South Korea Thread

Coming up on my third contract. It's pretty cool here, but some stuff can drive you crazy if you let it. It's an easy job but do us all a favor and treat it somewhat seriously.

Busan is a bit prettier (surroundings) and more laid back than Seoul but also much smaller. Extra bonus of being farther from the big military bases.

I'm up in Incheon, feel free to ask anything.

Yeh, coming up on my third contract too. Good advice already laid down. Pro tip - Never be scared to let your co workers know how "busy" and "stressful" your work is. Because that's what they're going to do. Even if they're never legit busy. Play the game brah.

Busan is awesome. I live in Incheon. But I've been down there twice. I'm probably going to head down again for a little spring or summer break. It's pretty down there.

Korea is fun as hell man. Especially if you are single and not hideous. Korean chicks are top tier.

>It's pretty cool here, but some stuff can drive you crazy

Like what?

>>948151
People bumping into you everywhere.
Asking a simple question in Korean and being told "no englishee."
Last second notification of work changes (schedules, etc.)
Never ending whining (Korean women)
Censored internet (no porn)
General language barrier issues

Like what? Disgusting and rude old people.

On Friday, I stood up to get off the bus and I stood there for a few seconds to let the old lady in front of me get off first. An ahjeomma (the worst kind of people in Korea) behind me promptly started pushing me and shouting at me to go.

Currently living in Korea as a student. These other anons get it. Personally I prefer Japan, and I'm not even a weeb. The language is less annoying sounding and people are mostly more polite even if it is just a face.

That being said: Korea has baller tier food and women, just don't get in with the annoying bitches that wear ultra high heels, trench coats or carry Starbucks cups and you should be okay. Use Tinder if you want fast fucks, it is much faster than pickups, although those are fun too. If you are looking for serious dating, prepare to be Koreanized. Speak as much of the language as you can. Thankfully you didn't get Seoul because aside from the women and tourist shit and bars, Seoul is an expensive shithole with seriously rude people. Basically any large international city. Watch out for the 아줌마 (ajeumma), they are bears (literally and mythically). Go to Jeju Island and take the ferry to Japan while there, and don't be a pussy. Little shit will get on your nerves here but be strong and Korea can be a lot of fun.

I'm on mobile so all that is kinda randonly chunked in but if you wanna know anything else just ask.

>>948165
I'm about to head to Seoul for school at the end of the month. How fucked am I? It's for the whole semester.

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I'm liking the positivity in the thread compared to all the shitty stuff I've been seeing on various forums and blogs.

I'll be in Tongyeong at the start of march for my first teaching gig. 2.4mil 28 teaching hours a week.

It's a small town but I'm not too far from Busan.

This will be my first time traveling in addition to living on my own so it'll be a lot of change at once.

Lots of people say that Korean chics are somewhat hard to screw, but we have 3 posters here saying they're easy.

How often are you guys laying new girls? What races are you? Are these girls average to ugly in looks? I was under the impression that the hot girls that hang out in Gangnam are hard to fuck, but you'll get maybe a couple 5-6/10s a month of you put in the effort.

>>948185
Don't turn this into a fuck Korean women thread.

>>948169
Not fucked at all, what are you worried about? I've been here almost a year so I am happy to explain shit for ya and give you the list of shit you need to do in the first week.

>>948185
Fuck off with your yellow fever, turd.

>>948165
>Personally I prefer Japan, and I'm not even a weeb. The language is less annoying sounding and people are mostly more polite even if it is just a face.
Lived in Korea for a year and some months in Japan and I feel the opposite. Not only about the language.

The Japanese I met was friendly and very polite but not sincere while the Koreans who was equally polite actually wanted to be friendly.

I left about nine months ago and these days very few Japanese (and even western) friends from that time keep any contact.

>>948217
>>948206

Yeah, no. Fuck you. If you claim they're easy, then tell us how you do it. Otherwise you're full of shit.

>>948236

Just have some game, m8. Don't you got game? You seem like a virgin.

>>948236
>then tell us how you do it
Having sex can sometimes mean a number of different sexual activities, but usually it means sexual intercourse. The most common definition of sexual intercourse is an act that involves a man putting his erect penis inside a woman's vagina. Sexual intercourse might also be used to refer to sex acts between two men or between two women.

Sexual intercourse between a man and a woman usually starts with them both getting sexually excited. This is sometimes referred to as foreplay, and might involve sexual activities kissing, cuddling and touching each other. Foreplay is important as it means a woman's vagina begins to get moist and a man gets an erection. If the woman's vagina does not get moist enough, then having sexual intercourse could be difficult or painful for her.

>>948236
>>948185

You have the confirmation bias of expat life there: though the truth is that the very vast bulk of people are uninterested in you, at the same time, if you go out to expat areas, bars or clubs, you'll run in to plenty of native people who go there specifically because of an affinity or curiosity for Westerners and their culture. Girls (and guys) who are interested in dating a Westerner will probably go to an English/American/Irish bar or pub; if they're interested in Latinos/as, they'll find a salsa night; if they're interested in a black person, they'll seek out hip hop clubs. If you mainly stick to these social venues and other foreigners, you can be deluded into believing that there are plenty of natives into your group, when the reality is that while there may not actually bea lotof them, it's just that the ones that are will seek you out.

