Korean Job Discussion Forums

[alright26]

I wanted to know what people thing about Gwangyang in general, as well as if you know anything about the Talking club there where I could be working.

How is the city? My boyfriend and I love to be outdoors which I think is why our recruiter found us this city, but it seems like it might be pretty polluted because of the steel plant... I love that its on the water but if there are no beaches that are swimable is it worth it? Or is this really a good place for hiking and being outside despite the industry (which seems to be almost everywhere in Korea).

Thanks

[Louis VI]

Gwangyang is industrial but get yourself a pair of cheap wheels and zip to the Namhae Island beach of Sangju to the east, or any of several beaches to the west on sunny, hot weekends. The southern coast of the country is a great place to be. I've lived in the vicinity of it for over seven years.

Gwangyang is part of a triangle of small cities, with Yeosu and Suncheon, all within an hour of each other, and each offering nice aspects. Suncheon has good expat gatherings which you would soon find out about when you arrive in Gwangyang; Yeosu is hosting the world expo in 2012 so it'll be fun to visit there several times!

Enjoy! Gwangyang isn't very big but all the shopping and entertainment you'll need is there or around an hour away. It isn't far from Jiri National park for great hikes. Mountains, rivers, the sea, beaches, all are accessible if you travel on weekends, NOT FAR. Korea is a small country to begin with and all the places I mentioned are close by. Buy a decent ten year old car for five hundred bucks with your first paycheque (older cars are so cheap here) and get yourselves around on weekends in that. The buses the great for travel between cities and to famous sites, but to truly enjoy the outdoors you are best served by zipping on your own. Really, you don't need to read Korean, nor is traffic as horrendous as some say. It takes some getting used to their style, but the traffic isn't bad as long as you stay away from the big cities of Gwangju and Busan, not to mention Seoul.

[alright26]

Thank so much for your help! Anyone else?

Also, what do you think the chances are of finding an offer from a place like gangneung for a couple position? Because I think Gangneugn sounds a little nicer but don't want to throw out this offer if we don't find anything better...

[Nunger]

Not sure if you're still trying to make decisions or not. I lived in Gwangyang, Jungma-dong for 2 years and it's great! The city is the perfect size to get around whether you walk or cab it or as suggested get your own car.

There is a small mountain right in the city, so you can get some nice hour or 2 hour hikes in even during the week. And there's also other great hikes very near, in Gwangyang-Eup, about 10 mins. away. (not sure if you're aware, but there are 3 Gwangyangs very close together, the 3rd one is Gwangyong, about 5 mins. from Jungma)

As far as beaches go, aside from what has already been mentioned, there is a bridge to Yeosu currently being built that is supposed to be finished in 2012. Yeosu has several nice beaches and the new bridge is supposed to get you to Yeosu in about 20 minutes.

There's also a HomePlus (big TESCO grocery store) in Gwangyang that has lots of different food options. I think because it's a port city where there are always people from other countries coming and going, it has things that people from bigger cities don't even have. Definitely nice if you like to cook or like ethnic food other than Korean.

Above all of this, Gwangyang has some of the best people around. The foreigner/English teacher community is not huge, but the people that are there are quality. There are always things to do if you want and there's a great bar there with awesome Korean owners that welcome foreigners with open arms, it's called String bar.

I'd suggest checking out the website for R & R English to get an idea of the people that you'll be meeting and the types of things they do. Rob, the Canadian co-owner of the school, has posted videos of teachers and the city.

Hope this helps you or anyone else who might be thinking of moving to Gwangyang. We left about a year ago and totally want to go back, just for the people and the great experience we had living there.

Good luck!!

[thew]

gwangyang!

[heyalan]

Hi,

My name is Alan, and I use to work at Talking Club with Jenny. And Michael and Lauren came to see me on Thanksgiving weekend. I happened to be looking at Dave's and saw your conversations. I'm apparently leaving Korea in February, and thought I'd first ask you guys if you want to buy my car. If your interested it's a 97 Accent by Hyundai. It runs great and a little paint will have it looking almost brand new. I'm asking 800 Dollars for it, if your interested. The Hyundai Accent is a car that still appears all over Korea, and it just passed the emisions test.
Hope your having fun..

Sincerely,

Alan Brown