Korean Job Discussion Forums

[landrau]

Hi all,

I'm thinking of coming over to Korea early next year, finding a job doesn't seem to be too difficult given that I'm a Uni graduate and all round decent person The only thing I'm unsure of is where to live.

Can anybody who lives in Korea at the moment help?

At the moment I live in Vancouver, and will be returning home to England in Nov before hopefully flying out to Korea early 2010. I'm definitely used to living in a big city, and certainly appreciate all the great things a city can offer (night life, gigs, activities etc) but at the same time I'd like to be able to see some of rural Korea near by, hopefully some calm surroundings. So i guess I'd like a fairly big city, but at the same time has that 'quaint' feel to it.

Is this moon on a stick talk? I know two of my friends live in Ulsan but I think i'd like somewhere a big bigger.

Would appreciate any help guys, cheers.

[asams]

if you just keep searching there's all kinds of threads about this topic. There's a formula for deciding where you want to live that someone came up with, but it's pretty biased in favor of Seoul.

[BS.Dos.]

No disrespect, but I think you'd be happier up in Seoul. You sound young and your emphasis gravitates to the more 'urban' aspects of living; nightlife, gigs etc and so I think you should start out up there and then maybe pan out as you get a fuller flavour of living in Korea. The alternative would be having a rural Mon-Fri and your weekends in the city, which is plausible. Afterall, it's a small country and you wouldn't be more than about an hour or so from any of the bigger cities regardless of where you end up.

However, my experiences of meeting younger FTs out here tells me that most wouldn't have chosen a quieter rural location had they known what it was like. A year's a long time and while your experience will be largely defined in terms of how things turn out at your school, a significant part of your Korean experience will be determined by how well you enjoy and adapt to 'living' out here. The town I'm in is small; just a couple of small Korean Supermarkets, though nothing in them that's Western; a few bars, though only one that's really worth going in; and just a handful of other FTs, with the ones who enjoy it here, myself included, being 30+. It tends to be a solitary existence for most of the week with the one or two FTs that do come out to socialize, only really doing so one night per week. Obviously, I can't speak for every small town in Korea, but that pretty well defines how things are for us.

Basically, do your homework on here between now and whenever it is you decide to come. Keep a clear focus and don't let your imagination lead you astray and think that it'll be 'nice' to live in some quiet corner of some foreign country for a year; it's good for some, but rather dull for others, especially if spending a substantial amount of your time on your own is going to be difficult. You want coming to Korea to be as enjoyable and memorable an experience as you can possibly make it, so be sure you fully understand what both your personal needs and, more importantly, your tolerances are.

[Ultimo Hombre]

Best and only place in Korea to live......PYONGYANG. End of thread.

[air76]

If you want to live somewhere that is anything remotely like what you're used to at home then Seoul is the only option. The same goes for wanting to live in a BIG city. Seoul doesn't have the same flare as a Paris or New York, but none of the other big cities in Korea are nearly as metropolitan as Seoul, not even close.

That being said...I don't live in Seoul and don't particularly wish to, even though I do enjoy big cities.

There are advantages and disadvantages to living in big/medium/small cities, and as mentioned before do a search and you will find oodles of threads with posters vehemently defending or defaming both urban and "rural" life. Rural being in quotes as the term has a slightly different meaning in Korea...a town of 100,000 people is considered rural for example.

I think that a steadfast rule is that you don't want to live anywhere that doesn't have a HomePlus or E-Mart....if the city doesn't have one of those two supermarkets then it is too small for a foreigner to be happy in. Of course there are exceptions and people who do like living uber-rural, but if there is a HomePlus you can count on at least 15-20 foreigners living in that town and can at the very least buy all of the basic Western goods you need to cook at home.

[bobbyhanlon]

i'd say haeundae down in busan. its on the edge of the city, so you can get out into the sticks pretty quickly, and it has a beach. if you head out towards places like gijang along the coast, it is really gorgeous.
i wouldn't live there myself because i like seoul too much, but definitely take a look at haeundae.

[landrau]

Firstly, cheers guys for taking the time to reply.

I agree with most of you in that a bigger city would be most suitable, especially given that It'll be my first time in Korea. So if i decide to stay another year then at least I'll have the experience of those kinds of cities and have the option of moving on. Busan and Seoul look like the most attractive options, i take it there are a lot of FT's in Busan as there are in Seoul?

[RufusW]

[landrau]

This is isn't the original topic, but i wanted some clarification on this anyway. Hope you guys can help me out.

I'm a British citizen currently working & living in Canada but will be returning home around Nov time this year. If I apply through an agency, does it matter where that agency is based? Either way, i will have to physically pick up my visa from my country of origin?

[asams]

you're asking about recruiters? doesn't matter where the recruiter is located. I talked with one in Korea and one in Canada. You will have to pick up your visa from your home country though because you'll have to do an in-person interview at the Korean consulate in order for them to deem you "qualified" to teach in Korea. Don't sweat the interview, it's mostly just BS questions like"

"Why do you want to work in Korea?"

As long as you don't go smelling like marijuana, carrying a 40, and flirting with the receptionists you should be fine

[landrau]

Asams-Thanks, that's that one cleared up already.

I'll leave my Glock at home then

[Nick Adams]

Gangnam, Apgujeong, Ilsan, Jeongja - in that order of preference.

Avoid living in the countryside if you can. Avoid Incheon, too.

[Nick Adams]

Gangnam, Apgujeong, Ilsan, Jeongja - in that order of preference.

Avoid living in the countryside if you can. Avoid Incheon, too.

[RACETRAITOR]

Live in the city, travel to the countryside when you feel like it. It's much easier that way around.

[kasain]

Hey, I live in a country city, Uljin, and with the exception of a train its really a nice city. Weather is nice all year around. No hot rain, no major snow days like seoul.

We live on beachfront property. Granted theres no dance clubs. But I perfer it that way. One can save money and have fun and feel like theya re in a good place.