Korean Job Discussion Forums

[stejskalova]

Hello,
I��m pretty interested in taking a teaching position here, I have been finding all sorts of information online, but I was curious to hear first hand experiences of anyone that has lived in or visited Daegu.

I am mainly curious about the lifestyle and culture of the city, how the nightlife (bars / clubs), entertainment (music / movies / art) relate to the bigger cities, and how the restaurants fare! Also, what would be the cost of a beer and dinner out?

I��ll probably expand on the questions as the replies grow, any other information you can add about Daegu or the surrounding areas (for weekend trips!) would be wonderful. Thank you ESLCafe!

[nev]

Hi. As you probably know, Daegu is a city of 2.5 million, the 3rd biggest in Korea, and is quite spread out. Most English teachers work near downtown or on the west side of the city, in my experience (I happen to be one of the few on the east).

I've been here less than six months, but I like it here. There's a good English speaking community and you'll have no trouble meeting people, especially if you go to Communes, which is the main meeting bar. Aside from Communes, there are a number of other decent bars all scattered around downtown. There are a few decent clubs too, Bubble Bar being my favourite. So, on weekends, if you just want to go out for a few drinks, you'll have no problem.

You'll have no problems with cinemas or, better, DVD rooms. Live music is confined to open-mic night at Communes on Wednesday, and a few jazz bars, in my limited experience at least. As for art, I heard a rumour about a gallery somewhere, but it doesn't appear to be a major Daegu preoccupation.

Eating out is easy, there are hundred of Korean restaurant everywhere. As for Western restaurants, downtown you have stuff like Bennigans and Outback Steakhouse, and a number of others. Fast food is everywhere too. Going out for Korean food and a beer won't set you back much - 10,000 Won but more often less. Western restaurants are a bit more expensive, but no moreso than they are in Western countries.

Obviously Daegu can't compare to Seoul in many respects, but it is quite well positioned for daytrips and weekend trips. Korea is small so nothing is far away, and so there's all sorts of hiking possibilities, and snowboarding/skiing in the winter.

So I'd recommend Daegu overall. It's rough and ready, like much of Korea, but I find it friendly and have had no problem settling in.

[kimchikowboy]

Here are some places for info.

http://thedaeguguide.com/index.htm

http://pusanweb.com/forums/index.htm

[chronicpride]

I just sent you a PM, but I'll throw in my comments, for future readers about Daegu:

Adjacency to Apsan, Palgongsan, and other mountains, make this area great for site-seers, plus an hour away is Gyeongju, Korea's ancient capital. You can find more touristy pursuits at http://english.daegu.go.kr/

Expat-related info can be found at http://thedaeguguide.com/ , but it's not updated much.

There are over 2.5 million people living here and at estimate, over 500 foreign teachers, maybe more, if you consider the ones on tourist visas.

Daegu is a big city, and as a result foreigners congregate in their regional areas. The west side, by Seongseo, has a lot of good foreigner hangouts and restaurants, near Keimyung University. East side, is Siji, which has a good network of expats and the popular nightspot, BeerWorld, which has a trivia night once a week that has a good following amongst the local teachers.

South side is Jisan-dong. A great entertainment and nightlife area, which boasts a good chunk of foreign teachers. Lots of shopping and western restaurants. Arguably, Daegu's richest area to live in, so a good place for teachers who do privates.

But downtown attracts the most foreigners. They have Bennigans, Outback, fast-food outlets, and everything in between. As for nightlife, Gypsy Rock is infamous amongst the teacher and GI crowds and attracts a lot of Koreans that like to mix and mingle with foreigners. It's more of a hip/hop club.

Funkaholic is 2 blocks away, and is 2 floors of techno, house, and trance. A couple of teachers own and operate this place, and has a great turnout of expats on the weekend.

Rock and Roll, is down the street from both, and is more of a laidback pub-style hangout serving huge pitchers of draft.

Old Blue has a smaller following, but has great blues and jazz and brings in live acts from time to time.

Bubble Bar is quickly rising as a big competitor to Gypsy Rock, although has a smaller capacity. Same music and style.

Ping is of a similar mold to Bubble, but larger in size.

Megchu Jungle has 2 locations in downtown, which is more of pub-style, but has many different imported beers to choose from, which are kept resting on long slabs of ice, in front of you, so you can just reach over grab which bottle you want, and continue with that process all night. Then at the end, the waitress comes over, counts your empties and you pay then.

The above poster mentions Commune, which is often packed with teachers on weekends, in a laidback, live music atmosphere.

Most of these downtown bars are within a 4 block radius of each other, so they're easy to find, a most people club-hop through the night, between the foreigner spots and other Korean clubs in the area.

PM me if you are thinking about coming to Daegu, as I work with an association of schools and recruiters in the city, as well as can introduce you around.

[Ilsanman]

I have limited experience in Daegu, but I prefer it to Busan. Not to Seoul, though.