Korean Job Discussion Forums

[kiwiduncan]

My first year in Korea was in Yangpyeong, about an hour out of Seoul. I didn't make the most of it when I was there - got lonely and bored and spent most of my time out on my bicycle. I didn't learn much Korean and had a shitty job. Didn't even go to Seoul much, and didn't learn much Korean. On the other hand, the countryside was very nice and I managed to survive.

The next 4 years were in Seoul. Good for work, Korean study, making friends whether Korean or foreign and even mountain biking.

But when I go back to Korea I'm hoping to be in the countryside again. Seoul is crowded, polluted and 너무 답답해요. The mountain biking was good but the scenic riding was not so cool.

This time round in Korea I am really keen to study loads of Korean, get involved with the local community and see more mountains and rice paddies than apartment buildings and starbucks.

I have a few reservations though. From your own experiences, Is there really a difference between the Seoulites and the country folk? Is the food really better and cheaper? Is it true that the foreigners out in the countryside hate to meet other foreigners? What areas do you recommend? Geoje Do is pretty high on my list, and places like Pohang and Andong are pretty high up there too.

Cheers,

Duncan

[jvalmer]

In the countryside you get way way more side dishes than in Seoul and area.

[oneofthesarahs]

If you're nice to the locals, and not annoying to them for one reason or another, you'll be treated much nicer than in Seoul. You may be a foreigner, but you're their foreigner, dammit. Lots of freebies/extras from local shops, restaurants, bars, etc. Plus it's nice to be able to hop on your bike and ride out in the boonies. Be careful though, I recently managed a spectacular mountain bike crash. I managed to bend the frame, and I need to figure out if it will be cheaper to fix the bike or just get a new one!

Downsides: It gets boring sometimes, and if you don't know Korean very well, it's much harder to meet people.

[kiwiduncan]

Another irony is that whilst the countryside has good biking, the bike shops are generally crap. Your crash was either a pretty serious one or else it might be down to the quality of the frame. What kind of bike was it?

[normalcyispasse]

What do you define as "countryside?" I'm in a city that I would consider small but suburban by American standards but by Korean standards is tiny.

I prefer living somewhere quieter. I sometimes wish there were some of the amenities afforded by bigger cities, but I don't deal well with crowds. I rather enjoy living on the cost, away from the clatter of the metropolis.
It just sucks when I want to go anywhere.

[jay-shi]

I am out in the sticks and I love it.

Been here in Gyeryong, nowhere-dong (actually it's a ri) going on 4 years. Population 33000, very small by Korean standards.

But it's close enough to Daejeon (the most boring metropolitan city in Korea) to be able to go into town and get life's essentials.

I like the scenery, the view of Gyeryong-san from my apt is great. The waygookins in town number around 12-14 on any given year, so there are people to talk to in a natural fashion. Though as anywhere in Korea the freaks will come and go.

Before Korea, I lived in Paris for 3 years and I knew that I didn't want a big city to live in.

I have access to all of the necessities I need.

When I feel like partying it up, Seoul is only an hour away by KTX.

[Smee]

Hmm, I live in a town of 16,000 and am moving to a "city" of 270,000 in August. The former is tiny by Korean standards, and the latter still feels pretty small (and is considered "country" by Koreans and foreigners alike).

I'll get to the bad stuff first. Sometimes it's really lonely. I go weeks without seeing another foreigner. That's generally fine, as I came to the countryside to improve my Korean and make Korean friends. But, my dumbass didn't realize that going to an economically depressed area would limit my chances of meeting young people my age (I'm 26). Everybody leaves after high school, and a lot of the bright students attend school in one of the larger cities. Seeing a person in their 20s here is about as rare as seeing a white person. So, although the locals are generally really friendly, it is hard to meet people and have meaningful relationships (just my experience).

