Tefl in South Korea

Brokentime

Andy!! wrote: »

Hell yes I have. Drank it a lot in Ireland, and even more here, it's a third of the price here!. My poison of choice really, cause I think soju is dog piss Plum wine is so cheap here, yum yum

Wait 'til you find a bar that serves soju and beer cocktails...

That plum wine is very more'ish, isn't it. Can buy it here in Shanghai, too, but it costs about 10 euros for a big bottle.

I forget if you mentioned which city you were in in Korea?

camoramo

People don't go to teach English abroad just because they can't get a job in Ireland.
I started college just before the recession and like many others had been planning to travel when I finished. It's not fleeing the country due to "not making it" at home.

Anyway my documents arrived in Korea this morning 2 days earlier than expected so I should make it in time

daesu

Andy!! wrote: »

Also worth mentioning to people new to this, anyone living in Korea is prohibited from taking on private classes or extra sources of income. Your main job must be your only source of income.

For anyone wondering, this isn't really true.

To take on another job on an E-2 visa (the one most people have) you must have permission from your main employer, i.e. the one sponsoring your visa, to work somewhere else. Lots of people work a morning job, usually kindy, plus their main job in the afternoon. I don't know the exact details because I'm not on an E-2 visa but I know lots of people doing it legally.

Recruiters and hagwon owners might say it's illegal to you because they don't want you to work another job for one reason or another. One particular reason is that they are 'sort of' responsible for you and what you do here. They're expected to be on call if you get in trouble with the cops for example.

Andy!!

daesu wrote: »

To take on another job on an E-2 visa (the one most people have) you must have permission from your main employer, i.e. the one sponsoring your visa, to work somewhere else. Lots of people work a morning job, usually kindy, plus their main job in the afternoon. I don't know the exact details because I'm not on an E-2 visa but I know lots of people doing it legally.

Recruiters and hagwon owners might say it's illegal to you because they don't want you to work another job for one reason or another. One particular reason is that they are 'sort of' responsible for you and what you do here. They're expected to be on call if you get in trouble with the cops for example.

For anyone wondering, this isn't really true.

It's not recruiters and hagwons that say it is illegal, it is the government. Because they have made it illegal. In an effort to stamp out 'under the table' economies that they are not getting taxes from. It has absolutely nothing to do with the attitude of hagwon bosses. If it did, you would be able to take on secondary employment if you were working public. However, you still cannot.

camoramo wrote: »

Anyway my documents arrived in Korea this morning 2 days earlier than expected so I should make it in time

GO GO GO GO!:pac: See, DHL are pretty fast right? Get to the embassy first thing. Get the 7 bus from O'Connell Street Bridge (in the direction away from the spire) and get off at the American embassy, just ask the bus driver to give you a shout if you're not familiar with Dublin.

Brokentime wrote: »

Wait 'til you find a bar that serves soju and beer cocktails...

That plum wine is very more'ish, isn't it. Can buy it here in Shanghai, too, but it costs about 10 euros for a big bottle.

I forget if you mentioned which city you were in in Korea?

Yeah I plan on trying a Korean bomb this week! I am in Gimpo. Enjoying it. Only negative about the area is it's about an hour and a half away from Seoul by bus and it's not hooked up to the subway, but you can live very happily here.

Brokentime

Andy!! wrote: »

GO GO GO GO!:pac: See, DHL are pretty fast right? Get to the embassy first thing. Get the 7 bus from O'Connell Street Bridge (in the direction away from the spire) and get off at the American embassy, just ask the bus driver to give you a shout if you're not familiar with Dublin.

I remember one of the girls in the Korean embassy was cute as buttons. When I left the embassy, myself and my mate were walking back towards the American embassy to catch the bus into town, and I heard this click-click-click noise from behind. It was the girl running to catch me because she realised she'd forgotten to photocopy my documents for their records.

She was soooo cute. Reminds me of the first Korean girl I hooked up with. On a bus to my yoga class and there's a girl standing next to me; she's looking at me but I don't look back. So she STANDS ON MY FOOT to get my attention. I say hi and we get chatting. She apologises for standing on my foot, but I tell her that at least she did it with nice shoes.

