Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Large Hadron Collider]

Hi Everyone,

I'm considering taking a teaching post on Geoje Island.

To be honest, I kind of had my heart set on Seoul and the consensus on this forum seems to be that Seoul is where it's at. However, there would be pros and cons for living in both places. I like the idea of living in Seoul for its frantic pace; variety of food and entertainment options (temples, parks, bars, nightclubs etc) and its gritty cosmopolitan edge. However, these pros have to be tempered with the spitting and shoving of Seoulites, pollution (sound and environmental); and the higher cost of living and lower wages in Seoul compared to the rest of the country (according to the recruiter I just spoke to anyway).

I think if I lived on Geoju Island my accomodation would be bigger and better; the sea air would be invigorating; perhaps the locals in general would be more courteous and less indifferent towards me as a westerner; and if I needed a big city fix, Pusan/ Busan isn't a million miles away. However, on the negative side, shopping, dining and entertainment options would be severely limited right?

Could anyone please tell me what they think about these two options and/or give me some insight about the aforementioned island.

Thank you people. Peace. LHC

[VanIslander]

there isn't over a thousand foreigners on Geoje
there aren't any French, Norweigan, Vietnamese, Indian restaurants there
there aren't bridges to the mainland
and Dave's search function for the word "geoje" doesn't work

[Large Hadron Collider]

Did you have a good time there tho VanIslander? I think I could cope without any Norwegian grub so not a problem there. Why did you say no Norwegian food?

I don't know. The recruiter didn't exactly sell the place to me. He said Geoje "isn't that ugly". LOL. Good job he doesn't work for the tourist board or anything. I think a big city is the best way tbh. At least for me personally. I need to think about it and evaluate any job offers with a lot of deliberation.

[sojourner1]

The ship building industry is there so there are guys from many countries around there which are cool to chat with over a beer. The 1st reply is saying to do a search, because there are threads telling much more about Geoje island. There's a bridge, you can get things, have friends, and go places. It's not like being on Jeju or in rural Gangwondo where you're practically marooned and cut off alone from the world for months at a time though that too has it's advantages despite obvious disadvantages. Don't expect pristine ocean either for this is NE Asia! I would say all places have good and bad qualities nor would I say where you should go. It's how you want to live. Seoul, rural, island, medium city, coastal, or small city.

Whatever you do, try to escape from that big brown pollution cloud, because that just might tarnish the sparkling out of your sojourn.

[the ireland]

[the ireland]

this is also for the o.p, i left geoje at the start of july, so i know the place very well and still have some very good friends there, i know people who work for pretty much all the schools in gohyeon, and i can tell you first hand about their accomodation.

the island is really nice, i loved it there, the beaches are very close, but the really nice ones are to the south of the island, as is most of the beautiful scenery, but it is easily accessable by bus (buses are 1,000 won to anywhere on the island) or if you get a car or a scooter then it's even better.

i loved my time in gohyeon, i was only supposed to go for a year, but extended to do over a year and a half, i would have extended for longer but i wanted to do my masters degree and see my first nephew who was due when i was leaving.

if you want any advice on the schools or the area you can p.m me, or if you can't pm yet, just leave a message saying you would like more info and i will pm you my e-mail address and you can ask whatever you want!!

[hwarangi]

...

[VanIslander]

every bloody thing i said above is false

... geez

[vexed]

Geoje is a decent place to live for your first contract, but if you're anything like me then you'll be gagging for a bigger city soon enough. Busan is a mere 45 minute ferry ride away which is good. I found the best thing to do was to ensure that every other weekend you travel to a different city in Korea. That way, you can sample the big city life but still come back to the relative calm of the island.

I had a good friend who lived in Seoul for 4 years then moved to Geoje. He hated that concrete jungle and was relieved to be on such a peaceful island. Be warned though - they are in the final stages of building a huge bridge connecting Geoje with Busan. When this is complete, Geoje will be inundated with tourists, thus destroying the best part about the place.

If you're on Facebook then check out the Geoje Teacher Group which my friend set up: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=23316238780&ref=ts They meet up regularly and can help you settle in to Geoje life.

[Large Hadron Collider]

Thank you everyone for your replys. I noticed a little sarcasm from VanIslander but that's ok - I probably deserved it. I did try to do a search but I didn't find what I was looking for. Maybe I did something wrong.

I've sent an email to a teacher who works at the acadamy where I could be placed so hopefully he will give me a good insight into the school, the curriculum and students etc.

Thank you 'the ireland' for your kind offer. I think I'll see what this contact I've been given says first.

The ferry ride to Busan does sound a bit nausea-inducing but an hour's not so long I suppose. Could get a bit tired if I need to hop on it everytime I want a taste of the big city life tho. If the school is a really nice place to teach at tho I think it could compensate for this inconvenience of having to commute everytime I want to do my delightful body popping beneath the strobing lights.

[the ireland]

the ferry ride is usually ok to deal with but to be honest Busan isn't that great anyway, i would prefer to spend the ectra three hours on the bus (which is more relaxing) and head to seoul to go out!!! Geoje is a great place and i had a great time with the teachers there at the time, but if you wanna go to a place for nightlife i really wouldn't recommend you go there cos one of the other teachers who was single loved the island but did not really enjoy the social life, when his contract was finished he moved to another small town but this town was only and hour from seoul so he is able to have the quiet life during the week and a good night life at the weekend!!

i figured you were being sarcastic, vanislander, the problem is sarcasm very rarely comes across through text, so people looking for information might be put off a place cos of it!!

[Snowkr]

Geoje is awesome. I would live there in a heartbeat if my program were located there.

The Indian restarunt in Okpo is amazing... better than any I've visited in Seoul. Buses are cheaper there as well.

The only real thing I don't like about Geoje is that there seems to be a shortage of taxis. You can spend quite a bit of time in a line waiting for a cab or just waiting for your call van to arrive. I find that a bit frustrating after living in other cities where cabs are a dime a dozen.

Other than that, it's a great place to be if the job is right. Busan is not far at all if you take the ferry. Much better than Seoul in my opinion...

Oh, and there are heaps of foreigners too!

[vexed]

[harryh]

I worked there seven years ago. It's a pretty island, worth exploring on a scooter. It has developed a lot over the years due to the shipbuilding. It's probably a good place to be.

I went back there last weekend to visit my in-laws who live there, and it still is expensive there. Eating and drinking out was generally more expensive than Busan anyway. Also, the prices in the local Top Mart were higher than my local one in Busan.

I recommend it for a year or two.

Two years was enough for me, as I'm a city gent at heart. I much prefer Haeundae, in Busan, and don't regret moving to Busan for a moment.