I'm taking a job In Seoul. Has anyone been to seoul, or

>>1212773
I'm going next week! Again. I was just there last summer.

SK is one of those places with all 4 seasons. I've usually only been during the summer, and summers in Korea are hot and humid, but not unbearable like Florida. I heard its quite chilly right now. In the winter, it gets extremely cold and it snows. Rainy spring... Leaves changing in the autumn. You get a bit of everything.

There's SO much to do and visit... what.do.you.like. What are your hobbies?

I like art and animals. Last summer, I went to
>bunch of animal themed cafes where you order/pay a fee to drink coffee and hang out with cute animals
>i've been to sheep, dog, cat, raccoon cafes
>Hyundai Card Music Library, where they lend you vinyls and you just chill and listen to music (super cool, loved it)
>leeum samsung museum of art, modern art museum. I saw a Korean woman straight up punch a painting there. bizarre place with bizarre pieces
>I chose a busy neighborhood and explored
>for example: hongdae (aka hongik university) its a subway stop and once you get off its filled to the brim with young, trendy people, all sorts of drinking wells/bars, restaurants, street performances. Just walk down the area and get lost (you can't truly get lost because the subway system is so nice)

>>1212773
Get ready to sink a ton of piss. Drinking culture there is second only to Australia, and it's cold as fuck, so get warm clothes.

reminds me of Tokyo with a small town feel

>>1212773
everything from freezing cold to hot and humid.
get a mask in case the chinese air gets blown over seoul every now and then.

food is awesome. everything from cheap convenience store dishes to more expensive stuff, it's worth to go there just to eat your way through.

restaurants mostly do a few dishes, and make those dishes well. market food also awesome. loads of fresh seafood, but they also have their pork/beef/chicken/etc game strong. paprika sauces. pickled cabbage. mix of all sorts of random tastes and textures in one dish.

go venture out of seoul every now and then, the mountains and the coastline are awesome elsewhere.

education is pretty good, so you can talk about a lot of different things with people, but they still are superficial somehow, so brace yourself for all sorts of remarks about their looks. they won't only judge you, they judge everyone.

It's like Japan except vastly inferior. Seoul is a dirty shithole and quite uninteresting as a city compared to Tokyo.

>>1212946
sounds like they got dumped by a south korean girl or is a massive japan's dick sucking weaboo lmao

>>1212773

It's very comfy as a foreigner. If you're white. If you're black you'll be okay but people will treat you like some kind of weird novelty.

If you're young and like to party then Seoul is your fucking town. If not, try Busan.

Travel is cheap, food is cheap, but they're incredibly conservative. To the point where showing any kind of clevage is a massive no-no, even for pop stars. And yet there are hundreds of rub 'n' tug places and a really obvious red light district.

I really liked the food but most of the foreigners I knew didn't.

If you're American, don't be a cunt. You'll be at the top of the food chain socially but don't take advantage of them.

It's hugely Americanised there, and a lot of expats take advantage of that and live in a bubble, with only western friends who eat western food and hang out in western bars. Don't do that; Korean people are awesome, hard working and friendly.

Go to Hongdae, it's one of the coolest places I've ever seen. Visit Busan in the summer and go to the beach. Take a few days to do a temple visit and live with the monks, and don't forget to see the border with N. Korea.

A lot of people say it's like a B-grade version of Japan, but that's bullshit. They're two very different places.

Source: I worked as a university lecturer there for a year, AMA

>>1213004
but he's right.

>>1213476

>(You)
>(You)

>>1212946
Like clockwork.

>>1213445
I want to be an overseas prof. Not in korea though. What landed you the gig? Pros/cons?

Been teaching English for 2 years in Tongyeong though. Love it but going back to school come Fall.

>>1213769
I wonder what trauma they had as a kid?
Like burned their fingers at a Korean BBQ place, or some girl cheated on them with their Korean best friend? lol

t. someone who loves both Japan and China, for different reasons

>>1213770

>What landed you the gig?