Instant success! It's when I realised that complimenting a Korean girl on how she looks is a bonafide winner...

king_crisps

"I've noticed with others like you..." - generalisation.

You p1ssed me off with that comment about how anyone who can buy a TEFL can be a teacher. What qualifies you to make a comment like that? If you're a teacher, too, then you must have a very dim view of your profession.[/QUOTE]

Not a generalisation. I was referring to the other Irish teachers of that type that I've met over here. And I'm qualified to make that comment after working here in a couple of hagwons and experiencing quite a few people who were walking examples of how lax the selection process for academies can be. Stop looking for something to be outraged about. It's clear that I'm not having a go at the teaching profession in general.

camoramo

Yeah I live in Dublin so once I get my visa number I should be good to go!
It's just dealing with the different time zones that is awkward- my recruiter is 8 hours behind and Korea are 8 hours ahead..
My recruiter said it was ok to sign and scan my contract rather than post it so just going to do that today.
DHL are great, the woman in the post office didn't have much faith in them and almost suggested that regular post would take the same amount of time!

daesu

Andy!! wrote: »

As if the ROK government would give out statistics like that lol.

They do.

Immigration officers follow people that look like native English speakers on the subway system.

No they don't.

They follow them travelling in the morning on the subway 7 days a week (especially weekends), to see if they are going to private classes, if you believe the stories.

... if you believe the stories you'll believe anything.

I've seen it spoken about on youtube and it has been confirmed for me at any waygook gatherings I've been to here.

Link ?

Also excusing/endorsing this sort of behaviour in a thread where there are so many new people reading is at the very least irresponsible.

It's very rare that someone would get caught for private tutoring. If you worked in another English school without permission then that's different and you deserve to get caught.

If you take private classes that break the conditions of your visa, you are a skeevy moron who is stealing from a government that provides a lot of things for it's people and migrants like us, such as dirt cheap transport and other amenities.

I presume you've been here long enough to have been in a bar, restaurant or shop where they only want to take cash not card, or the cash price is cheaper than the card. Take a guess why.

Brokentime

king_crisps wrote: »

Not a generalisation. I was referring to the other Irish teachers of that type that I've met over here.

I hardly met any during my time there. Mainly English and Americans, with a smattering of South Africans. I do live upstairs from an awful Irish eegit here, though. He's your typical loudmouth bollix, and tried to push his way into my private life a while back, 'til I told him to feck off.

king_crisps wrote: »

And I'm qualified to make that comment after working here in a couple of hagwons and experiencing quite a few people who were walking examples of how lax the selection process for academies can be

They don't screen for patriotism when they hire, though. I'm sure they didn't ask those guys whether they thought Ireland was a kip before hiring them.

However, you are right about the selection process. As far as I'm concerned, despite the application for the job being rigorous, the selection process is a little weak. I got the second job I interviewed for, if I remember correctly. I had no TEFL at the time, although I had a masters.

The hagwon I worked in was ... awful. Big chain school, but the owner was a chauvinist pig and all the other teachers were women. I was the only other guy working there.

cassi

To reiterate what I and daesu said, yes you can add another job to your visa with the permission of your main sponsor. It must go through immigration and be stamped on your arc. It's quite common that hagwons will share teachers.

Andy!!

daesu wrote: »

No they don't.

Yeah, they do.

daesu wrote: »

Link ?

The guy has too many videos to sift through (you're not worth my time :P) but I have contacted him asking him which vid it is, I'll link it here in the next day probably.

daesu wrote: »

It's very rare that someone would get caught for private tutoring. If you worked in another English school without permission then that's different and you deserve to get caught.

Excuse me? Both instances are illegal. What makes one option worse than the other? Because you're exposing yourself more by taking a second English school? You have a 'stupid enough to get caught' attitude? Are you a traveller or something? Jesus the more I spent talking to waygooks on the internet, the more thankful I am of the waygooks I have around me.

cassi wrote: »

It must go through immigration and be stamped on your arc.

Eeeeeeeeeeeeexactly. It is a government decision, not a Hagwon director being ****ty. Sure they can be too, but the government can deny your application just as fast. It has nothing to do with Hagwons. It is the governments call.
So Daesu you were incorrect in this. Please try to have the facts before you continue to confuse a lot newbies by giving them wrong information!!

daesu

Andy!! wrote: »

For anyone wondering, this isn't really true.