It's like Asian women in the US/UK/CAN/AU/etc. Most non-Asian men probably aren't interested in them in terms of an LTR or marriage, but all of my Asian-American female friends back home have to shake the guys whoareinto them off with a stick, because the ones that are into them will approach them

>>948246
The same goes for apps like Tinder and stuff.

>>948216
Well dude just said Seoul is expensive and shitty. I don't get that much money for meals so I was hoping I wouldn't go broke immediately.

But yeah as for things to do, what should I make sure to do while I'm settling in? I'll be in Seodaemun.

>>948268
Seoul is not that expensive. Housing can be a bitch, but if you'e willing to live in a shared place and spend some time searching you should be fine. Food and beers are dirt cheap.

If you are desperate, head into university cafeterias. You'll get a boatload of moderately healthy but no too tasty food for about a dollar/euro/pound.

Tfw still a year shy from being able to go through the TALK program

If you're attracted to Koreans (read as: if you're not gay), and you're consideres at least somewhat attractive in your home country, you can screw k girls. It's not hard to find the girls who are dtf, because they're the ones who want to "hang" with westerners anyway. You'll find them at itaewon, hongdae, any bar with regular foreigners. Sometimes they'll even approach you. I set up a girl before I even landed in the country through some dating site. The first time I ever went out in Hongdae, a girl approached me and swapped numbers because she wanted to "practice English". She stayed at my apartment the next weekend.

My current girlfriend is super hot.

Have fun anons.

>>948404
^^^This is basically what I said earlier. Not saying "I said it first, copyfag!!!" Just highlighting your post as further confirmation of what I was saying. In addition, there was one point where there were 2 or 3 threads on how Asians hate black guys bs black guys saying they vet laid. They do get laid due to this very same thing.

My post:

>>948246

Thanks homies. Any stories on teaching there? I taught in Japan. When I watched the EPIK teaching demos the kids seemed waaaay better at English than Japanese kids. I hope my lessons will still work. Am I gunna become besties with my Korean English teacher? Is there English gunna be unbearable like the japanese? Is is gunna be some fresh hot grad that doesn't wanna a relationship or condoms? I didn't want this thread to be a how to fuck asian women thing either, but whatcha gunna do?


>>948161Also, Can I not look at porn? is that real? Will I actually do something useful with my 5 hours of free time a day?

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>>948165
> That being said: Korea has baller tier food and women, just don't get in with the annoying bitches that wear ultra high heels, trench coats or carry Starbucks cups and you should be okay.

what is the problem bout those chicks? why would one avoid those?

>>948539
i been here since beginning of october in the same province as you.

its a crap chute if you co-teacher is any good. it's a crap chute if your school is good. the teaching demos are full of shit, its all fake. your coteacher may not be able to even speak english. at my school there are 2 english teachers that can barely hold a conversation with me.

if you're in busan im sure you can find a girl. ive been told there are girls all over DTF but i sure as hell havent seen or met any. that being said im in a tiny little city.

most porn sites are banned here. get a VPN if you must look at porn

>>948569
Wouldn't normally do this, but since we're talking about teaching English... "crapshoot". As in shooting dice in the game craps.

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>>948268
Can you cook where you are going to live? If so, that us the cheapest course to take. Just be aware some things are expensive: red peppers, tomatoes, fruit, and things like that. Find an international market if you miss home. There is a decent one in Itaewon if you need it. Other than that, gorge yourself on any and all Korean food while you are here. You will miss it later.

As for the primer list: learn to use chopsticks well, learn Korean table manners and drinking manners, get a pop money card at a GS25 or 711 and learn to load it at subway stations and convenience stores, get the Korean subway app on the app store named "subway" or 지하철 with a round blue icon (attached image) as it will help you until you know what you are doing, at cafes around where you live go and buy a drink to collect WiFi passwords from the receipts and keep them saved, have kakaotalk, speak at least enough Korean to order your food, say you are not good at Korean, and be polite, go to the local mart and buy yellow and white trash bags and follow the damn instructions on them because they DO fine people and it can go as high as 1k USD, ignore beggers even if it breaks your heart, crazies in subways happen so just keep walking, bow even a little because it's polite, and learn to call people over with your palm down even if it looks gay (this doesn't count if you re just calling someone to your table for service, just raise your hand and say 저기요 for that).

Eating and drinking manners will make you appear well mannered and intelligent even if you don't understand why you are doing it and will help people warm up to you. Just be smart and when in Rome bro.

>>948569
>>948539

4chan is not blocled in Korea. Happy fapping. Also torrents still work.

