Korean Job Discussion Forums

[MaestroCantus]

OK, I know there have been posts about Changwon, and how many people seem to love it.

I am just wondering what Changwon is like in general:

- Approximately how many English teachers are there (from what I gather, this is a smaller community)?
- How difficult is it to get by if you can only speak English (until you pick up some Korean)?
- What are the locations/cost of entertainment, food, etc.?
- How do the locals treat English teachers?
- What is the Korean culture like there? Is it more urban or traditional, or whatever other adjective would work to describe it?
- How easy is it to get to bigger cities nearby (Busan, etc.)? Cost?

- Can you name one thing that you DO NOT like about living in Changwon?

[bejarano-korea]

OK, I know there have been posts about Changwon, and how many people seem to love it.

I am just wondering what Changwon is like in general:

- Approximately how many English teachers are there (from what I gather, this is a smaller community)?

Not that many, some are friendly and some have had a personality bypass, you can meet most of them at O'Briens though. I was always taken aback when I saw another foreigner within my vincinity.

- How difficult is it to get by if you can only speak English (until you pick up some Korean - What are the locations/cost of entertainment, food, etc.?

You are probably best off learning Hanguel - lots of English loan words in
Korean so if you learn Hanguel you should be allright. I didn't drink so I can't tell you about alcohol but eating out is cheap (if you eat Korean that is)

- How do the locals treat English teachers?

There is some right funny sods that live there but there are also nice, kind people that live there -be prepared for some silly, over the top reactions to your presence (like people not getting in the same lift as you etc)

- What is the Korean culture like there? Is it more urban or traditional, or whatever other adjective would work to describe it?

Its very urban but it is a small urban centre - there are accesible mountains surrounding the city where you can go hiking.

- How easy is it to get to bigger cities nearby (Busan, etc.)? Cost?

It is on the KTX line and it is 40 dollars to Seoul. Transport is cheap all over the country.

- Can you name one thing that you DO NOT like about living in Changwon?

It was a bit small town for me but it is horses for courses - it is designed well and it is a nice place asthetically - what are you after as regards quality of life?

[elliemk]

OK, I know there have been posts about Changwon, and how many people seem to love it.

I am just wondering what Changwon is like in general:

- Approximately how many English teachers are there (from what I gather, this is a smaller community)?

I really don't know, but there are quite a few.

- How difficult is it to get by if you can only speak English (until you pick up some Korean)?

I agree with the other poster who said you should learn basic Korean. It's not that hard. At the right school, the co-teachers will help you and you can alway arrange a language exchange with the local Koreans you may meet.

- What are the locations/cost of entertainment, food, etc.?

Well, there is a theater there. It costs about $7.00 for a movie. Food is the same price as all over Korea. There is one restaurant in San-nam-dong (I think that's right) that has the best price for sam-gyp-sal I've found, just 3,000 or 5,000 won, complete with side dishes and my favorite Korean soup, den-jang-chi-gae.

- How do the locals treat English teachers?
I met some wonderful people there.

- What is the Korean culture like there? Is it more urban or traditional, or whatever other adjective would work to describe it?

It's Korea. The culture is basically the same. It's a combination of urban and rural. The streets are wide, there are many parks, and there's a great Korean traditional market (I don't remember exactly what days, but you can write me and I will find out for you.)

- How easy is it to get to bigger cities nearby (Busan, etc.)? Cost?
Very easy to get to bigger cities, as other poster said. Cost of public transportation in Korea is very cheap, when compared to prices in America.

- Can you name one thing that you DO NOT like about living in Changwon?

No.

Also, pollution is less than Busan and other major cities in Korea.

The missionary at the Hanbit Church will take you to the American Navy base in Jin-hae for a REAL hamburger!

Hope this helps.

Ellie

[just because]

- Approximately how many English teachers are there (from what I gather, this is a smaller community)?
-There are about 150 (from the stats from city hall) but I would say only about 50-70 are regularly socially active and the others just stay at home or go out occasionally or do their own thing which is fine.