My bachelor's in English lit, my master's degree in education, plus my experience teaching.

Yes, you do need qualifications to teach in other countries. University lecturing is not a TESOL gig.

>Pros/cons?

Pro:
Hard working, respectful students
A lot of respect from the local professors
I had my own small department away from the other staff
A lot more freedom to teach what I felt necessary
No pressure to publish academically

Cons:
Pay was low when converted back to home currency
Rampant plagiarism which the administration didn't care about
People instantly associating you with the massive Tesol culture of fuccboi party lads when you tell them you teach
Didn't get to spend much time in Seoul itself

>>1213771
Seriously. I've been here over 2 years and wherever Korea threads pop up they always post the exact same thing with no variance. Always a general blanket statement that doesn't even make sense too.
>>1213953
Appreciate the answer.

So would you say me going back to school to get a masters in teaching with English/Math endorsements is a sound plan? I'm interested in uni positions and international schools.

Recommend going all the way to PhD??
It's my dream to teach at prestigious schools or colleges througout the globe. Potentially settling back in the states or a DoD school.

>>1214117

>Appreciate the answer

No worries

>getting a masters

In short, yes. If you want to earn a decent amount of money and have an actual career, this would be the minimum requirement.

The kind of gigs you get with just a tesol are often at dodgy places that pay you just enough to live plus go partying every weekend. It's fun for a while but you'd get tired of it pretty quickly. This isn't a problem for most people as they'd just go back home when they get sick of it.

If you have a masters, you will be qualified to work in actual high schools who will pay you a decent salary and expect a level of professionalism. If you make your career in international teaching, you can earn a hell of a lot more than you would at home, especially if you also take a course to get qualified to teach the International Baccalaureate and work in an International (private) school.

>PhD?

Not strictly necessary to teach ESL at some universities in some countries, but you won't be a professor in the same way that you see at home; you'd be more of a glorified tutor. Granted, you will make more money, but not anywhere near you would as a career academic.

I don't know why people don't understand this, but you do need proper qualifications to teach at a university. Think about it; could you just walk into Harvard and say, "Hey, want to teach English, yo. How does $80K sound?".

It's a srs bsns, even in SE Asia. In particular Seoul University is incredibly competitive.

What's your bachelor's in?

Best country in Asia.

Japan for plebs.

>>1214117
Also forgot to say that whole party was low when converted to home country, it was more than enough to live in decent comfort in sk, where you can get a sandwich and a coke at a 7-11 for the equivalent of $2 usd

>>1214412
*while pay was low

>>1214347
>>1214347
Thanks again for the answers. My BA is in English lit as well. I know that pursuing more education is the right path but it's good to get some anecdotal evidence to keep me motivated.

By the time i finish my 2nd contract come June I'll have saved $24k so I'll use that to pay for my masters. I've been incredibly lucky to have a nice, enjoyable and professional private academy.

I've had plenty of friends with shit jobs telling me horror stories. So I did plenty of research before pulling the trigger.


Hmm good to know about the PhD being nonessential. I'll be focused on getting my masters in teaching then.

Yeah standard ESL gigs and university positions are night and day it seems. They're highly coveted for a reason.

What are some cool things to do in Seoul? Apart from visiting the JSA.

>>1214565
Walking around Hongdae is pretty cool. And that hilltop area with the traditional houses (forgot the name).

Other than that, pretty much just eating. Korean restaurants are awesome, the only thing is that you have to have like 2 or 3 friends with you at many places because it's always family style with large portions. One of the most annoying things about Korea is basically a virtual lack of places to eat Korean food just by yourself. Can't tell you how many times I had to settle for Kimbap Cheonguk any time I wanted Korean food.

>>1214567
Righto, thanks heaps.

>>1214557

You seem like you have yourself sorted out, good luck anon. It's refreshing to have a normal conversation on this Himalayan fibreglass manufacturers board.