It's not recruiters and hagwons that say it is illegal, it is the government. Because they have made it illegal.

http://www.qiranger.com/2011/10/13/getting-a-second-job-in-korea/
http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?t=220996
http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?t=198683

It's well documented.

Here's the jist, although I believe it's just got easier this year.

http://www.teachkoreanz.com/contract/private.htm

"When an English teacher holding an E-2 status desires to add a working place (ie. at a different location with a different employer) the following documents are required:

• Release letter from present employer agreeing to this.
• Passport.
• Foreign registration card.
• Application form.
• Contract paper.
• Reference.
• Fee: 60,000 Won."

It has absolutely nothing to do with the attitude of hagwon bosses. If it did, you would be able to take on secondary employment if you were working public. However, you still cannot.

Please see above.

And here's the official Korean government website on the issue; http://www.hikorea.go.kr/pt/InfoDetailR_en.pt

You may need to click 'Foreigner Sojourn' on the left followed by 'Change / Add work location'.

Andy!!

You do know how unbelievably rare what you are referring to is, or was, right? No wonder I had forgotten about it, I have never heard of one person being granted this, they always got denied, and I've known waygooks working in Korea for over two years. Good to see it's been made easier for people. You should not be telling people it is a matter of Hagwon Directors being pissy, you could cause strained relations (not that you care, your moral compass seems to need calibrating). It very much still is a government decision.



Not mention that unless you are paying off massive loans, you should probably not bother with this.(and avoid private nixers altogether, no matter how many Irish Travellers in Korea tell you 'it's cool boss, the pigs'll never catch ya). If you are going to Korea or any other country to actually experience it, well, do the work that you have to do, then have fun for the rest of it.

Andy!!

Sorry double post. But while I'm here, there is incorrect information given in one of those links you posted from DaveESL (BIG surprise there! ). Some guy stated you do not need Immigrations permission BUT YOU ABSOLUTELY DO, cannot re-iterate that enough. It goes through them. So, not sure posting links with incorrect info is much use.

daesu

Andy!! wrote: »

Yeah, they do.

Bull****. I don't know how else to respond to this kind of nonsense. This isn't Burma.

The guy has too many videos to sift through (you're not worth my time :P) but I have contacted him asking him which vid it is, I'll link it here in the next day probably.

You were taken for a fool man.

Excuse me? Both instances are illegal. What makes one option worse than the other?

It's also illegal for Koreans to teach privately. It doesn't stop them and I don't see why it should stop foreigners.

Teaching in a school without permission is different because there's a high chance of getting caught and it's the employer dodging the government, avoiding paying you medical fees and housing and not just you getting a bit extra.

Because you're exposing yourself more by taking a second English school? You have a 'stupid enough to get caught' attitude? Are you a traveller or something?

Stupid enough to get caught because anyone who has done research on how people get caught here know that immigration will randomly call into English schools asking for foreigner id. When it doesn't match the address you're screwed. You should either get permission to do so, making it legal, or work in schools which aren't exclusively 'English' teaching but which have English classes.

What do you mean am I a traveller ? I've lived in Korea for 7 years.

king_crisps

Brokentime wrote: »

They don't screen for patriotism when they hire, though. I'm sure they didn't ask those guys whether they thought Ireland was a kip before hiring them.

I would imagine not, though I'm not entirely sure what you're getting at. I only mentioned the hiring process to clarify that I was talking about hagwon standards being low and not the teaching profession as a whole.

Andy!!

daesu wrote: »

Stupid enough to get caught because anyone who has done research on how people get caught here know that immigration will randomly call into English schools asking for foreigner id. When it doesn't match the address you're screwed. You should either get permission to do so, making it legal, or work in schools which aren't exclusively 'English' teaching but which have English classes.

What do you mean am I a traveller ?

[SNIP]

Jaysus best thing Korea has ever done for themselves is cracking down as they hard as they have on drugs. Ireland could have been a very different place.

daesu

Andy!! wrote: »

Eeeeeeeeeeeeexactly. It is a government decision, not a Hagwon director being ****ty.

