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Korean Job Discussion Forums
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will_1077
Joined: 29 Dec 2008
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 Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 3:20 am Post subject: Cant get a job in Seoul - Is Incheon worth it? |
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Hey guys, having done a few applications for public school jobs in Seoul it appears that there arent many public school contracts or else they all seem to be taken! I have been offered Incheon as it is teh nearest city/.
Would you guys recommend Incheon as a good alternative?? The main reasons I wanted Seoul were to make friends with other westerners and enjoy the nightlife in Itaewon and Hongdae. I am also gay and would like to be able to go out in the gay scene in Itaewon, but im guessing living in Incheon this wouldnt really be possible.
How long is the subway from incheon to seoul and how late does it run?
cheers |
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Hootsmon
Joined: 22 Jan 2008
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| Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 3:33 am Post subject: Re: Cant get a job in Seoul - Is Incheon worth it? |
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| will_1077 wrote: |
Hey guys, having done a few applications for public school jobs in Seoul it appears that there arent many public school contracts or else they all seem to be taken! I have been offered Incheon as it is teh nearest city/.
Would you guys recommend Incheon as a good alternative?? The main reasons I wanted Seoul were to make friends with other westerners and enjoy the nightlife in Itaewon and Hongdae. I am also gay and would like to be able to go out in the gay scene in Itaewon, but im guessing living in Incheon this wouldnt really be possible.
How long is the subway from incheon to seoul and how late does it run?
cheers |
Incheon is a large city but very limited for foreigner-heavy locations. Most people gather in Bupyeong, though there are a few other foreigner bars spattered around the city. From Bupyeong to Seoul, you can take the subway straight up Line 1 to Seoul. To get to Yongsan, there's a rapid train that takes about 35-40 minutes, and a slower train that takes maybe 10 minutes longer. The subway closes for the night at about midnight and reopens at about 5am.
If you're wanting to enjoy the nightlife of Hongdae and Itaewon, I'd strongly recommend waiting for a position in Seoul. I lived in Incheon for a couple of years and it can be fun, if you get a couple of Korean mates to show you around and take you to decent bars, but if you really want to hang out with foreigners, particularly in Seoul, getting the subway every weekend would get very tedious, especially as you have to wait until 5am or pay a lot of money for a taxi.
Furthermore, as far as I'm aware, Incheon has no gay scene whatsoever. Also, the further from Seoul you go, the more likely you'll meet the Korean attitude of "there are no gay people in Korea"...
I'd say, be patient and get that position in Seoul or you'll be on here in 6 months complaining about Incheon... |
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will_1077
Joined: 29 Dec 2008
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| Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 3:38 am Post subject: |
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thanks yeh I was thinking the same thing! Theres another company who have positions with public schools in Busan which im considering. Although theres no itaewon or hongdae in Busan, it looks a lot foreigner friendly than Incheon and looks gorgeous, a lot prettier than Incheon, which looks pretty industrial to me.
Also, ive never lived near the beach which would be cool. |
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Xuanzang
Joined: 10 Apr 2007
Location: Sadang
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| Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 4:34 am Post subject: |
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| I think you could get a position in Seoul, whether is be with SMOE or a private school. Seoul has so many positions available. Persistence will pay off. |
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Big Mac
Joined: 17 Sep 2005
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| Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 4:39 am Post subject: |
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| Why are you so stuck on public schools? Find a good hogwan in Seoul. There are lots of jobs if you just open your mind a little and do your research carefully. |
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Chet Wautlands
Joined: 11 Oct 2008
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| Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 4:45 am Post subject: |
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| will_1077 wrote: |
Also, ive never lived near the beach which would be cool. |
The beaches in Busan are mostly not what yo might expect. They are in the city and during the summer are incredibly crowded. It's a nice idea, living near the beach, but I'm not sure it's as good as it seems. Anyone ever lived in Haeundae? |
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Xuanzang
Joined: 10 Apr 2007
Location: Sadang
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| Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 4:49 am Post subject: |
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| Chet Wautlands wrote: |
| will_1077 wrote: |
Also, ive never lived near the beach which would be cool. |
The beaches in Busan are mostly not what yo might expect. They are in the city and during the summer are incredibly crowded. It's a nice idea, living near the beach, but I'm not sure it's as good as it seems. Anyone ever lived in Haeundae? |
Gangneung has some incredible beaches too but a little too far from the scene for the OP. Gwangan and Haeundae beaches are pretty disgusting. Crowded, littered with bottles, ciggie butts and then enclosed by hotels and restaurants. It`s quite small actually too. |
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Cohiba
Joined: 01 Feb 2005
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| Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 6:33 am Post subject: |
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There is a reason all the Seoul jobs have been taken. It is because it is
the most multicultural, fun, diversified and metropolitan city. (in Korea)
Living outside of Seoul you are looking at a homogeneous, xenophobic,
and globally and culturally ignorant reality. Also, if you go on holiday you
must enter Korea in Incheon and then tack on another 6-8 hours of
travel time back to your home. At least if you live in Incheon you are
only 45-60 minutes from Seoul. (bars, food, books, people...culture)
Incheon is also close to Deokjeokdo, where there is a biannual gathering
of foreigners on the beach there. The May and September parties on
Deokjeokdo are legendary. The beach is also large, beautiful, sandy,
clean and nearly deserted, except for the foreign party people. There
are also two unclaimed disk golf disks in the forest near the beach we
couldn't find at one of the disk golf tourneys there.
