Korean Job Discussion Forums

[deetah]

I'm thinking of moving to Vancouver when my contract is "finishee".

Can anyone tell me their impressions of life/living in Vancouver?

Much appreciated!

[poker player]

Vancouver is god's gift to the earth. Unfortunately it is also now priced liked it but if you can afford it you'll wonder why you ever lived anywhere else.

[jessiaka]

I agree with the above post, it's friggin EXPENSIVE now. But, hell, if you can afford it it's a nice place (provided you're not in an area of high crime)

I lived there, although I MUCH prefer my current home (when not in Korea), Kelowna (in the Okanagan Valley... if you move to Vancouver, the Okanagan is a MUST to check out ). It's starting to get pretty big, it's a smidge cheaper than Vancity, and it's friggin gorgeous... especially in the summer

[marcus]

It is one of the best places to live on the planet.

[coffeeman]

Almost anywhere in Canada is expensive. It's not like here where, so long as you're not blowing money, 100,000 won can easily last you a week. In Canada, if you can live on $300 a week spending money, you're doing well. I've been told that everything is expensive in Vancouver, even groceries.

If you want to move there, you will need a good job hunting strategy, some serious support funds saved up and some luck.

[robot]

i miss my vancouver! most beautiful city on the planet.

true, real estate is bloody expensive comparative to the rest of canada. you're looking at over $200,000 for a tiny condo anywhere within 45 minutes of downtown. apparently we're the fastest developing city in north america, evidenced by scores of construction cranes hanging all across the downtown core.

the food culture is amazing. walk down the street, and you'll pass restaurants representing dozens of countries. in sharp contrast to the food monoculture in seoul. sushi is particularly good and cheap -- mmm, salmon sashimi the size of your head.

we've been dubbed by some as the "no-fun city" in response to what many feel is a sub-par nightlife. but i say there's tons going on if you look hard enough. great live theatre, excellent local rock shows, a strong art scene. of course, our real attraction is anything that can be done outside.

transportation via skytrain, ferry, and bus is great and getting better with new improvements in time for vancouver's hosting of the 2010 winter olympics.

true, there are tons of homeless people who flock to the west so they don't freeze and die on the streets of any other frigid canadian city. also true, you can see cracked-out teens injecting heroin into their thumbs and necks right on the street in the less desirable area of downtown. but just do what the govenment does -- ignore it!

also, there is the rain: months on end of it in the winter time, though mostly it quite light, not real rain at all. for this reason real vancouverites shun umbrellas. as a thunder bay boy, i miss the snow at times, but it's still up there on the skill hills, and in general the rain is preferable as it keeps things clean, preserves the green grass throughout the year, and when the clouds break i can still go rollerblading in the depths of winter.

the best thing about vancouver, though, is the sense of freedom and space that, at least in part, probably has something to do with the city being thrust right against the great expanses of the pacific. there's a really cool city vibe, not at all snobby like its toronto counterpart, and in a way our geography -- being isolated by the mountain ranges on the north and east, the US border on the south, and the ocean on the west -- has strengthed the city's sense of community.

so some cons, many pros.

don't move there, though. i wanna keep real estate low until i can get a place. thanks.

ROBT.

[coffeeman]

[khyber]

There is so much music going on in vancouver these days its retarded.
If you are big into indie music (of the more acoustic/alt-country pursuastion, there is a pretty damn big boom going on in the alt-country scene right now...)

If you live near commercial there a LOT of places to get CHEAP vegetables and fruit. Stores there will buy "older fruit" from safeway and the like and sell it much cheaper. At least, this is what i've heard. On commercial, a place like Santa Barbara market has some of the BEST fruit and veg. i've ever eaten and it was CHEAP. Also has a gREAT meat and cheese deli that ALWAYS has flocks of people.

Living in Vancouver on 300$ a week is A BREEZE...i'm not sure what that last poster was talking about; course that depends on where you live and your life style.
If you wanted ot live fairly frugally, groceries could be around 70/week or less if you were desperate. For 3 months, I lived on 300$ a MONTH (with my g;f helping with food every now and then) so it's possible.

The buses go N/S E/W along major roads on the grid so, if you're near one of the big roads, the walks to busstops are reasonable. The skytrain ain't all THAT great but very useful to get out to surrey OR downtown if you live near it.

It's also just a short bus/ferry ride to the sunshine coast or v. island.

only 200g? for a condo??? Wow....no matter how small, i figure that's pretty good.
My gf had a basement sweet just off main and 22nd and she was paying 800$ a month (though it was a pretty good place and the LL. was very ontop of things. She had also paid 400$/m for a basement sweet at fraser/kingsway. Strangely, that slumlord was a little less responsible.

In terms of culture...you just have to meet the right people and get into the right scene. I happenned to befriend a veritable troup of dancers and a houseful of artists (basically a commune). It was easily the best summer of my life. Artshows every few weekends....And they didn't evne suck! Then music till all hours...
ahhhhh.

The winter is easily the most terrible experience of my life too. 5 months of no sun doesn't sound like too big a deal...but..... it is. By gum it fucking is....

But really, beautiful big parks, pretty great people, great scenes all over the place, big hub, minutes away from some really awe inspiring sites, cheap living (is possible!), a whole city easily accessible with a bike...

it's still better than most cities though...
except the rain.

[numazawa]

[I_Am_Wrong]

Vancouver is about as over-rated and hypocritical as they come. Kelowna is shite.

[Doogie]

I've also lived in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver. I grew up in Montreal and I lived in Toronto for a number of years. I only lived in Vancouver for about a year but I loved it. When I go back to Canada, I'm definitely going to the Vancouver area. Everyone who's said it's expensive is absolutely correct. Make sure you go back with a big bank account. The thing I would be curious to know is if it's difficult to get a job with a language school in Vancouver. I was talking to another Canadian the other day and she told me that there have been a lot of Koreans and Chinese (Hong Kong?) that have moved to Van City in recent years. I would think that there would be a reasonable demand for ESL teachers for people that wanted to continue on this path.

[coffeeman]

[robot]

i taught esl for 5 years in vancouver

coffeeman is bang-on: most people are hovering around $20/hr, and there aren't many high-quality schools willing to pay more. a couple, but not many. professional programs like business and test prep pay a bit more, though.

it seems to me that a huge number of vancouver schools are owned by shrewd overseas businessmen who care about the bottom line, not educational standards. the most popular schools in this city aren't necessarily the best; they just have the best advertising.

opening your own school is dangerous as the market is oversaturated already. an esl school goes down in flames every week. i did private tutoring in a rented office to limited success. some weird lifers hang out at the library all afternoon to teach/flirt with young asian girls... tutoring seems like much more work than profit, though.

best to either get on with one of the few exclusive schools or yes, better yet, head into the public system.

ROBT.

[jlb]

Can't really speak on the job market as I have only been a student in Vancouver. In terms of price, it's crazy expensive to buy a house here (think million). But in terms of transportation, there is a great bus system. In terms of eating, there are great, cheap produce markets and great ethnic restaurants. In terms of recreation, it's the ultimate. Beach, ocean, mountains. You'll love it! If you can afford it, that is.

[mithridates]

I would recommend living in the area right around Joyce Station.