Korean Job Discussion Forums

[keiran]

Hey there folks!

I've been looking for the right school in the right area to come over and teach. Several friends recommended me Seoul, Busan and Daegu. I'm wondering how large the foreigner community is in comparison to these places?

[Radius]

Seoul biggest, then Pusan, then Daegu. Satellite cities around Seoul are ok like Bucheon, Ilsan and Bupyoung. Dont limit yourself to the cities i mentioned or you may be waiting longer than you wanted to. gl

[keiran]

what about daejon?

[FDNY]

I found this guy's post a while back. Makes great sense. If you
are social and want to join clubs, Seoul has 99% of them.


"Cohiba's Rule"

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!

[yellowdove]

omg i'm so sick of that FFF stuff. it's so not true.

any fairly large city (seoul, busan, daejeon, daegu, gwangju, the satelite cities of seoul) are wonderful places to live, foreigner communities are large enough to meet people, and korea is such a small country you can travel ANYWHERE in one day and have fun.

yes, seoul has the largest foreigner population, this is true. it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that one out. but i'm sure they're all spread out, and it would be very hard to meet someone there unless you joined a group or club.

the smaller cities, on the other hand, have less foreigners, but as i said previously, enough so that you'll meet SOMEONE. each city i'm sure has their own facebook group, or a community centre, so that if you're struggling to meet someone you can turn to that.

don't pick where you want to live based on the foreigner community size. pick where you want to live based on city size overall, where it's close to (each city has its advantages in location) and where you can get a decent job the fastest.

you asked about daejeon, i like it, my husband likes it, we have made great friends here, and it's so easy to get anywhere in the country from daejeon because it's right in the middle, and all the railways and most of the buses go through here.

and PLEASE, enough with the stupid FFF stuff. kthx.

[Murakano]

[FDNY]

I didn't write Cohiba's rule, but I think it is so true. I visitied a friend
in Daejon over Chuseok. I arrived Friday afternoon and left Saturday,
thank god! Friday night we went to a place called Lucky Strike. What
a hole. The worst bars in Itaewon or Sinchon are 100 times better than
that.

Saturday I wanted a big breakfast. NOT! Thank GOD for Suji's. Mmmm
eggs benedict.

Anyway, this is just an example of what is waiting for you in the Korean
hinterland.

Thx, Cohiba!

[eamo]

Unless you're going to a big setup with lots of foreigners working there then I'd say the first year in Korea would probably be easiest in Seoul or Busan.

[morrisonhotel]

[Steelrails]

If you want your time in Korea to be worthwhile I would recommend the country. If you like Korean culture then you will really like being in the countryside where you can experience it and maximize your experience.

If you don't like Korean culture then being in the countryside gives you plenty of time to spend on individual creative projects, solo activities, finding a tight foreigner circle, and time to get in touch with yourself.

Why come to Korea to just be around other foreigners?

[FDNY]

[eamo]

[Bibbitybop]

I would consider Busan, but even that doesn't have the life and globalization of Seoul. Talk to people who lived in Seoul, then moved to a different city (except for Busan). They hate their new town and do everything they can to get back to Seoul.

[comm]

<3 my Gwangju. There's no Taco Bell, but a city of 1.6 mil has a lot to offer. There are salsa dance clubs downtown, lots of hiking nearby, tons of beaches are close. The cost of living is lower than Seoul so it's easier to save. And hey, in a war with NK we'd fare much better than Seoul ^_^

I'm sure the foreigner community is only in the hundreds (by my guesstimation anyway) but it's much more tightly knit. If you see a foreigner downtown and say 'hi', they'll probably show you around and introduce you to their friends.

Plus it's kinda nice being a bit more of a commodity than foreigner-swamped Seoul.

Oh, and the ratio of female foreigners to male foreigners is pretty skewed to the former. Not sure if it matters to you, but it's something to know.

[Harpeau]

Cohiba's Rule is maybe 10 or so years old. Back then, much of it rang true. Today, some things have changed. Many specialty foods can be ordered on the Internet, and according to a poll, the # 1 popular Foreigner Bar is in Ulsan.

Myself, I am very happy in Seoul. Living in Itaewon 2 dong~ up close to Namsan Park rocks! It's very quiet up here. Very nice!!