Korean Job Discussion Forums

H&A · Joined: 23 Oct 2003

Hi,

We're two Brits doing the proactive recruiters-are-gettnig-us-nowhere thing and flying out to Seoul to see if we can score a couple of jobs by doing the rounds. Not being familiar with Seoul, though, it would be great if anyone could point us in the right direction. Basically, are the schools evenly distributed across the city, or densely packed in certain areas? Are there any places we should avoid because job hunting in those regions would be fruitless? Is the Lonely Planet's guide to cheap hotels pretty accurate, or is anyone out there dying to plug a wonderful little guesthouse that they can't bear for us not to visit? Are we gonna live to regret this course of action...?

Any positive pointers would be greatly appreciated...

Blue Flower · Posted: Thu Oct 23, 2003 8:20 pm Post subject:

Good luck - I don;t know about seoul, but in Peongcheon (i think is the spelling) there is a street full of hagwons. I live in Anyang, which is part of Peongchoen i think. I don;t know where it is, so i guess this is actually pretty useless information. But, try PM'ing Ga Jackson. He might know.

buddy bradley · Joined: 24 Aug 2003 Location: The Beyond

I've been here a week now and I haven't seen a single school. Granted, I'm out drinking the whole time and not looking very hard but I can safely say that you will see a lot of bars.

H&A · Joined: 23 Oct 2003

Ah, a flourishing bar scene will no doubt alleviate any nervy intimations of impending failure... Wink

rapier · Joined: 16 Feb 2003

Like blue flower says: I've never been but apparently there is this area called "hagwon row" in Pyeongchon/anyang which is the epicentre of the esl trade here. have heard mixed reports about the quality of the setups there though.

l'il kim · Joined: 14 Jan 2003 Location: T-dot

If it's a job teaching kids that you are looking for, then there are four main areas in Seoul that boast by far the highest density of kids' hagwons. Not coincidentally, they happen to be the prime areas for real estate: Kangnam and Seocho-gu, which are right next to each other (in particular Seocho-dong, Apkujeong-dong and Daechi-dong); Mokdong; Jamsil-dong and the Olympic Park neighborhood (both in Songpa gu). If it's downtown Seoul you want to be close to, then your best bets are probably Kangnam and Mokdong. Kangnam is the most central, but bear in mind you might be living somewhere like Bongcheon-dong, which is about 20 minutes by subway but not nearly as glamorous or expensive. If you work in Mokdong, then you'll probably live closer to your school.

H&A · Joined: 23 Oct 2003

Thanks guys for the responses so far - the information is very much appreciated, and should help to point us in the right direction. It's all pretty exciting, really.

The Man known as The Man · Posted: Fri Oct 24, 2003 4:31 pm Post subject:

weened · Posted: Fri Oct 24, 2003 4:39 pm Post subject:

I would suggest Mok-Dong. I lived there for a long time and loved the area. There are plenty of schools, too many maybe. At first I lived in a nasty skank of a neighborhood. I loved it. Then again, I moved asap. Anyway, the point is to make sure you check-out where you'll be living. I'm not sure how you're going to find a job, however. You can certainly avoid recruiters, but are you going to simply walk into the schools and ask? Just curious. Good luck.

Derrek · Joined: 15 Jan 2003

Yes, BE SURE to check out the living situation. This summer, I was excited to interview with a school that offered, "Excellent, very nice 2-bedroom housing" with no roommates. When I saw the housing, it was a total pit -- worse than imaginable! Dead roaches (and some live ones) crawled on the floor around roach traps and the sinks. Really terrible!

Seeing what I've seen, I would never accept a job in Korea sight-unseen.

H&A · Joined: 23 Oct 2003

endofthewor1d · Joined: 01 Apr 2003 Location: the end of the wor1d.

to those of you who chose to fly to korea first, as opposed to finding a job 'blindly' from home, do you think the quality of job you're working sufficiently offset the ticket to korea you waived, and all of the other costs incurred by not having living quarters established immediately upon your arrival? mind you, this isn't a challenge or anything. just objective curiosity, as it's on the list of options i'm currently considering.

schwa · Joined: 18 Jan 2003 Location: Yap

Havent gone that route myself but I like your notion that good things unfold for those that boldly go.

If I were in your shoes, I might consider reposting my credentials on the the job wanted board here just prior to arriving & indicate that I'm available for immediate interviews. Maybe reconsider recruiters at this point too -- once youre on the ground here, they could provide valuable introduction services & you wouldnt be especially beholden to them if their offerings suck.

Arriving as a duo might compromise your flexibility a little -- you'll likely need to jobhunt independently.

Good idea to dress yourselves up too (at least 'office casual' & a tie wouldnt hurt) with a fresh haircut. On-the-job itself will likely be more casual but prospective employers will certainly consider your presentation.

Hey, best luck!

kylehawkins2000 · Joined: 08 Apr 2003

I think walking in the front doors of Hogwans is a fine idea. It's probably the easiest way to go about things. Doesn't hurt to contact schools that are posting job ads here and/or on English Spectrum or other websites.

The person that has said they haven't seen a single 'school' simply doesn't know how to recognize a hogwan. You'll have to learn to recognize the Korean letters for "Hogwan". They are all over the place.

You might want to target some head office locations of the bigger chains. That way they could consider hiring you for any number of different schools, not just the one location you have approached.

Good luck!

Kyle

gajackson1 · Posted: Tue Oct 28, 2003 6:40 am Post subject:

Someone speak of the Devil??? Twisted Evil

The area in An~yang/Pyoung~chon is called 'muk-guh-ri chon,' which loosely translates to 'Food Town' - there are over 100 hak-wons in the area along a main street, and restauranats/bars all behind them. It is not far from the #4 subway line , either Beom~gye or Pyoung~chon stations.

A nice enough area to live in, as well, and about 30 minutes south of the river via subway. As Le Fleur mentioned, you can pm us (ReedTea or myself) for more info/details.

Regards,

Glen