First of all. You said it was illegal, it's not illegal.

I also didn't say it was the Hagwon directors decision, I said you needed their permission.

And I finished my original posting by saying I didn't know all the details because I had never done it because I don't have an E2 visa.

daesu wrote:

To take on another job on an E-2 visa (the one most people have) you must have permission from your main employer, i.e. the one sponsoring your visa, to work somewhere else. Lots of people work a morning job, usually kindy, plus their main job in the afternoon. I don't know the exact details because I'm not on an E-2 visa but I know lots of people doing it legally.

Sure they can be too, but the government can deny your application just as fast.

They can deny it based on the following;

Korean Immigration Website Link I posted which you didn't read wrote:

Criteria for granting/denying

• The permission will be denied if the change or addition is different from original staying purpose as stated in the employment contract
• If the foreigner working in too many workplaces or is changing jobs too many times without any consistent pattern, he/she will be evaluated. Should the foreigner be found to have poor work conduct or is in some way against Korea’s national interest, then any future change/addition to the workplace will be restricted.
• If the added workplace should have longer work hours or higher salary than the original workplace, addition of workplace will be restricted.
• Adding more than two workplaces beside the main workplace is prohibited.

It has nothing to do with Hagwons. It is the governments call.

It has everything to do with your hagwon or whoever your current employer that sponsors your visa is. The permission from immigration is a formality.

So Daesu you were incorrect in this. Please try to have the facts before you continue to confuse a lot newbies by giving them wrong information!!

I submit myself to the intelligence of anyone else reading this. Was I incorrect ?

Andy!!

daesu wrote: »

It has everything to do with your hagwon or whoever your current employer that sponsors your visa is. The permission from immigration is a formality.

Yes laws do tend to be formalities.

daesu wrote: »

I submit myself to the intelligence of anyone else reading this. Was I incorrect ?

Cassi will say yes, most others will say no. :pac:

Andy!!

Another goddamn double post. Korean internet fastest in the world eh?

I'll just leave this here



WHAT THE F*** IS IT WITH MOSQUITOS AND FEET????????? Accursed infernal bastards.

daesu

Andy!! wrote: »

You do know how unbelievably rare what you are referring to is, or was, right?

So rare that you forgot about it and instead claimed it was impossible ?

It's not rare, it's just uncommon for people on a first visa because they don't know about it. Maybe there are people who have been here a while and don't know about it. But all it takes is a simple Google or a 1 minute browse on the immigration website to see it.

No wonder I had forgotten about it, I have never heard of one person being granted this, they always got denied, and I've known waygooks working in Korea for over two years.

Two whole years ?

Not mention that unless you are paying off massive loans, you should probably not bother with this.

With what ? Teaching a second job legally or teaching privates illegally ?

If you are going to Korea or any other country to actually experience it, well, do the work that you have to do, then have fun for the rest of it.

And ? I never told people to work an extra job, I told them it was possible to work a second job legally and teach privates illegally.

Andy!!

daesu wrote: »

It's not rare

It's exceedingly rare.


Teaching in Korea -> Hundreds of thousands do it -> Ergo you hear about it a lot.

Getting granted by the government to do what you are suggesting -> Hardly ever happens, even less so before the recent rule change -> Ergo it is rare and you never hear about it.

Simple logic.

But I'm not going to keep on with this much longer, you are ruining this thread for newbies that already have to trawl through it to find information, without you adding pages and pages to it by posting inaccurate information and condoning illegal activity cause 'Koreans do it so why can't I' (very very immature, I hope you don't teach children??) and 'You're only stupid if you get caught'. How'ya boss, wanna buy some gates? :pac:

[SNIP]


I will however post that video when the guy gets back to me.

Toto Wolfcastle

Andy!! infracted for repeated personal abuse.

I have snipped the images from Andy!!'s posts.

No more bickering in this thread please. Andy!! and daesu, please don't reply to each other again in this thread.

As per site rules, please do not respond to this warning on-thread.

cloneslad

Bobblehead Panda wrote: »

Andy!! infracted for repeated personal abuse.

