Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Godhasbeengoodtome]

So what is rural living like in a small, small town in Korea? What are the houses like, do they have western toilets, what are the schools like?

[ajuma]

"Rural" can mean anything from a farm town to a small-sized city. Most have at least one high-rise (which all have western toilets). I'm fairly sure that anywhere they put you will have one.

One good thing about a small town: If your town doesn't have a doctor, your pharmacist can act as a doctor and prescribe medicine for you. Our pharmicist is great, speaks great English, and is open 7 days a week. He's a little pricey, but when you need an antibiotic on Sunday, it's worth it.

Another good thing about living in a small town is that everyone knows you: the mom&pop shop owners, the dry cleaners, the chicken and pizza places. They'll know you well enough that you'll be able to phone in your order and you won't even have to tell them where you live...they know!

You become more of a member of the community than just another foreigner on the streets of a large city.

You might get some stares at the beginning, but it stops soon and you become a neighbor, not an alien.

[Ukon]

Let me put it this way.....

Of the biggest complaints I've heard from people living in korea.....

The most common wasn't "my hagwon is screwing me over"...it was some variation of "living outside seoul sucks", "I hate the hour long subway ride to get to seoul"..."this ______ place(outside seoul) blows".

Rural Korea sucks for the same reasons rural places back home or anywhere else suck...nothing to do, less women or men(ones you'll wanna date), less educated folk, etc....

[D.D.]

I live in a small city and it is the most boring experience I have ever had. I had fun in rural China but rural Korea is boring.

One positive thing is I can get by on 600000 a month. If I was cheap I could get by on 300000. I eat out every night and still only spend 600000 a month.

[cruisemonkey]

It sucks!

[jiyull]

Boring as hell...if you don't like noraebang and drinking.
Most small towns won't even have a basic mall or even a cinema...
Some might not have buses and rely on the provincial express buses.

You will be able to get all the Korean food that you need and generally the apartments are pretty good because a lot of modern style villas have been built in the past couple of years and land prices, also rent prices are very low.

You will have to deal with being 30 minutes to 2 hours away from a big city that has everything.

A lot less educated folks, majority of the students know that they will just stay in the countryside and rarely ever will try in school.

A lot of places close at 7pm...

Dentists, pharmacists, doctors, and some bus drivers and teachers should be able to speak English or understand it well....don't expect anything else from others.

[Thewhiteyalbum]

It's pretty boring. I went rural in order to work on some writing and other personal stuff without the distractions. On the plus side all I do in my free time is go to the gym. There is not much else to do. It also depends if there are any other foreigners in your town and what they are like. The ones in my town are generally pretty nice and inclusive.

BUT none of my teachers at either school speak much English, so my year has consisted in a lot of miscommunication and frustration. The English level is waaay lower out here.

[Yu_Bum_suk]

The kids tend to be lovely if at times dim if you don't mind having no social life Monday to Thursday.

[Smee]

I spent a year living in a town of 16,000. It was all right, and I'm glad for the experience, but I wouldn't do it again. Now I'm in a town of about 270,000, but that's considered "country" by many people.

It's true there was no social life during the week, but it wasn't so bad. Plenty of time to study, exercise, and walk around Monday through Thursday . . . that's pretty much what I would have done in Seoul during the week.

The people were kind, and they really weren't as bad as people on boards like this make them out to be. Elementary and middle school students were obnoxious, though, and would scream at me or follow me home. But anybody older than that was fine, helpful, and patient with my limited Korean.

Public transportation in and out of town was good. I think there were eight buses a day to Seoul, not bad considering it's the middle of nowhere, and considering how shitty public transit is in the US. Buses went to Gwangju a few times an hour, and buses reached the other towns in Jeollanam-do pretty frequently. Loccal buses were less reliable, though, which meant that visiting a tourist site meant having to wait a while for the return bus.

Housing is really hit or miss. There are often high-rise buildings, but they're popular and thus there may not be any vacancies. I didn't live in one and got placed in two lower-quality places that I woudln't want to live in again. Like with any area of Korea, foreigner handlers in rural areas wait to the last minute to do anything, meaning that they often miss out on opportunities to secure you good housing, and you get stuck with whatever's left. A good recruiter will be able to put you in touch with the teachers already in that town so you should be able to figure out where you're going to live. Except, like in my case, if you aren't replacing anyone but are the first to ever hold the position.

