Korean Job Discussion Forums

[milkofsteinbeck]

Hey just wondering if anyone had any advice on choosing between teaching in a rural area or in a city. I'm definitely not a big crowds person and teaching in a quiet, natural setting sounds appealing, but I hear you are more likely to be isolated(only English speaker there). Are there any teachers in country that could tell what's it's like? Thanks.

[tomato]

I just finished a contract with three country schools, named Mysan, Bongsan, and Gawhe.

Here is the up side:

The classes were small.
Most of the classes were in the single digits.
In one school, they had to combine the third and fourth grades, and they were still in the single digits.

I wasn't isolated from other gringos.
They put all the gringos in the same apartment building in the county seat.
All the other teachers worked either in the county seat or in other country schools.

Here is the down side:

Some of the homeroom teachers were in the classroom when you didn't want them.
Like most Korean teachers, they made certain that the entire class would not be conducted in English.

On the other hand, some of the homeroom teachers were NOT in the classroom when you DIDN'T want them.
At Bongsan, the fifth and sixth grade classes were full of hooligans.
The teachers in those two classes left me to handle the class by myself.

In each school, a so-called co-teacher, who is proficient in English, will be appointed.
A better name would be anti-teacher.
At Bongsan, nobody wanted the job.
At Myosan, the so-called co-teacher never spoke to me except when someone had a complaint about me.
At Gahwe, the anti-teacher was a shrewd manipulator. He was the sixth grade teacher. At the end of the year, the sixth grade, the students take a big exam. Two weeks before the exam, he started to worry about the exam scores, so he decided to use me as a scapegoat. This resulted in a conference with him and the principal.

I never did find out why my contract wasn't renewed.
It could be from malicious backbiting and politicking 'most anywhere in any of those three schools.

This petty squabbling takes place in public schools all over Korea, though, so I would say that city schools share most of the disadvantages.

[Dr. Whom]

I was scanning a few older posts. This guy Cohiba seemed to have
summed it up nicely:

Remember "Cohiba's Rule" (Now better than ever!):

Think twice before you live outside of Seoul. "In Seoul" and
"outside of Seoul" are like two different countries. Seoul
is an interesting place with variety and venues for most
tastes. Outside of Seoul you will find a homogeneous Korean
culture. I don't mean this in a bad way, but you will never
find things like: French, Greek, Indian or any other ethnic
foods. Markets that sell sherry, pate, pastrami, ricotta cheese.
Specialty shops that sell Cuban cigars, European pies, cold
cuts or rye breads. Just to name a few things. Also clubs such
as photography, drama, public speaking, sailing are 99% in
the capital city. If you want to experiment with a very Korean
culture, which unfortunately means "closed", then choose the
countryside. If you want to make money and have the lifestyle
choices similar to a western country, then there is no other
choice than Seoul.

The FFF RULE: FFF=Fun For Foreigners.

If FFF in Seoul = 100, then FFF decreases at
1/distance. So 2km from Seoul FFF=1/2(100)=50;
10km from Seoul FFF=1/10(100)=10. This rule is
a rule for nightlife, food and foreign products only.
Nature etc. is on a different scale altogether.

This means you will be wasting a lot of time commuting
to Seoul. This is especially a drag if you have been
boozing on a Friday night and there are no buses or
trains.

I, unfortunately, live near Seoul where the FFF factor
is almost in the negative range. I know!

[Sadebugo1]

[chellovek]

I live in the countryside. It's ok. Don't worry.

[milkofsteinbeck]

Everyone,
Thank you for the replies-I was expecting an email to let me know if someone had responded to my topic and nothing came-so sorry for the delayed response.
It seems like a mixed review on working in a rural area, but then again everything in Korea seems like a mixed review. I would like to strike a middle ground(still have some nature around, have some city, and expatriates) between Seoul and living on a farm.
Can anyone tell me about Pusan, Gwangju, or the other big cities as possible alternatives to Seoul?

By the way that FFF(Foreign Fun Factor) scale is great.

[milkofsteinbeck]

Wooops sorry. FFF rule=Fun for foreigners.

[PeteMoses]

I live in the countryside, and wouldn't consider living anywhere else. The xenophobia/closed culture arguments are way off as far as I'm concerned. You just have to learn to interact with people in the country, rather than blindly ignoring the masses in the cities. In my opinion, anyway, this is what living in another country is all about. Up to you of course, but I recommend the country.

[TheUrbanMyth]

[VanIslander]

[morrisonhotel]

[sheba]

I lived in the out in the country for 3 years, loved it. Still plenty to do, plenty to see and there will almost always be other foreigners in your town but it may take a while to meet them if someone cant introduce you right away. Instead of going to western restaurants, western bars, and going to the movies, free time is more spent going to Korean restaurants, korean bars and temples... And even if you live in the 'cpuntryside' you will probably only be half an hour from a city anyway, so you can still get your fix in the weekends.

I found that I was more part of the community in my small town. People were waaay more friendly because they dont get the chance to interact with foreingers much and my school appreciated me more because they knew that foreign teachers usually want to work in cities. In the city I felt like a number... easier access to everything but also spent a lot more because of it! And didnt get a chance to interact with locals.

Dependswhat kind of experience youre wanting...

[Davew125]

[tomato]

[themagicbean]

How outgoing are you and how good are you at absorbing new languages and cultures?

Even in the styx here towns are about 300k and will have 20-50 or more foreigners.

But if you are teaching for a public school or in a REALLY tiny town you might be the only foreigner. The Koreans will reach out to you but don't expect them to speak your language.

Generally though a city sizable enough to have many foreigners won't be more than a couple hours away by bus.

Wonju and Jeonju both treated/are treating me well.