I have snipped the images from Andy!!'s posts.

No more bickering in this thread please. Andy!! and daesu, please don't reply to each other again in this thread.

As per site rules, please do not respond to this warning on-thread.

Thanks for that. I hate when this thread gets de-railed.

Daesu was correct when he/ she said you can work at more than one location, legally, on an E2 visa.

It's a formality with immigration, so long as your main visa sponsor is where you work for the majority of your working time.

I have friends who work mornings in a kindergarten and evenings in an adult school. So long as your employer agrees to
it and provides the correct documentation, then immigration don't care, and will allow you to take another job.


As for teaching privates being illegal, it is. Any work anyone does in Korea, where tax is not being paid is not allowed, that includes Korean people.

cassi

cloneslad wrote: »

Bobblehead Panda wrote: »

Andy!! infracted for repeated personal abuse.

I have snipped the images from Andy!!'s posts.

No more bickering in this thread please. Andy!! and daesu, please don't reply to each other again in this thread.

As per site rules, please do not respond to this warning on-thread.

Thanks for that. I hate when this thread gets de-railed.

Daesu was correct when he/ she said you can work at more than one location, legally, on an E2 visa.

It's a formality with immigration, so long as your main visa sponsor is where you work for the majority of your working time.

I have friends who work mornings in a kindergarten and evenings in an adult school. So long as your employer agrees to
it and provides the correct documentation, then immigration don't care, and will allow you to take another job.


As for teaching privates being illegal, it is. Any work anyone does in Korea, where tax is not being paid is not allowed, that includes Korean people.

Everything daesu said regarding getting a second school added to your visa is 100% correct. It's very common, is at the permission of your boss, the immigration part is a formality.

Im on my phone so I can't provide a link but more Koreans are caught teaching privates than foreigners, the actual number of foreigners caught is minimal.

Teaching privates is illegal but it doesn't stop what I suspect is the majority of Tefl teachers in korea.

They are the facts do with them what you will but let people make up their own minds on doing or not doing them.

daesu

Galwayj wrote: »

Im not going to jeju , im going to unseo , its off the coast of incheon . Getting the last things packed into my bag . looking forward to this but nervous

I've mates there so I know the area a bit. Nice but small foreign community and it's a bit quiet. Access to Seoul is quite fast by the airport train but it's not as cheap as other public transportation. From memory it's about 5,000 won from Unseo to Gimpo (Seoul area).

If you look here; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incheon_Airport_Train

You can see the stations on this line, you'll probably be travelling to one of the five stations, A01 - A05 regularly to get into Seoul or A06 to go to Incheon (Large city close to Seoul).

You'll likely want to transfer to Line's 6 or 2 (Seoul) if you are planning to go the areas with foreigners. Line 6 to Itaewon and line 2 to Hongdae.

Brokentime

daesu wrote: »

I've mates there so I know the area a bit. Nice but small foreign community and it's a bit quiet. Access to Seoul is quite fast by the airport train but it's not as cheap as other public transportation. From memory it's about 5,000 won from Unseo to Gimpo (Seoul area).

If you look here; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incheon_Airport_Train

You can see the stations on this line, you'll probably be travelling to one of the five stations, A01 - A05 regularly to get into Seoul or A06 to go to Incheon (Large city close to Seoul).

You'll likely want to transfer to Line's 6 or 2 (Seoul) if you are planning to go the areas with foreigners. Line 6 to Itaewon and line 2 to Hongdae.

Hongdae is decent, but avoid Itaewon unless you really like hookers and big yank soldiers.

Check out the women's university area, too; I used to live near there.

daesu

Brokentime wrote: »

Hongdae is decent, but avoid Itaewon unless you really like hookers and big yank soldiers.

Plenty of hookers in Hongdae too, they're just not dragging you in off the street!

Seriously though you're right, Itaewon, at least certain parts should be avoided but there's also lots of great restaurants, bars, and shops there. I don't know if you're still here Brokentime but there's a large area of Itaewon which was just recently renovated behind McDonalds which is very hongdae-isque. The main strip is definately improving it's image with the 'dirt' moving further away.

Brokentime

daesu wrote: »

Plenty of hookers in Hongdae too, they're just not dragging you in off the street!