Anyway, my advice is stay as close to Seoul as possible. |
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aldershot
Joined: 17 Jul 2006
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| Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 7:34 am Post subject: |
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| Cohiba wrote: |
There is a reason all the Seoul jobs have been taken. It is because it is
the most multicultural, fun, diversified and metropolitan city. (in Korea)
Living outside of Seoul you are looking at a homogeneous, xenophobic,
and globally and culturally ignorant reality. Also, if you go on holiday you
must enter Korea in Incheon and then tack on another 6-8 hours of
travel time back to your home. At least if you live in Incheon you are
only 45-60 minutes from Seoul. (bars, food, books, people...culture)
Incheon is also close to Deokjeokdo, where there is a biannual gathering
of foreigners on the beach there. The May and September parties on
Deokjeokdo are legendary. The beach is also large, beautiful, sandy,
clean and nearly deserted, except for the foreign party people. There
are also two unclaimed disk golf disks in the forest near the beach we
couldn't find at one of the disk golf tourneys there.
Anyway, my advice is stay as close to Seoul as possible. |
yes, cohiba is correct. seoul is a vaccuum when it comes to xenophobia. everywhere else in korea it is rampant.
yes, seoul is the heart of korean culture. if you live outside of seoul, it may very well be impossible to experience any korean culture whatsoever.
yes, if you're very insecure. |
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IncognitoHFX
Joined: 06 May 2007
Location: Yeongtong, Suwon
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| Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 8:00 am Post subject: |
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| Cohiba wrote: |
There is a reason all the Seoul jobs have been taken. It is because it is
the most multicultural, fun, diversified and metropolitan city. (in Korea)
Living outside of Seoul you are looking at a homogeneous, xenophobic,
and globally and culturally ignorant reality.
Anyway, my advice is stay as close to Seoul as possible. |
Don't listen to Cohiba's generic, jaded-foreigner-rant. He's got a point but there are many places in Korea that are livable and not all of them are near Seoul. I can think of five or six places I've visited in Korea (in the deep countryside) that I wouldn't mind living in towards the end of my time in Korea. |
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ThingsComeAround
Joined: 07 Nov 2008
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| Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 8:33 am Post subject: |
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Maybe you want the surrounding area of Seoul- Gyeonggi-do? They may have positions that are available and you will be close to Seoul in moments.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gyeonggi
Incheon is okay... but some parts can be extremely industrial or extremely rural..
Good luck |
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espoir
Joined: 09 Oct 2008
Location: Incheon, South Korea
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| Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 4:57 pm Post subject: |
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| Yea Incheon blows. Been here for 4 months and I'm in the absolute cesspool of Incheon (near dongincheon stn) the city is dirty, smelly and polluted. That and it take me an hour from my place to meet up with friends in bupyeong (only place worth hanging out here). next year I am definately moving out to bucheon, its cheaper, cleaner and right in the middle of bupyeong and seoul. |
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Milwaukiedave
Joined: 02 Oct 2004
Location: Goseong
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| Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 11:46 pm Post subject: |
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OP,
You'll hear quite a few people on his board talk poorly about Incheon, in the end it is what you make of it. I lived there for a year and it wasn't that bad. The area I was in was near Juan Station, so we were quite a ways from Seoul. As one other person said, if you try to get near Bupyeong Station you'd be better off. If you look at a subway map, the larger stations have an express subway train on Line 1 into Seoul and that cuts some time off getting into the city.
As to the gay scene, I can't help you out. You might be better off looking into what's going on in Seoul then in Incheon since there would be more people there. |
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Hootsmon
Joined: 22 Jan 2008
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| Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 3:59 am Post subject: |
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| espoir wrote: |
| Yea Incheon blows. Been here for 4 months and I'm in the absolute cesspool of Incheon (near dongincheon stn) the city is dirty, smelly and polluted. That and it take me an hour from my place to meet up with friends in bupyeong (only place worth hanging out here). next year I am definately moving out to bucheon, its cheaper, cleaner and right in the middle of bupyeong and seoul. |
I lived in Incheon for 2 years and now live in Bucheon. Every city has its nicer areas and its more skanky areas. Without a doubt, Dongincheon is one of the more industrial areas of Incheon. But not all of Incheon is like that - around City Hall and Art Centre is quite nice.
I guess my point is just that there will also be crappy areas of Bucheon, particularly if you end up far from the subway line (and you can). I fully recommend moving to Bucheon, I like it a lot, just make sure you get a nice area this time round - especially near a station so you can pop up to Seoul in no time.  |
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Dazed and Confused
Joined: 10 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 4:43 am Post subject: |
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I've lived in Incheon for 8 years. I think it depends where you are. Some places are closer to Seoul than most people think. Gangnam is an hour away from me. Mokdong 45 mins, and Itaewon about 50 mins.
While Incheon itself has few redeeming qualities,  life is pleasant enough here and I find plenty to do. |
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