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blackbirdword
Joined: 14 Mar 2006
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 Posted: Wed Mar 22, 2006 8:50 am Post subject: Questions about Living/Teaching in BUSAN |
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Hey All!
I am planning on coming to South Korea in August/September to teach English. I have done my homework and have learned as much about living/teaching in different areas as can be done on the internet and have decided on Busan. I am coming from NYC - and think Seoul might be too congested for me - and Busan is very appealing b/c it is a coastal city. I have my resume with two large recruiters and have already received a number of potential job offers. Here are my many, many questions - any and all help is appreciated:
1. Has anyone heard of/worked with Gia Consulting (esl job bank)?
2. Has anyone heard of/worked with RBI?
3. What is the most time in advance someone can secure a job (can I secure a job now for september?)
4. Is it possible to negotiate more than 2 weeks paid vacation?
5. Are vacation days usually given in blocks (week at a time) or can you break it up as you wish?
6. anyone heard of BR English school?
7. Anyone heard of Umee Dong neighborhood?
8. What is the most desireable neighborhood in Busan (near water/accessible transport/large expat comminity/safety/access to int'l food markets)
9. Do most jobs provide training or just throw you in?
10. any general descriptions of Busan appreciated.
11. how easy/affordable is travel to other parts of asia (thailand r/t?)
12. any details/experience about the r/t ferry to japan from busan?
13. how easy is it to find private students and how much extra money can be earned by teaching privately?
14. how high is the cost of living (will have free apartment, but need to know what addt'l expenses i will have) - for ex. how much is a monthly internet connection? price for a decent meal out? price of toiletries like shampoo/deoderant etc. and is it smarter to bring most of those things with me?
15. is it easy to find/connect with other expats?
16. can I buy a cheap guitar in So Korea or should I bring my own?
17. Decent Live music? Open mics?
18. English language films?
THANKS SO MUCH for any help.
Jen |
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just because
Joined: 01 Aug 2003
Location: Changwon - 4964
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| Posted: Wed Mar 22, 2006 9:13 am Post subject: |
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As a coastal city you couldn't have picked a worse one in korea(except for maybe Incheon) due to the pollution as Busan is basically a port city and it is just as crowded as Seoul....
1.No, but search many people have
2. Ditto above
3. No, people don't plan here any more than 2 months in advance(and that is if you are lucky)
4. It is possible but not probable
5. Yes it is usually in blocks but once again you could possibly get time off when you like
6. No
7. No
8. Just throw you in
10. Very dirty, it isn't too bad but don't expect a seaside city, expext a port city
11. very affordable, Thailand rt. 500 000 won(500 US)
12. I have taken it over 10 times, goes 3 times a day, costs 180 000 return, takes 3 hours one way, very very easy to take
13. It is illegal to teach privates here - caught and you get a big fine and sent home
14.What do you do...if you go out a lot maybe half you salary, if you stay home all the time you could get by on 300 000 a month, internet +30 000 a month, meal = 50 000(but what is a decent meal, i can eat decently here Korean style for 5000) , tolietries, similar to back home. Almost everything you can buy here
15. yes, very easy
16. yes, you can buy guitars here i would imagine
17. No, yes
18. yes, plenty |
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visitor q
Joined: 11 Jan 2006
Location: The epitome of altruism - Oh Obese Newfoundler, I Am Going To Throttle Your Neck, Kaffir
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| Posted: Wed Mar 22, 2006 9:21 am Post subject: |
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Surely Ulsan is worse than Busan? I was only in Ulsan for two weeks, and while the people there were really laid-back and friendly (compared to Seoul at least), the place was an utter pit.
To the OP: As far as cities in Korea go, Busan has a lot going for it. That is all that I have to say on the matter. |
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denverdeath
Joined: 21 May 2005
Location: Boo-sahn
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| Posted: Wed Mar 22, 2006 10:23 am Post subject: Re: Questions about Living/Teaching in BUSAN |
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| blackbirdword wrote: |
Hey All!
I am planning on coming to South Korea in August/September to teach English. I have done my homework and have learned as much about living/teaching in different areas as can be done on the internet and have decided on Busan. I am coming from NYC - and think Seoul might be too congested for me - and Busan is very appealing b/c it is a coastal city. I have my resume with two large recruiters and have already received a number of potential job offers. Here are my many, many questions - any and all help is appreciated:
1. Has anyone heard of/worked with Gia Consulting (esl job bank)? Heard of, never dealt with.
2. Has anyone heard of/worked with RBI? Heard of and sent an E-mail once. Didn't really like their reply, so went with Kim and Joe instead(if you have realistic demands and expectations, they are pretty good).
3. What is the most time in advance someone can secure a job (can I secure a job now for september?) Possibly. Paperwork will most likely be done at the last minute though.
4. Is it possible to negotiate more than 2 weeks paid vacation? Possibly, but highly unlikely, especially with a typical institute.
5. Are vacation days usually given in blocks (week at a time) or can you break it up as you wish? Depends on the place. They usu pick 'em for you. Some places will try to give you them at the end of contract, but usu most places give you five days in the summer and five in the winter, depending on the schedule they have.
6. anyone heard of BR English school? No.
7. Anyone heard of Umee Dong neighborhood? No, and I've lived here for six years. Maybe you meant Woo (eee=2) Dong? If so, it might be in Hae-oon-dae(beach area).