Seriously though you're right, Itaewon, at least certain parts should be avoided but there's also lots of great restaurants, bars, and shops there. I don't know if you're still here Brokentime but there's a large area of Itaewon which was just recently renovated behind McDonalds which is very hongdae-isque. The main strip is definately improving it's image with the 'dirt' moving further away.

Nah, left Seoul over 2 years ago. I found that the street that ran parallel to the main drag up behind exits 1 and 2 of the metro station, where you walk up a steep hill, was very nice. Lots of decent places up there. But to walk down to McDonalds, you had to pass a lot of garbage (mainly human).

I rathered Hongdae, though. More of a relaxed vibe. I lived 2 streets away from the University there.

camoramo

Just making a packing list now!

What clothes do people wear to work, formal or smart casual?

Also is it ok to bring your own reward charts/ stickers etc.
Maybe yous aren't as cheesy as me :P

cloneslad

camoramo wrote: »

Just making a packing list now!

What clothes do people wear to work, formal or smart casual?

Also is it ok to bring your own reward charts/ stickers etc.
Maybe yous aren't as cheesy as me :P

Depends on the school environment. I was able to wear jeans and a t-shirt, then shorts and a t-shirt in summer, with flip flops. Some schools prefer you to wear trousers and a shirt. You're probably best asking the school.

Kids love stickers, also you'll get stationary / stickers / paper etc much cheaper and in more varieties in Korea than in Ireland.

camoramo

Good to know about the stationary, it will save me space in the suitcase not having to bring some!

Also this website eachyourkimchi has great video blogs and lesson ideas.

http://www.eatyourkimchi.com/what-you-should-pack-to-korea/

roosh

camoramo wrote: »

Just making a packing list now!

What clothes do people wear to work, formal or smart casual?

Also is it ok to bring your own reward charts/ stickers etc.
Maybe yous aren't as cheesy as me :P

I wear pants and a shirt to work, but that is more by choice; I bought a few pants and a few shirts before coming over so I figure I may as well use them. Most of the Korean teachers in my school wear casual clothes, and the other English teachers I know wear anything from very casual to smart casual.

If you're unsure, and don't speak to anyone about it before starting, it's always safe to arrive over dressed and then tone it down; I wore a shirt and tie when I first started. I could show up now in jeans and a t-shirt if I wanted, but, like I say, I bought the shirts and pants so I wear them.


It's perfectly fine to bring your own rewards charts and stickers; I haven't heard of any schools that have their own reward systems that they want you to use - although I'm not sure about Hagwons. Worst case scenario is you end up not using your own rewards chart and stickers. If that happens, you will easily find someone who would appreciate them and put them to good use.

Mind you, you might be as well off to just get the stuff over here, save you having to pack them.

Andy!!

camoramo wrote: »

Just making a packing list now!

What clothes do people wear to work, formal or smart casual?

Also is it ok to bring your own reward charts/ stickers etc.
Maybe yous aren't as cheesy as me :P

Depends on your school. I brought smart casual, which was the recommendation, shirt and trousers, but everybody was wearing more casual stuff so I bought new stuff.

One thing you do need to to bring however (IMO) is bed sheets. Email the person you are replacing to find out what size the bed is (will probably be double). It's not that they don't have them here, it's that they are very expensive. Like 50,000 for the undersheet that goes around the mattress, which comes in at around 42 euro I guess? So bring those. I really should get around to buying those meself online.

Aside from that, you probably won't have a terribly hard time finding clothes that fit, McDonalds has seen to this countries steady growth rates :pac: Footwear is going to be a bit trickier depending where you are placed, if you are a UK 11+ like me. :pac:

Brokentime

cloneslad wrote: »

Depends on the school environment...

I'll second that. Since it's summer there now, lots of short sleeve white shirts and light smart cas trousers.

Shorts, too, but if you're working in a hagwon with kids, be prepared to have your leg hairs tugged from time to time.

squeakyduck

camoramo wrote: »

What clothes do people wear to work, formal or smart casual?

Also is it ok to bring your own reward charts/ stickers etc.
Maybe yous aren't as cheesy as me :P

I wear casual (jeans tshirt and converse) and also some smart pants.

