Korean Job Discussion Forums

[kolssi]

Hello everyone,

After doing as much research as I possibly could (Naver,Google, etc.) in addition to talking to friends in Korea, I just signed a contract for a hagwon job in Pyeongtaek.

I have been to Korea twice before as a tourist, and I enjoyed it so much that I thought it would be great to spend an entire year in Daehanminguk post-graduation.

Anyways, from what I have read and seen, Pyeongtaek seems to be a fairly small (compared to Seoul, Daejeon, Busan, etc) port city with decent proximity to Seoul. (My Korean friends insisted that it is very far from Seoul, but I suppose in such a small country a 60 min. trip by mugunghwa or 90 min. trip by subway may seem to a native like a far distance)

I guess there really isn't a nightlife in Pyeongtaek, which is fine with me, I anticipate I will trek to Seoul on the weekends and just sleep in jimjilbangs if I miss the train home.

I just wanted other peoples' general impressions of the city. I kind of loathe the atmosphere of Itaewon, and due to the military base near Pyeongtaek I was worried the whole city would be one big GI hangout, which my recruiter assured me wasn't the case. Any thoughts here?

I was also curious if there were any private health club (weight room)/ bath houses in Pyeongtaek. When I lived in Bangbae-dong I religiously visited a place called Bangbae Hyundai Sports Club, and I just hope there is something similiar in Pyeongtaek that I could belong to.

A side note: is there such a thing as a Korean cook book translated into English? During my last trips to Korea I tried to eat Korean meals exclusively, and while I know how to cook a few basic Korean dishes, I would like to learn more. Also since things western tend to be more expensive in Korea (I went to an Italian restaurant in Gangnam that was not good at all, while also being extremely pricey), it will save money if I cook only with Korean ingredients.

I have to admit that I am a bit apprehensive about choosing a hagwon location in a city I am not familiar with, so I just wanted to hear some other peoples' thoughts on the city and hopefully some answers to my other questions.

Thanks!

[ghettofabulous]

first thing, pyeongtaek itself is actually really big geographically. i live in the songtan area of pyeongtaek, and i have to commute about 50 minutes to my job in another area of the city. do you know which area of the city you'll be in? i've seen spas and gyms around, so i don't think you'll have a problem with that. as for nightlife, you can always hit the songtan area by osan afb. the train and buses are convienient, but that's only if you're by pyeongtaek station.