Korean Job Discussion Forums

[mikeinkorea]

Hello,

I was just offered a job with YES Youngdo at their Suji, Yongin campus. I'm having a tough time finding out information about Yongin. Would anyone be able to tell me a bit about the area. What is there to do there, are there many foreign teachers, is it overall a nice place to live. The usual questions. Any insight is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[njp6]

I worked in Suji for a little over a year and I liked it, but I could see how it could be difficult for some people. It's a little less than an hour outside of Seoul. There are plenty of busses for when you want to hit up the city. Also, Bundang is very close. I think the plusses of Suji are that it's not so crowded as Gangnam or other areas. I lived close to hiking trails so I hit those up and rode my bike around there a lot.

The minuses are there isn't much as far as night life. There are tons of hofs and little bars (where in Korea aren't there tons of hofs) but no clubs if that's your sort of thing. Things are getting better as a new theater was built close by and there is a new expat bar that everyone goes to. It's also difficult to get your hands on foreigner goods. Cheese and tortillas were two things I was left craving.

I think the thing that made Suji good for me is I really liked the people I worked with. We formed a pretty tight knit group and had a lot of fun. In this regard I think choosing the right school is paramount. Do your homework. Sorry, I don't have any info regarding Yes.

Basically, if you don't need to party every night, I think Suji could work for you. You could do worse in Korea. If you have any specific questions, just ask.

[wanamin]

I live in Suji now. I like it. Its 25 minutes from Suwon, which is nice for shopping. There is a huge Lottemart (imitation Super Wal-mart) right by the officetel me and all the other waygooks seems to live. Everland is close by for weekend fun, but as stated above, nightlife is a bit lacking. They are putting the finishing touches on a very nice river park that connects to Bundang, and if you're an ambitious bike rider, to Seoul. The train station just opened up near by, connecting us to Seoul even quicker. I lived in Bundang last year, and all in all, the two are quite similar. Check the school, and, more importantly, ask about the apartment. My wonderful apartment makes Suji much more appealing to me... Good luck, feel free to ask me any questions.

[mikeinkorea]

Thanks for the information guys. Yes Youngdo sounds pretty decent. Do you mostly just spend time with the other foreign teachers from your schools? Are there many foreign teachers in the area? What are the locals like? Do you spend much time with them? I'm easy going and can get along with pretty much anyone, just curious what the social life is like there. Do people mostly take off into Seoul or travel on weekends? You guys say there isn't a lot of nightlife. Is Yongin therefore a good home base for travelling around to other cities, or is Yongin a pretty self sufficient area where you can find enough things to do to keep you happy if you look for it. I love city life, but am also from a small town so I can appreciate quieter life styles. If I'd prefer city life, is Yongin the right place for me?

[wanamin]

It sounds like this is your first time to Korea. Korea can be divided into 2 parts, Urban and Rural, with very little in between, as you would find in North America or elsewhere. So although someone who has lived in Korea might call Suji (which is the most urbanized part of Yongin) a 'suburb' it looks like a part of a major city. Korea doesn't have 'suburban sprawl' like we do in New York, it has 'urban sprawl' and Suji is just at the edge of it, although with the constant building that goes on everywhere around Seoul, not for long. So Suji, in my humble opinion, is as close as you can get to 'suburban' in Korea, a nice mix of rural and urban.
I work a public school, so I have no English speaking workmates, but I've been here a year so thankfully I have friends in Bundang. But chain schools like the one you're thinking about should have plenty, so I'm sure you'll make friends. I go to Seoul almost every weekend, its quick cheap and easy to do so. I could have visited other cities in Korea, but Korea is so homogeinus that any extended time off I try to go to a new country (China, Japan, SE asia, etc) I did go to Jeju, and that was great, definitely go there.
The locals range from foamingly xenophobic to wonderfully friendly, although mostly they can't speak any English. That being said, I do have a small group of Korean friends, although many foreign teachers seem not to, which to me is a shame.