My school has a sticker reward system but I also buy loads of little heart/star stickers for my kindie classes....they love getting them. I have my own little reward system of cards with a little shamrock on it if they get 3 of these they get a sticker. 2/1 nothing. They work incredibly hard for those rewards and they look on their faces when they get a sticker makes me happy!

Bedclothes is a good idea as Andy said. I would bring some antihystemines from home and sudo would never go amiss (I've been covering myself in the stuff the past few days from mosquito bites)

A warm coat for winter wouldn't go amiss (I had trouble finding some nice ones when it got cold)

Deodorant that you like, it can be quite expensive here and I got my sister to send me over toothpaste as I couldn't find colgate anywhere and the Korean ones made my teeth feel like they would fall out.

Shoes if you are a larger footed person.

Sun tan lotion if you want something that is lower than 30. (anything under 30spf doesn't exist here)

Brokentime

squeakyduck wrote: »

I would bring some antihystemines from home and sudo would never go amiss (I've been covering myself in the stuff the past few days from mosquito bites)

Yeah, like a mini bag of drugs and stuff. Painkillers, meds for the runs, some bandages, all this stuff...

Andy!!

squeakyduck wrote: »

sudo would never go amiss (I've been covering myself in the stuff the past few days from mosquito bites)

Send us some squeaky will ye

What do people do to prevent the little buggers getting at you? I am bitten to pieces at the moment. I have netting on my windows and that but I'm told they still get in through bathroom drains. I'm on the 7th floor of my building and they still make it up here! :pac: I was told they didnt fly so high, but then someone else told me they actually get into the elevators :pac: Looking for some preventatives, and treatments if they do get at you.

Brokentime

Andy!! wrote: »

Send us some squeaky will ye

What do people do to prevent the little buggers getting at you? I am bitten to pieces at the moment. I have netting on my windows and that but I'm told they still get in through bathroom drains. I'm on the 7th floor of my building and they still make it up here! :pac: I was told they didnt fly so high, but then someone else told me they actually get into the elevators :pac: Looking for some preventatives, and treatments if they do get at you.

Buy one of those plug-in things that makes them drowsy and keep it on ALL THE TIME. Also, kill on sight; if you see one in your gaff, pursue and kill. Cover your ankles when you sleep, because that's the first place they'll chomp. Next is arms, usually.

Andy!!

Do you get them in Shanghai? How's the pollution/general cleanliness over there?

squeakyduck

Andy!! wrote: »

Send us some squeaky will ye

What do people do to prevent the little buggers getting at you? I am bitten to pieces at the moment. I have netting on my windows and that but I'm told they still get in through bathroom drains. I

I walked into home plus yesterday and came out with 30k worth of anti mozzie stuff. Bought spray which I doused the room with and I have this plug that has liquid bottle attached that leaves off some anti mosquito smell or something.

My legs are destroyed. Frantically putting sudo on morning noon and night trying to get these bruise like bites away. They are starting to go down, but I've been wearing long trousers all week so I won't scare the living daylights out of the kindies!

Brokentime wrote: »

Yeah, like a mini bag of drugs and stuff. Painkillers, meds for the runs, some bandages, all this stuff...

Dioralite is very handy, I have loads of sachets...handy for a hangover!

Brokentime

Andy!! wrote: »

Do you get them in Shanghai? How's the pollution/general cleanliness over there?

Oh yes, and it's worse than Korea. In Seoul, and when I visited Daegu and Cheongju and those places, there was moderate chomping done by mosquitoes. In Shanghai, every day is a meal day for the little bitches. My apartment is like auschwitz for mosquitoes now; plug-in air thing, nets, sprays. It's so warm here, though, that you almost have to sleep naked, so they still get you, no matter what you do.

Sitting in beer gardens and at the windows in cafes is a no-no, too. They'll eat the $hit out of your arms and legs.

Pollution here is the stuff of legends, although still not as bad as Guangzhou and Beijing. Some days, you can almost chew the air, and they have some particularly bad days where there'll be excessive pollution of airborne sand brought in by the wind from other parts of the country.

