to Fukoka.

I'm not one to ask about the night life, as I'm a settled down married guy with a baby. There is one, from what I hear, so if you are into that, it's there, just nothing like Seoul. But Seoul is only a 45 minute trip away on the Bullet train from Daejeon, so you can easily get to the party scene on the weekend if you need it.

I like living in Daejeon, with it having a good subway system, friendly people, and not too crowded.

But I would still choose Busan or Seoul if I were you, in a heartbeat. (and there's way more money to be made in those places, especially Seoul, not to mention better educational opportunites for you, like masters degrees or korean language classes, or any kind of class, for that matter).

[tzechuk]

I love Daejeon. Been here over 7 years and have had numerous opportunities to move but wouldn't.

We are of similar age (I am a few years younger, but not a lot) and I think you will do fine in Daejeon.

PM me what you are interested to do - adults, kids, uni.. etc.. and I can hook you up with some places. And no, I am not a recruiter.

[normalcyispasse]

[aquarian]

Great information; thanks for your timely help in responding to my query. To blaseblasphemener, I was worried about the pollution in Seoul, and yes, one recruiter said that I would probably prefer Busan to Daejeon. It does have appeal as I am really attracted to the idea of being coastal, however, the holidays are less than the Deajon position, which offers six - three in winter and three in summer. This is important to me as I'm doing Europe this summer.

The money for the Daejeon job is good, by my understanding of what I've read so far on this site, at 2.4 million.

To tzechuk and normalcyispasse, your posts were positive also, so thanks, that's the reinforcement I was looking for. To tzechuk, if successful (I find out this Thursday according to TeachEng recruiter), I'll be teaching at Sahmyook Adventist Elementary School. The Head Teacher (Aust) that I spoke to sounded very professional and was very informative. Have you heard of this school? I am not able to PM you as this is only my second post.

It all sounds good to me, but any further advice would be fantastic.

[cubanlord]

[cbclark4]

Beware the Hakwon Association and the Nazi bars.

[blaseblasphemener]

[tzechuk]

[Beeyee]

Sounds like you have a good offer. HOWEVER.....

If you don't want to work weekends I know of a job you may be interested in, starting in February.

22 hours a week
Kindergarten and Elementary
9.30 - 5.00 (2 hour lunch break)
No weekends or overtime
I don't know the salary but it will probably be 2.2

Interested? (I'm not a recruiter either)

[blaseblasphemener]

[stevemcgarrett]

aquarian:

You'd do well to make acquaintances with tzechuk before you arrive. She's one of the few consistently upbeat posters (and women) on this forum and she knows Daejeon well despite what cubanlord might think. In other words, she's a class act.

Daejeon, from my forays there, strikes me as just about the right size for what you seem to want in a city although the expat scene isn't all you'd expect it to be given the sheer number of them teaching there.

I've heard there are more than a dozen Aussies working there, but that's still hearsay.

It's also quite provincial despite being Korea's second seat of government and an "aspiring international city." But the air is much better than Seoul and the traffic isn't so bad either.

It even has a Costco, Outback, Bennigans, Starbucks, and two major department stores, plus HomePlus and HomeEver (formerly Carrefour) plus it's nearly surrounded by hills.

A few universities offer study programs and courses in English, too.

The hagwon association, however, would do Himmler and Goebbels proud.

============
"Seoul: Sole of Asia."

[tzechuk]

Thanks for the vote of confidence, Steve.

Cubanlord and I know each other - I would venture to say *quite well* now, so don't mind him. He is just being a clown .

[cubanlord]

[cubanlord]