Korean Job Discussion Forums

[GM86]

Hello,

I'm looking to fly out to South Korea in a matter of weeks to start teaching English. Below are some of my options:

Jung-gu, Incheon

Suji, Gyeonggi

Namyangju, Gyeonggi

If anyone has any info on these places, if you've lived or visited there, that'd be great. I've obviously been on google and blogs etc, but I'm after a full picture if possible.

Is there a western community in these places?
What's the cost of living?
Vibrant city centre?
Nightlife?
Easy access to Seoul?

Any info would be great - I'd really appreciate it. Cheers
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[markness]

Seoul or bust! Is it absolutely important that you live in one of those cities? You can't live in Seoul? Reason being, is that everything that you are looking into seems to be in Seoul, and everyone I have met who didn't live in Seoul wished that hey had.

[lemak]

I hated Seoul. Not fully hated, but loved to do day trips up there and get the hell out. Seriously disliked the bumping, the crowds, the concrete and the undercurrent of stress and anger.
Personally enjoyed being an hour or so out of the city where it's possible to get in, do the crap you need to do, eat the crap you need to eat and then get out to greener, slightly more relaxed pastures at the end of the day.
Each to their own...maybe when I was 22 I *needed* to live in Seoul, but these days value things in life other than getting farted on in crowded subways or having cars speed up at you as you have the audacity to cross the road in front of them. Just because 12 odd million Koreans feel the need to literally live on top of each other isn't necessarily a reason for any of us to do likewise.

[Yaya]

Forget Namyangju. It's in the middle of nowhere and I had a friend who briefly lived there, only to get sick of it fast and return to Seoul. Many new apartment complexes being built there but many are empty and having their prices slashed.

That said, Incheon wouldn't be too bad. You'd have easy access to Seoul and vicinity.

Everyone is different. Some say Seoul or bust, while others hate the capital with a passion and love the provinces. You might try something close to Seoul like Incheon (which is also close to Bucheon, which seems to also have a vibrant expat scene) for a year then decide for yourself. Travel within Korea is so so easy and getting easier by the year with the KTX bullet train, subway extensions and the like.

[young_clinton]

Teach at a public school. As far as where to teach, you might have to teach where they will hire you. It's getting pretty competitive there.

[Weigookin74]

Teach where you can get a job with decent working conditions. A saturated market means you can't be too choosy or be prepared to wait a long time to get a job. Your choice.