Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Tumbleweed]

Hey, I like the alliteration.

So yeah. My recruiter mentioned that the position I'd applied for in Seoul has a lot of people applying for it- but I've an interview with the school next week anyway, so...yeah.

He ALSO mentioned a school (Nova Language School, if it rings a bell?) in Asan, Chungchungnamdo Province. Now, given that I've never heard of Asan, I figured I'd consult you guys and see what I could find out!

Preliminary research (read: wikipedia) tells me there's a lot of spas around the city, there's a dragon-ship somewhere in the harbor, and it's 30 mins away from Seoul on the high speed rail. Nice things to know, sure- but I'm still curious about what it's like to live there, what kind of stuff there is for a foreigner to do, the local expat population, and so on.

So thanks for the help!

[redaxe]

It's where the HMC (Hyundai Motor Corporation) factory is located. So maybe you could get some kind of job teaching English to the Hyundai corporate-types?

Also, random factoid: "Asan" literally means "tooth mountain."

[jinks]

In my opinion, Asan is not as conveniently located as Cheonan, but the bit about the spas is true. No way 30 mins away from Seoul by KTX - it is 38 minutes from CheonanAsan to Seoul station by train, plus you have to factor in the travel time from Asan to the KTX station (anything from 15-40 mins).
There is an olympic-sized swimming pool in Asan - with a pool side sauna, nice! But only one Emart out on the edge of town (Cheonan side).

[Tumbleweed]

I see!

Also...what's an Emart? A Wal-Mart with Kimchee?

[ticktocktocktick]

Emart is a supermarket chain, it used to be Walmart but a Korean company took over.

Asan is full of spas and some quite nice countryside. It's fairly well connected, as long as you live near Onyang Oncheon stn (downtown) or Asan stn (for the KTX). Anywhere else would make getting to places a serious hassle. Shiny new apartment blocks have sprung up, it gives the feeling of 'we're trying our damnest to improve the place atm.'

There's a few SE asian factory workers around too, meaning there's a small foodstore catering to them, in front of Onyang stn.

[sigmundsmith]

I lived inbetween CheonanAsan Station (KTX) and Asan-si this past year. The foreign population is quite small and the city itself does not hold much attraction. Most people go to Cheonan as there is a Ya-oo-ri (shopping complex, cinema) a few bars and restaurants. But even that leads a lot to be desired.

Also, there is public transport but it is quite limited so expect to pay for taxi's if you are ever in a hurry. Purchasing a car is an option though. Yes, the Ktx to Seoul is 38 mins but like someone said take in the time to get there by taxi depending on where you will be living and the whole trip (including weighting time) is easily over an hour. To give you an indication of cost of traveling to Seoul if you plan on doing regularly, would be approx 45,000won roundtrip for ktx and taxi fare. Yes, there are other forms of trains that take longer and are cheaper and even the Seoul subway system is connected to Cheonan and Asan. You can take these if you are not in a hurry of course.

I will say it is quiet and for me boring. But if you like this life style then it will be perfect for you. For me, I couldnt wait to move back to Seoul.

[sojusucks]

There is a Seoul subway line in the area.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheonan-Asan_Station