Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Decisions]

Hi there, I understand that these kind of questions come up regularly but not quite in the context that I find myself in. I have been offered a TEFL job through EPIK teaching in Deagu, but I'm tempted to try and get work through a private institution in Busan, (which I was unable to get through EPIK but I believe I can get now). Busan was always unquestionably my first choice when applying through EPIK, (because locationally it appears sublime) but upon realising it wasn't allowed for new teachers, I chose Deagu as the best viable alternative.

My question is this, if you were put in a hypothetical scenario, would you chose the safety and very good job benefits of working through EPIK and live in Daegu, (an arguably poorer location than Busan) or would you take as reputable a private school as you could find and live without the benefits that EPIK might offer but in the location that is Busan?

To give as much information as possible to help aid the comments I will say that I do not know what a private institution would offer compared to EPIK, but I would assume that I would absolutely wave goodbye to a certain amount of vacation days and the housing may be worse. Having said that I am a careful researcher and would never dream of signing myself up to any private institution without running various background checks and possibly getting legal help before signing off on any contract documentation. For demographics sake I am 23 years old, male and British. Any and all help, (especially from those who have lived in either city and / or have experience with EPIK/private institutions) would be greatly appreciated. Absolutely the nightlife, culture and feel of a city is vital to me, but obviously so too is the working environment... Hence the dilemma.

[edwardcatflap]

Have you been to Korea before? Three really isn't a lot of difference between cities like Busan Daegu, Daejon etc.. They all look the same, have the same shops, chain restaurants, bars, cinemas etc...and if a decent size will have the same kind of ex-pat social scene. I take it when you say Busan has a 'sublime' location you mean it's on the coast and has a few beaches. That would probably be the only main difference but believe me you'd have to be spending a lot of time on the beach to compensate for ending up at a crappy hagwan.

[Cacille]

GO to Daegu. You'll be fine. Tons of people in that city, and while smaller and not having much of a subway system (if any), there are buses and such still. Best part is, it's on the KTX line, so you can go to Busan every weekend if you wanted. Going with Epik is safer. Daegu is cheaper than Busan too, and all the stuff you need is there. You'll be more centrally located if you want to head to Seoul as well, or even just pop over to Daejeon. Definitely worth it.

[young_clinton]

What do you think?...........................Ah maybe the Public School position?

[Decisions]

@edwardcatflap; No I haven't ever been, but I'm slightly worried about just assuming they're all the same. I do understand what you mean when you say they are similar though and that does sound reassuring to hear. However the research I've done has led me to what I believe is a decent Hagwan in Busan, I'm just not sure if it's decent enough to decline EPIK and go private as a result of its better location though.

@Cacille; Could you be a little clearer about the security or potential dangers or disadvantages that a Hagwan could pose? I have done my research and I believe I am onto a good Hagwan if I were to decline EPIK, but I'm just trying to see if there is anything that perhaps someone who has experienced it directly might know.

Basically my issue is that I have always been told that where you live equates to 75% of your happiness. Your surroundings are hugely important. I've lived in a couple of countries by this mantra and it has never led me astray so far. However I am worried that I might be biging up Busan or underplaying Daegu, (because all I can ever know is what I can search from the internet or what I can find through forums like these which are extremely helpful) and I'm also now very conscious of how competitive EPIK is and that to reject an offer and go through even a decent Hagwon can be a less appealing, and at its worst, dangerous. I'm just struggling to gauge both cities and the respective employers through the internet.

[Decisions]

@young_clinton; I'm honestly not sure. Hence why I'm here.

[ttompatz]

[YTMND]

[young_clinton]

[Tyshine]

[karri]

I live in Busan. Love it, Have spent a lot of time in Daegu and would 100% choose Busan over Daegu.

BUT It is so hard to get jobs down here. Even in Hogwons. Especially considering that they want North American females. I have a male British friend with 3+ years experience and a TEFL. It took him 2 months to get a job. He was on the ground here and only finally got a job through a friend.

I would take the job in Daegu. As someone else said, Busan is cheap and easy on the train. And Daegu is a fun city as well.

[ontheway]

[ibeattheborg]

[Decisions]

Thanks for the help, it's been invaluable and I really appreciate it. From what I'm reading I think the answer may be to go with EPIK and transfer to Busan if it turns out that Daegu really isn't the right choice, (although I must admit I strongly question how realistic that would be as an alternative). However I do understand that public schools are better than Hagwons, I was just unaware by quite how much. I was simply under the impression Busan is a "thriving" southern city with a "large nightlife" and that Daegu was much "quieter". I would say these are not my words, they are from blogs, and I am unfortunately limited to hearing what others say without actually being there and experiencing it myself. When you're thousands of miles away it is incredibly hard to gauge the feel of a city through the just the internet which is why I came to the forum as this is a decision that will effect the next year of my life and I admittedly find it somewhat daunting. Nonetheless thanks for all the ongoing help and any extra advice is always appreciated.

@YTMND; I would never have a stranger tell me where to live. However I would be a fool not to use all of my resources and ask those with better knowledge who might actually live or have some experience when I have practically none. So that's why I ask.

@ontheway; Yes I totally agree, I'd never dream of turning something down without having a definite back up, that goes without saying. The Hagwon I had scoped out in Busan seemed very reputable and it's location appeared good so that's why I was/am considering it.

[YTMND]