Korean Job Discussion Forums

[lidia03]

So I'm considering two different positions, one in Changwon and one in Daejeon. While I've read plenty about both cities, I haven't seen a comparison. Has anyone lived in both these cities, or visited both extensively? I'm a new teacher in my early/ mid twenties, coming to Korea for the first time.

Any opinions/ advice would be appreciated.

[Fallacy]

I flipped a coin: Daejeon. Good news, as it has KTX high speed train access to all of the peninsula and is home to the Hanwha Eagles baseball team.

[SeoulMan6]

I spent a lot of time in and around both cities. Daejeon... meh. Changwon... I cannot say enough good things about it. If I was young and single I'd be there in a heartbeat.

[edwardcatflap]

[Sector7G]

[yellowdove]

I lived in Daejeon my first year here, and Masan (which is technically now part of Changwon) my second year, so I can probably provide a good overview of both places.

Daejeon has a great expat community, and is right in the middle of the country so it's easy to travel throughout Korea from there. There isn't much there as far as touristy stuff, so it's not super exciting, but Seoul is a 45 minute KTX ride away. There are lots of mountains, great running trails, and decent restaurants. I love Daejeon, and recommend it as a great place for someone starting out in Korea. It's a bigger city, but not too big.

Changwon is also good, but in it's own way. It's a lot more isolated, but still has the amenities you want in a Korean city. It's also SUPER close to Busan, only a 45 minute bus ride away, so if you're into beaches it's a good spot. It's a lot harder to get to other places in Korea, however, so if you're looking to explore the country on weekends it's harder. And it's farther from Seoul (not that Seoul is the end all be all of Korea, mind you). Changwon is a planned city, so it's easy to get around, and you're amazingly close to Jinhae which has the Cherry Blossom festival every year.

It makes a difference as to where your school is located, regardless of the city. Are the offers for schools that are in the downtown neighbourhoods, or are they on the outskirts of the city? Because most foreigner friendly bars and hangouts are in the downtown neighbourhoods, how quickly and easily can you get there? The best way to figure that out is to talk to a teacher currently at the schools you're looking at, and ask them what they do in their spare time, where do they hang out, and how close they are to the centre of the city.

Either way, both places are nice, but as a first timer I would go with Daejeon over Changwon.

You can PM me if you want more info. Good luck on your adventure!

[BigBuds]

[BigBuds]

[metalhead]

Does it matter? They're both dumps. Why not stay in a nicer country with nicer locals instead?

[edwardcatflap]

[Beeyee]

[BigBuds]