>>948569
I want you to die. jesus christ. no one should be paying for the services of an illiterate

>>948569

Never having met one, I always wondered why there was so much hate for "English teachers" on the internet

Now I understand perfectly

>>948594
>>948601
stay on topic, this is a thread about the EPIK program and advice for living in Korea and in Busan. You are literate after all aren't you?

>>948591
all reasonable advice. learning to use chopsticks well is definitely a priority. Saying that, you can find forks for sale in stores but they are rare to find for use in your local restaurants. And if you are eating out with friends do you really want to be that one guy that has to use a fork?

On subway cars there are reserved seats for the older people and they take this shit seriously. If the car is packed and all seats are taken except a few down at the end of a car it is for that reason.

Be patient with people and they will be patient with you (usually).

Also, the taxis here are dirt cheap and cab drivers in my experience have been pretty cool.

Why would you want to work in Busan or anywhere outside of Seoul and its suburbs

Rest of the country is pretty xenophobic and dull as shit

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>>948980
I'm from a small town of 10,000 people. I worked in Japan in a small town of 90,000 split between 2 areas, so being in the second largest city of a country with a population of 3.5 million is a big to me. I would rather have Seoul, but I'm not complaining, and Seoul contracts just stopped giving the extra month salary completion bonus.

I actually asked for Deagu. the third or fourth largest city, because I didn't expect to get Seoul, and I thought it was my safest bet for not being put in the boon docks again. I sent an email saying that I just wanted any big city, and it looks like my home boy coordinator got my back.

Also they messed up on my contract giving me an extra hundred bucks a month. Busan requires in-class tefl for the extra hundred, and I only have online tefl. No plans on telling them.

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aw yisss, 4channers teaching english in korea. i work with GEPIK, i just finished my 3rd year and i re-signed with my current school. pay is good, living is easy, i like my job and i just celebrated my 1 year anniversary with my qt k-gf. no complaints from me at all.

so yeah, relax OP, korea is fun as hell. follow the advice of the other anons and you'll do great: don't rock the boat, go with the flow, understand there will be some things that will annoy you but don't let them get under your skin, etc. And >>948137 has got it right:

>do us all a favor and treat it somewhat seriously.

please do this. between the american soldiers raping everything that moves and the sleazebag english "teachers" that come here for a paid-vacation, hardly any koreans take foreigners in korea seriously these days.

>>948114

Busan? Cool. I work in Japan just across from South Korea. Busan is a fun place to visit.

Any tips on being a good hagwon teacher? Making sure my boss/students are happy?
Assuming the school is good and reputable.

I'm 22 and this is my first "real" job. I have some volunteer experience working with first graders but that's about it. Trying not to fuck this up and have an enjoyable time over there.

>>949013
realize that its a business and that success means keeping the students and parents happy to keep coming back. if the kids and parents are not happy, they will stop paying which means your boss isn't happy and the blame is on you for being a bad teacher (no matter how well you teach).

hagwons have a reputation of changing ownership from time to time and the new owner could by sleazy. it all depends.

be professional, courteous, and dress well.

>>948272
>>948591
>>948978
Thank you for the advice. I already know how to use chopsticks pretty well. I still fumble from time to time but I try to practice as much as I can. I am able to cook, but I think the kitchens in the dorms are tiny so I don't know how much I'll get to use it.

Didn't know about the subway stuff, so I'll be sure to keep that in mind. So pretty much the rule is follow whatever the Koreans are doing and I'll be a-OK?

>>949080
Pretty much. You may notice people stare at you a lot when you first come here. Don't worry about it, it stops happening after a while. You may not think it, but they know a new person that is fresh in Korea. In time you will look like a foreigner that lives here, and so you might as well be Korean and few will notice you. Oh, and every time you hear 외국인 (waygookeen: for easy pronunciation) it is not always negative, it is just how they describe you because you are foreign. Try to not let it bother ya. Some people are sensitive about that like my roommate. Your first month here, pay special attention to how the Koreans do things and keep note of it. You will learn a lot simply by watching. Oh! And mind the doors here. Sometimes they are push only, others pull only, and some are both. There is usually Korean and English near the handle at stores and such. And if it is a glass door with no handle at a restaurant or pub, there is a long rectangle on the right or left wall you press to open the door. And if ya use a squat toilet to shit (need to at least once) make sure you are far enough forward so ya don't shit on he floor like I did. Often bathrooms have no paper towels, and the hand dryers may even be missing or out of order. Just wing it.

>>949188
or they have no soap. i have yet to see a school i have been to have soap. so bring/buy hand sanitizer. keep some toilet paper on you as well. There were only a few bathrooms that didn't have toilet paper but they were in remote-ish locations.

>>949188
>You may notice people stare at you a lot when you first come here.
As long as you're in a city nobody cares. No matter how white you are people just don't give a fuck. It's not as much arrogance as their culture, so people will be friendly if you ask for help..

Otherwise I agree with this anon. Look at Koreans, don't be a dick. Don't talk on the phone in the metro, don't use the old people's seats, use common sense.

How is the hiking/camping in South Korea? Any recommended places to go?