- How difficult is it to get by if you can only speak English (until you pick up some Korean)?
-Not too hard, as people have said a lot of newer Korean products use english words(but konglished up) so you should be fine. Thousands have people have come here before with no Korean and survived easily.

- What are the locations/cost of entertainment, food, etc.?
-It depends what you mean. There are 2 main bars where foreigners congregate in the downtown area. Alcohol is cheap domestically and expensive from imported stuff. Food can range from the super cheap if you eat locally but anything that you are used to from home expect a big mark-up in price. If you can learn to eat Korean with a weekly western meal it is fine. There are 3 cinemas(22 screens) in the city so easy to get to the cinema but the selection of western movies is pretty bad at times.

- How do the locals treat English teachers?
-Same as everywhere else in korea, vast majority with indifference with the occasional positive reaction and sometimes a negative one. get used to the people looking at you and you will be fine.

- What is the Korean culture like there? Is it more urban or traditional, or whatever other adjective would work to describe it?
-There is not much traditional culture here. it was only built from 25 years ago so it is a newer city. Very urban but a planned city so more parkland than any other city in the country. Also easy access to the mountains as well.

- How easy is it to get to bigger cities nearby (Busan, etc.)? Cost?
-Very very easy.....there is a bus to busan every 12 minutes(price is 4000 won or $4), there is a bus to Seoul every 30 mins(cost 30 000) that takes 4-5 hours and a train a few times a day which links up with the bullet train(cost 50 000) that takes 3 hours.


- Can you name one thing that you DO NOT like about living in Changwon?
-The lack of anything that resembles an authentic foreign restaurant. If you want Thai, mexican, indian,etc then you will have to travel to another city. O'Briens(one of the foreign bars) makes some great food that is cheap and western-style but you need to go to Busan(or the mexican restaurant in Masan) for something more exotic.

[Yu_Bum_suk]

There seems to be a higher proportion of non-teaching foreigners in Changwon than other cities. O'Brian's makes great food, yes, though last time I was there my friend's order got mixed up and took 30+ minutes to arrive. Still, O'Brian's grill is like a magnet for a foreigner who wants something that tastes like it was made by someone who actually knows how to cook. There are also some over-priced bars that have foreign bands that range from quite good to karejokie.

All in all, though, I'd have to call Changwon the Brazilia of Korea. I wouldn't live there unless I was offered a really choice job.

[TheTeacher..]

Changwon is coool man, get involved...

[shifter2009]

changwon is nice but its no Jinhae.

[nzfooty]

The world is a big place, with many interesting places to see and experience. Changwon is not one of them. However, when I was there I had a good time (thanks to some very friendly people I was lucky to meet) and the city is very liveable, without being too big. There are times when I miss it but then again this could be due to the fact that I am stuck in New Zealand and will be here for another 2 1/2 years.

If I ever had to go back to Korea (bif if - it would have to be pretty awesome position) and I could pick from a city where to live, Changwon would definitely make my shortlist, along with 3 or 4 other spots.

[hellakitty]

hmmmm ... if I could sum up Changwon in one word it would be "meh"
It is "cleaner" than most surrounding cities and relatively easy to navigate, but overall boring and inadequate compared to Busan. Certainly living there was tolerable, but I would NEVER EVER go back by choice, just too so-so for my tastes. Also, I've said this before but the people there are pretty wacked out. Loads of stares and inappropriate comments every time I stepped outside my apartment.

[stephensessions]

I love Changwon, one of the most "liveable" cities in Korea. Wide open streets, parks, and Gyeongnam-do is beautiful. I wanted a city with hiking, the ability to take a run without choking on smog, and a more Korean environment.

Just know that it's a small city (500,000), and you will get bored, but if you put yourself out there and meet the other teachers here, you'll have a good time.

And Busan's only 30 min away, so the party is there when you need it.

[nicholas_chiasson]

its full of asians especially Koreans...though so be careful.

[cbclark4]

[BigBuds]

[elliemk]

There is also a Navy base in Jinhae. It has great food at the American restaurants and an awesome Bible study on Thursday nights.

[Temporary]