Korean Job Discussion Forums

[jamierc]

What is living in Tongyeong like? My boyfriend and I are thinking of taking a contract teaching at a Hagwon there. How was your experience? Anyone still living in the area? We are both 24.. like to party and have a good time but also are into other things.. reading/painting/music .. doing stuff outside.


Does anyone know about the maple school there?

[onlyinkorea87]

[Louis VI]

TONGYEONG IS FANTASTIC!

It's next to Geoje, close to Changwon and Jinju and has a lot of surrounding beauty if you get yourself an old car or scooter to get around. The city itself is charming, with the mildest weather, humid though, and all the services of a big city but not that big.

I lived there for 5 months over the summer of '09 and only trouble with a hagwon boss drove me away.

[mavsfan5]

Personally, I love Tongyeong...even enough to come back again! I think it's a beautiful city and it has most everything that you need.

As for other foreigners, there's a pretty good mix that you should be able to plug into and make good friends with. Tongyeong doesn't have an overwhelming amount of foreigners, but they mostly all know each other and hang out when they can.

There is good hiking around and in the summer, you can take ferries out to explore the surrounding islands. Also, the buses are super cheap to go from city to city, so a weekend away is no big deal.

I checked with some of my co-teachers, and Maple School is in Jungnim, which is the newest part of Tongyeong. There are constantly new businesses opening in Jungnim and there is an awesome seaside walking track.

As I say to anyone that is moving here, your experience is what you make it. If you get involved in the culture and take advantage of the things around you, you'll have a fantastic time. If you just keep to yourselves and don't get out and do things, then you'll be miserable.

Good luck and maybe we'll be seeing you soon!