You have to know what you're getting into. Reading a lot of the posts on Dave's, it seems like people aren't satisfied with a location unless there's an E-Mart, a movie theater, a KFC, a pro baseball team, and a subway station all next door. But, Korea's a small enough country that you can make weekend trips just about anywhere, and chances are you'll be close to a big city, so you can do that when you get cabin fever.

I find small town life very pleasant. I'm in a quiet town, and though it can get lonely sometimes (as I mentioned above), I usually don't mind. There is some pleasant hiking behind my house, and there are a few temples whose monks and nuns are always interested in explaining various things to me. there is a very scenic town a short busride away, and it's easy enough to hop on a bus and visit a neighboring town. There's a decent gym (for small town standards), and when I get sick of Korean food there are pizza and fried chicken places. Some people are hypersensitive to staring, but I honestly don't experience too much. Really the only people who do it are students, but students can be pr*cks like that all over the country.

One of my schools sucks, but the other two enjoy "their" foreigner. They refer to me as 우리 Smee and, as I make the effort to work hard and fit in, they return the favors five-fold. And, as I'm still under the radar of meddling education departments, I have tons more vacation than I ever did in a hagwon.

There are times when I do miss Seoul and Gyeonggi-do. But, I know that without a lot of luck I'd never be able to find a job that matches the benefits I have here. And, despite what my mood indicates some days, I'm still pretty interested in improving my Korean and befriending Koreans, and I've foudn a lot more opportunities for doing both those things down here.

[kiwiduncan]

Lots of good views here, cheers. Yangpyeong has about 25,000 people and was not really too far from Seoul, so I should have made more of it. I was naive and gullible the first time I came to Korea though, and ended up with a really dodgy job. There were no young-ish people in the town and despite spending about nine months living in my hagwon owner's apartment I didn't learn much Korean. Sadly the owner's wife hated him and resented me being in their house, so I always ate out and retreated to my room when I got home. I think they were on the verge of divorce and it wasn't a happy place to be. The owner was the biggest tosser I have ever met in Korea. I felt sorry for their kids and didn't have much to do with them. Thank god for my bike.

The kids and adults in the school were nice enough though, and the local shopkeepers and others were very friendly. Apart from one drunken dude seemingly wanting to mug me (I was saved by a friendly ajjoshi rescue team) I had no problems in the town.

This time round I'll be much more proactive in my approach. My Korean was getting to high intermediate or so when I was last in Korea and I'll be very happy to be in a small town with few other foreigners. Actually, a small city would be good, or at least a small town with decent access to a city.

I have no need for KFC, Starbucks, nightclubs and COstco etc, but access to a high quality bike shop and friendly Korean mtbers will be on top of the list.

Cheers,

Duncan

[europe2seoul]

Seems to me by last few posts living in country side is nice for nature and stuff but it is a life of celibacy. Sure, people should not come to Korea to chase girls, but hey - its normal to try and make relationships. It would suck big time to be in some place where there are NO girls available. Its like joining a catholic church or something. I also noticed on my travels in ROK that bigger cities like Daejon or Cheonan and others do not have a place to have a nightlife/scene like Hongdae for example, where you can easily see and then approach the girl to try and pick her up. You have few foreigner bars, sure, where you can do western style approach but chicks there are sub-standard and were around a lot, in general. I guess Seoul and Busan are the places to be then...

[pest2]

[LuckyNomad]

I live in a small town.
Advantages:
No foreigners.
No Pollution
It's quiet.(except for those fruit trucks)
You are a commodity because everybody is afraid that you will leave due to loneliness and a longingness to be with your own kind.
Nobody attacks you or spits on you because you are the one teaching THEIR kids, and all the businesses are owned by the parents of your students.
It's better for learning Korean because very few people can speak english.
There are several ski resorts close by.

Disadvantages:
Too many old people

[kiwiduncan]

[ceesgetdegrees]

BORING!!!!!! I'm off to seoul next contract, specifically, itaewon. 2 years in this bumpkin town is a year too many, bearable initially but all the cash making options are in seoul.

[jajdude]

[kiwiduncan]