Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Diana X]

hi all...been offered a job in daejon. never been to korea before. have had lots of offers but this is the best one so far. curious about the area. esp important to me is: having fun/meeting people, having a gym to work out at or yoga/dance classes to take, and easy access to doctor/health care.

let me know if you have any info? thanks!!

[tomwaits]

There should be tons of info if you do a search...

I spent a few days there and it seemed.....average Korea. Has a famous mountain if you like hiking (it is a good one.) and apparently lots of ex-pats but I don't know much else.

Cookie cutter Korea I would say.

[casey's moon]

I love living in Daejeon, but I'm living a family life here now, so my needs are different from when I first came to Korea.

If the job looks good, there is no reason you won't be happy here. It has everything you need (although so do most cities), and it is big enough to have lots of the things you'll need from home, but isn't crazy busy like Seoul. It is easy to get up to Seoul, however, and to get around the rest of the country as well.

You can try asking more questions on this website. It is also a great resource once you get here, to find out more about Daejeon and to make friends with other English speakers.

Feel free to contact me via pm anytime!

http://www.socius.or.kr/index.php/view/42/

[Cohiba]

I have posted "Cohiba's Rule" many times. Here it is again.

Pay attention and LEARN.

Think twice before you live outside of Seoul. "In Seoul" and
"outside of Seoul" are like two different countries. Seoul
is an interesting place with variety and venues for most
tastes. Outside of Seoul you will find a homogenous Korean
culture. I don't mean this in a bad way, but you will never
find things like: brown bread, good beer, bars with good
tunes, English book stores etc.

Remember the FFF RULE. FFF=Fun For Foreigners.

If FFF in Seoul = 100, then FFF decreases at
1/distance. So 2km from Seoul FFF=1/2(100)=50;
10km from Seoul FFF=1/10(100)=10. This rule is
a rule for nightlife, food and foreign products only.
Nature etc. is on a different scale altogether.

This means you will be wasting a lot of time commuting
to Seoul. This is especially a drag if you have been
boozing on a Friday night and there are no buses or
trains.

I, unfortunately, live in Inchon where the FFF factor
is almost in the negative range. I know!

[canukteacher]

I've lived in a number of places in Korea, including Seoul. This is my second year in Daejeon, and I much prefer it to Seoul. There's lots to do here, and if you want to go to Seoul it's under an hour on the KTX.

There is an active yahoo group for expats in Daejeon. Here is the link:

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/expatskorea/

Feel free to PM me if you have other questions.

CT

[kat2]

Don't listen to the previous poster about how life outside of Seoul is terrible. I have never lived in Seoul, and would never want to, although I have visited uncountable times. Daejeon is nice. Close to Seoul by KTX and you have a Costco. What more could you want??

[skdragon]

I've lived all over SK. From Seoul to the countryside. Incheon was the best place I lived in (partly being close to the airport now, and close to Seoul). I'd describe Taejon as a city with a country town feel. Not too bad a place to start out your Korean life!

[xoxohelen]

ive been in daejeon for a week now.. ive just been visiting lots of relatives so i haven't been able to see much of the city. it sucks that the only way you can get around here in by bus or taxi.. wish there was a better subway system here! i was out in the daejeon shi-neh (downtown area by the subway station) and it was nice, but i guess seoul has places that are much bigger w/more things to do. i went to a bar called cool and it was the first time i saw americans in korea! ive been surrounded by ajuma's and ajooshi's all week, haha.


is it really 20,000 won to get from daejeon to seoul by the ktx??

[casey's moon]

I actually had a lot more trouble shopping for foreign foods when I lived in Seoul. It all depends on the neighbourhood you live in, I guess.

[tzechuk]

[Diana X]

thanks, everybody, helpful stuff. i think i'm going to take this position.

the train from daejon to seoul is not cheap, i see. does it run 24 hrs?

i've actually never been to costco. do they have an extensive pharmacy section (ie, personal toiletry items)? things like contact lens solution, antiperspirant, teeth whiteners, decent shampoos, hair dryers, curling irons....etc?

[casey's moon]

[tzechuk]

First train leaves at about 6 and last one at 10.20 or 30.

The prices are for the high-speed KTX trains that go very fast.

There are cheaper alternatives like Saemaul and takes almost double the time to get to Seoul.... For the sake of my sanity and a few extra thousand won, I go for KTX...