Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Canonite]

Hi everyone!

My name is Tamas and there is a 99.999% chance that I will be moving to Korea (Changwon) in the coming weeks, so I thought I'd start my own little thread where I can throw random questions I have about the city/country/culture/people in the hopes that some of you might be able to answer them. Also, I thought this would be a good place to introduce myself and maybe meet some people form the area where I'll be living.

Bit about myself: I'm 29, currently living in Canda, have a Bach. of Journalism, worked as a reporter for a few years until I got fed up with the way good journalists are treated and left the business. Finished my degree, got my TESL and here I am. My biggest passion is photography - http://www.flickr.com/tamasv - (hence the username...it means I have a thing for Canon cameras NOT that I'm part of some crazy religious sect haha), and I love travelling, camping, hiking, and generally being outside and seeing new things.

I have been working with a recruiter who has been exceedingly kind and helpful. So far, I have cleared all the hurdles and he forwarded my application to a school. On Monday (your time, Sunday for me) I have an interview with someone from the ministry. Apparently if I don't blow that interview I'll be going to Korea.

That's me in a nutshell...if you have any other questions, feel free to ask.

Now...my questions:

Is there anyone in Changwon?

In the pictures I have seen and the things I've read, Changwon looks like an awesome place....what's it like?

I love travelling and exploring, but wasn't planning on getting a car in Korea...is that unrealistic? How expensive is it to own a car?

How expensive are electronics/camera gear compared to USA/Canada?

When I move to Korea...what should I bring? Not worry about? Stock up on?

I read that the plug/voltage in Korea is different...I have a bunch of electronics I'm hoping to bring (laptop, cameras, PSP) that all have North American chargers...I know a simple converter solves the problem since none of these is a big power consumer...is that what most of you guys are doing?

How much is internet there? I don't need anything blazing fast, but fast enough to stream YouTube or similar sites. (I won't be torrenting, though).

If I think of anything else, I'll just keep adding to this thread...in the meantime, I appreciate any bit of information you can throw my way

Thanks,
Tamas

[Yaya]

Dude, why are you being so lazy? You can EASILY look up the answers to most of your questions, so don't ask posters to do your work for you, loser.

[Canonite]

[ttompatz]

IN a word... FAQs.

Newbies should learn to read before they post.

.

[Canonite]

[metalhead]

There are lots of foreigners in Changwon, you'll meet them at the bars here. For a first-timer to Korea, Changwon is a really good location.

Do you have any idea where exactly in Changwon you will be?

[Canonite]

[metalhead]

The bars are more like pubs, they're all situated in the same area. You can search on facebook for them, bars like O'Brien's, International Pub etc.

You might stay in an apartment building like that, or in a 'villa', which is like a smaller version of those Soviet-esque apartment buildings but essentially the same thing with regards to the size of your apartment.

Changwon isn't that big, so it's easy to get around. You also have Indian, Vietnamese, and other foreign restaurants here, and the typical yankee rubbish like Starbucks, Burger King, Popeye's, Domino's etc. Shopping is okay, you can get most foods that you want, not sure about clothes though, Korean fashion is not my style at all, and the sizes are whack. Bring lots of clothes with you, including shoes.

[Openfire]

Hey, I"ll be going for my first time to Korea in about 3 weeks.

I try not to post on these boards too often because most people are quite rude here but that doesn't mean there isn't any useful information around. I have read almost all the threads ahah ( too much time on my hands) but I have learnt heaps.

If you take a look there are a lot of threads about the topics you asked and also if you want to ask about any of them, just ask them in those threads and bring them back alive. I'm sure other newbies would like answers to them too.

I'll be in Suwon so I'm hoping my apartments are nice but from what I've heard its really hit and miss with the quality of your apartment. You could get something amazing or something in a really bad state.

Good luck!

[Canonite]

metalhead: thanks again! And that sounds great...clubs can be fun, but I love a good pub atmosphere (even though I don't drink haha).

I'll definitely search them and I guess it'll be even easier once I'm there...do foreigners get together outside of settings where alcohol is served? Not that it bothers me at all, just wondering...pretty much anytime I read of expats getting together it's in a bar setting haha....

Thanks for the tip on the clothes...I generally dress rather boring (khakis and dress shirt or t-shirt), but I was wondering if I should stock up on stuff (I have been buying dress shirts like crazy haha). And thanks for the tip about the shoes, that's one question I meant to ask, but slipped my mind. In one of the threads I remember seeing "bring pillows"...really? Is it really that bad? Seems like something that would take up a ton of space and be of little benefit (unless they really don't have pillows).

It's funny you say "isn't that big"...I keep reading that and when I looked it up on Google Maps, that was my first reaction too...I guess coming from a country with a really low population density (Canada) I'm used to many people = huge city, whereas in Korea they pack a million people into a city that takes up as much space as a city of 100-200k around here...

I haven't found many threads on car ownership and the one thread I found on scooter ownership didn't really explain much...can anyone shed light as to how hard or expensive it is to own a car or a scooter. Are scooters even allowed on the highway? I'm guessing not, but you never know.

Or are there smaller back roads where one could get away with riding a scooter from, say Changwon to Bulsan?

[Canonite]

Openfire: haha yeah, I guess it's easy to call names when the recipient of your insult is a few thousand miles away I've been around message boards for long enough not to pay those people much attention.

Yeah, there are tons of threads, but if I just bring it up from the dead, who knows who will read what...not to mention (and this is not to sound important, but realistic) I can't keep my eyes on two dozen threads...I just wanted one neat place where I can ask random questions and hopefully have people chime in as they pleased

I'm really keeping my fingers crossed for a decent place as well...but, I've lived in some pretty interesting places (couple of laundry rooms, cars, countless couches, office, classroom, etc), so I'm generally pretty easy to please.

Good luck with your move as well! What airline are you flying with?

[dyc]

I don't know about Changwon, but most larger cities have decent public transportation which makes car ownership unnecessary.

Also, about the Internet thing, I have Korean friends who tell me that the Internet is Canada is wayyy slower than in Korea, and that even smaller towns (not sure about really rural areas though) have ADSL at least. Compare this to Canada where I know people who come from towns in Ontario where dial-up (or an equivalent) is the norm.

[Canonite]

[dyc]

[jdsolo]

I think I saw a thread here somewhere saying that Korea was the 6th rudest country in the world. It's not suprising that the forum about Korea would have a lot of rude people as well. Maybe a lot of these english teachers have been in korea for too long?

Anyways, I'm not an english teacher yet but I did spend a year over there with the Army (and I'm hoping to go back there to teach ESL next year) so I'll try to speak from my experience. (I dated a hagwon teacher there so I spent a lot of time with english teachers)

People spend time together outside of bars all the time. There are countless of things to do in Korea, don't worry about that. I guess night life is what most people are interested in before going to Korea. Daytime activities just take care of themselves.

As for pillows, some of the bigger places sell pillows (like eMart and Home Plus). but I don't think they're as comfortable. It's your call.

And you don't need a vehicle. Subways and buses are everywhere. There's no point in the extra hassle.

If you have any more questions, feel free to ask. I'll try to answer as best as I can. I'm pretty bored at work