Korean Job Discussion Forums

[peacock12]

Hello everyone,

I was offered a gepik teaching position in Paju -Tongil Elementary School through Korvia and I am still deciding on whether or not to take it. I was informed that the more urban cities are seeking those with teaching experience so I could not get my top 3 choices: Anyang, Seongnam, and Bucheon. I haven't found that much information on Paju. From what I read, many people mentioned that it's more rural. I'm more of a city person and I'm afraid living in a rural area would bore me. For those who have lived and taught in Paju, what would you advise? Thank You so much!

[JustinC]

I live in a town near the DMZ, to the east of Paju, and work with co-teachers from my town, Pocheon and Paju. It is more rural, without a doubt, out here. It's also less crowded, the air is cleaner, locals are nicer, kids bow to you in the street(!), there's less traffic. On the downside Seoul is over an hour away, there's not a McDonald's or KFC or Burger King around, and I have to travel to Uijeongbu for good foreign food.

There's a local (free) gym, a cinema in the next town, and several western restaurants catering to the American army base about half an hour away. There's a nice bar 5 minutes away, the local supermarkets - Lotte and a couple smaller chains - stock sufficiently to eat Asian dishes, there are also several bakers in the town. The Korean restaurants are cheap. Once you get to know the area it's much easier to know where to go if you want foreign foods but it's a pretty daunting task at first. The internet is a great resource for everything today, hopefully you'll get a reply from someone in Paju too.

[peacock12]

Thanks! I hope to get more replies also. I would love to hear more about people's experiences in Paju before making a decision.

[Jack_Sarang]

Hello, I work in Paju.

Tongil Elementary school is fairly remote. However it's right next to the Heyri Art Village which has a bunch of good restaurants and cafes and its close to the Paju English Village.

They may house you in that area or they may house you in Geumchon which is the biggest nearby "town".

Your night-life/recreational activities are going to be hampered by your location. If you live in Geumchon its not so bad, they recently extended the Kyungui train line and you can go from Geumchon station to Hongdae in about 40-45 minutes directly. But a 35-40 thousand won taxi ride home if you stay out late.

The positives are that the school is, from what I remember, fairly small, so your classes will either be smaller or you will have less of them. Many Paju schools only have one class in each grade 1 through 6.

The other thing is that most funding for Paju schools is not directly through GEPIK. So your school should be well funded and be able to provide you with whatever you need.

I personally wouldn't recommend it for a first-timer though. The job conditions are probably great but your social life will suffer from the location.

[Dodge7]

Seems like a BORIIING place to live. I'd skip it.

[littletelly94]