8. What is the most desireable neighborhood in Busan (near water/accessible transport/large expat comminity/safety/access to int'l food markets) Most of what you're looking for isn't necessarily condensed into one place. Beaches at Hae-oon-dae or Da-dae-poh. Accessible transport almost anywhere[if you want trains, you either want Boo-sahn Station(maybe Joong-ahng dong or Nahm-poh dong) or Goo-poh Station(maybe Duhk-chuhn dong or somewhere near Sah-sahng)]. Buses are in Noh-poh(or Hoh-poh?) and Sah-sahng and maybe somewhere else(I don't like buses). For the airport, you'd want Duhk-chuhn/Hwah-myuhng or Sah-sahng or maybe Hah-dahn. More foreigners are probably located in Seo-myuhn or the PNU area or the Boo-gyuhng/Gyuhng-sahng University area. Safety will depend, but it's a fairly safe city. International food markets? Hmm. You can find a little of this at one place and a little of that at another. There's the "can" market in Nahm-poh dong but it's nothing to get excited about.
9. Do most jobs provide training or just throw you in? Throw you in.
10. any general descriptions of Busan appreciated. I actually like the layout of the city. The only place that wasn't flattened during the war. Lots of traffic(sometimes I think worse than Seoul on some days), but not terrible. Main areas are kind of separated by mountains and water. Polluted and dirty, but not as bad as Seoul, and the "yellow dust storms" aren't much of a factor down here. Less on the entertainment/cultural side than Seoul. Definitely not New York, but it can be alright if you have the right attitude.
11. how easy/affordable is travel to other parts of asia (thailand r/t?) Easy enough and affordable enough(depending on fuel costs). Just make sure you book your flights a bit in advance, longer if you're trying to go somewhere when the Koreans are going there at the same time...they tend to all go somewhere in the last week of July and/or the first week of August...travelling during holiday season is probably best to be avoided. Having said that, you may not actually know the real price of your ticket until a month before...better to book early though.
12. any details/experience about the r/t ferry to japan from busan? What JB said. Also, check out www.pusanweb.com . Lots of stuff for you to explore there.
13. how easy is it to find private students and how much extra money can be earned by teaching privately? Shouldn't do that on an E-2 visa. If you're teaching adults, it might be easier. But, you never know, one of those students could be an immigration official. If you're teaching 30 hours a week, you may want to ask yourself if the extra money is really worth it. Doesn't leave you much time to enjoy other things. It's also nice to step out of the ELT role occasionally.
14. how high is the cost of living (will have free apartment, but need to know what addt'l expenses i will have) - for ex. how much is a monthly internet connection? price for a decent meal out? price of toiletries like shampoo/deoderant etc. and is it smarter to bring most of those things with me? Not terribly high. Depends what your lifestyle is like. Internet is 30-50,000(maybe a little lower through Thrunet or one of the other smaller players). Decent meal could cost you between 3,000won and 300,000won, depending on your tastes. The shampoo and other will depend on what you're looking for. Imported salon shampoo will cost you a little more than back home and deodorant will probably cost you about $2 more per stick.
15. is it easy to find/connect with other expats? Sometimes, yes. Sometimes, no. I think it depends on your personality, where you work, and the like. Sometimes you can easily go for a week or two without seeing another foreigner.
16. can I buy a cheap guitar in So Korea or should I bring my own? Don't really know if they're cheap or not, but you can buy them here.
17. Decent Live music? Open mics? I would have to say no to the first and yes to the second(maybe at one or two places).
18. English language films? Lots. And, if not? You have your Internet connection.
THANKS SO MUCH for any help.
Best of luck.
Jen |
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panchotino
Joined: 16 Jan 2006
Location: scotland for now.
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| Posted: Wed Mar 22, 2006 10:29 am Post subject: same as |
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i'm also trying to settle on location.i initially wanted to be in busan but further research has put me off.dirty, noisy etc.personally i like to be able to sleep well at night, have some westerners to speak to and a couple of bars.now considering jinju but am concerned about expense because of it being touristy. i'm not sure how long it takes to get there from busan but if it is easy to commute then i'd be happy with a monthly jaunt for a big night out.
saying that i am having trouble finding out things about different areas mind.good luck! |
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visitor q
Joined: 11 Jan 2006
Location: The epitome of altruism - Oh Obese Newfoundler, I Am Going To Throttle Your Neck, Kaffir
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| Posted: Wed Mar 22, 2006 10:33 am Post subject: Re: same as |
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| panchotino wrote: |
| i initially wanted to be in busan but further research has put me off.dirty, noisy etc. |
So why do you want to come to Asia then? |
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BigBuds
Joined: 15 Sep 2005
Location: Changwon
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| Posted: Wed Mar 22, 2006 11:14 am Post subject: |
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| panchotino, check your inbox as I just sent you a PM |
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blackbirdword
Joined: 14 Mar 2006
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| Posted: Wed Mar 22, 2006 11:46 am Post subject: |
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than you guys so much, this helps...
keep the diff. perspectives coming!!!
jen |
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JZer
Joined: 13 Jan 2005
Location: South Korea
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| Posted: Wed Mar 22, 2006 2:06 pm Post subject: |
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