Food was a little limited because I had to eat alone. I mean, a lot of the good food requires you to be with several people, so options for dining alone were restricted to only a couple places in town. There is high-speed internet everywhere, and some plaaces were wirelss hotspots. And though the students were poorer and generally had lower English abilities, they were pleasant. Coworkers were either really nice or completely f-ed in the head, but I have to say the schools were better equipped than what I had when I was a student.

Like everything else having to do with Korea, the answer to rural life is "it depends." But for many that risk just isn't worth it. I like living in Jeollanam-do, and Suncheon is just fine by me, but I have to admit that living in Seoul would be a lot more comfortable sometimes.

[oldfatfarang]

It's quiet out here. Very, very quiet. The main street in my town turns into a traffic-stopping market on saturdays and sundays. Great hiking and I fish every night - but that's about it. NB: You know you're 'rural' when you see a student spit (on a classroom wall) and nobody bats an eyelid!

Don't go rural if you're young and looking for a social life - or a partner. Or you like eating 'foreign' food. Rural folks are very friendly and helpful - but you'll only make superficial 'friends' and relationships. Rural folks are shy - and they don't have much Englishee. Expect some staring.

The upside is - most of your Korean teachers probably live in a nearby city - and so they know why it's hard for you living 'rural'. They wouldn't be caught dead living in these small towns. Hint: major bargaining chip for extended holidays.

[afsjesse]

OP, it really depends on what you like to do. I love big cities and came to Korea to experience both rural and urban areas. I lived in Busan for one year, which was great. Now, I'm in the boondocks and thinking WTF to do on a Monday night..... I'll list the Pros and the Cons.

Pros.
- I save more money, spend less.
- I'm the only foreigner so I get alot of attention, which I like.
- It's scerenic here. I live on the ocean.
- Great bike riding on the back roads.
- I work in 4 schools and make more money
- I go to the gym where the owner speaks good English
- Most people know or recognize me.
- Big apartment! I got a 2 bedroom WITH a dining room

Cons.
- BORING!!!! No bars, hardly any hoffs.
- No night life
- No foreign friends
- Not as opened minded.
- Everybody knows your business
- Long travel times to most big cities
- More stares
- Lonely at times.

[Fishead soup]

It's not as bad as most people say. If your with GEPIK and in somewhere like Gapyoung or Youncheong it's not that bad because there are lots of trains and buses going to Seoul.

Rural schools generally have lower standards. A big city school can easily replace you if things don't work out. Rural schools will be more patient if you still learning the job.

You will stand out. Some people will want to drink with you and take you out for dinner. You won't be starved for company.

If you don't speak Korean you'll have a hard time finding women to date.

[maingman]

jiyull wrote:

A lot of places close at 7pm...

??

[air76]

I think that it greatly depends on what you call 'rural'....We have lived in 2 small towns, one smaller than the other (250,000 and now 50,000) but I wouldn't call either place rural. We've got a HomePlus, Dunkin Donuts, Munchen Ice Pub, Paris Baguette, etc etc...all the regulars...the only thing we're really missing is a Cinema, which you can find a 20 minute drive away.

But this is not the typical town of 50,000 people as there is a lot of money here and there is a pretty big foreign community here (30-40 people give or take).

We really like it here but I can't imagine living anywhere smaller than this...I think that the best way to tell if a town is too small to live in is the E-Mart/HomePlus check....if it's got one of the two then the town is doable, but if you're somewhere small enough that you'll have to go grocery shopping at the regular sized Korean supermarkets then it will probably be miserable. Not just because of the shopping but it is also a good barometer that the town won't have many other foreigners or much to do.

But to say that you MUST live in Seoul is asinine...there is plenty to do in smaller and medium sized towns, not to mention the fact that many people prefer to be in smaller "family-like" foreigner communities. Unless you don't like drinking....small town Korea would be pretty boring if you don't like to go out.

[Donald Frost]