Temperatures usually touch and exceed 40 degrees at the height of the summer, which is coming soon. Humidity is mad, too. But as strange as it is to say, you get used to it after a bit.

Andy!!

OK you just completely put me off the idea of Shanghai LOL!

I hear we have a Typhoon on the way tonight here in Korea, hope it gets some of the little bastards. My legs are destroyed too.

Brokentime

Andy!! wrote: »

OK you just completely put me off the idea of Shanghai LOL!

I hear we have a Typhoon on the way tonight here in Korea, hope it gets some of the little bastards. My legs are destroyed too.

If you're inland, don't expect much. Will be a a bit of wind and a lot of rain is all.

We were supposed to have a huge typhoon last year here. I went up on the roof of my apartment block and brought a few beers and waited. Big disappointment. Just heavy wind and rain; not the craziness I was expecting.

Don't be put off, though. You get used to the weather quickly, and department stores, shops and metro stations and bars all provide relief from the heat. Toughen ya up!

daesu

Regarding mosquitoes. I recommend buying some of the mosquito repellant plants. It's nice to have a little green around the apartment and the smell is much better than mosquito sprays. Also, artificial repellants especially the sprays and plug in devices are not meant to be good for your health, especially if you have any respiratory issues.

Needless to say, their effectiveness is questionable and most likely not as good as the sprays etc especially against certain species of mosquito but I have noticed a substantial difference in mosquito numbers since getting them.

Please see; http://eartheasy.com/blog/2011/04/5-easy-to-grow-mosquito-repelling-plants/

When you go to a plant store just ask for A-Ray-Hyang Na-Mu (아래향나무) or Gu-Muun-cho (구문초) Rose Geranium. If confusion arises try Mo-gi sik-moo-ul (모기식물)

Brokentime

daesu wrote: »

Regarding mosquitoes. I recommend buying some of the mosquito repellant plants. It's nice to have a little green around the apartment and the smell is much better than mosquito sprays. Also, artificial repellants especially the sprays and plug in devices are not meant to be good for your health, especially if you have any respiratory issues.

Needless to say, their effectiveness is questionable and most likely not as good as the sprays etc especially against certain species of mosquito but I have noticed a substantial difference in mosquito numbers since getting them.

Please see; http://eartheasy.com/blog/2011/04/5-easy-to-grow-mosquito-repelling-plants/

When you go to a plant store just ask for A-Ray-Hyang Na-Mu (아래향나무) or Gu-Muun-cho (구문초) Rose Geranium. If confusion arises try Mo-gi sik-moo-ul (모기식물)

To be honest, plants are always a better, more natural solution.

Buy a Mo-Gi-Fuk-Off-A

daesu

If anyone is interested in teaching adults this institute is looking for people at the moment.

http://www.wsikorea.com/about/recruit_lecture6.asp?recruitlist_idx=11&listtype=Teacher+Recruiting

This particular institute is well known to be quite happy to sponsor your visa for part-time work such as 3-4 hours morning or evening and will put a deposit (key money) on an apartment for you. You'll likely have to pay some rent dependent on what kind of apartment you choose to have. For example, some friends of mine paid 200,000 others 400,000. The 200,000 apartment was your typical officetel you would get from a hagwon.

This is a great opportunity if you want to have a visa and decent part-time wage where you can work another job or jobs at the same time. The base salary for part-time (3-4 hours a day @ 25,000 to 30,000 won an hour depending on qualifications, experience etc) should work out at about 1.5 - 2 million won a month (including a Saturday or 2) so even if you only want to work part-time it's quite liveable.

Full-time hourly wage is lower than part-time but you should still be making around 2.5 - 3 million with full accomodation provided if thats the route you want to take.

Bare in mind these numbers are not from first hand experience so they are a bit rough.

Also, I'm not sure if they sponsor airfare or not, especially for part-time.

Brokentime

daesu wrote: »

If anyone is interested in teaching adults this institute is looking for people at the moment.

http://www.wsikorea.com/about/recruit_lecture6.asp?recruitlist_idx=11&listtype=Teacher+Recruiting

This particular institute is well known to be quite happy to sponsor your visa for part-time work such as 3-4 hours morning or evening and will put a deposit (key money) on an apartment for you. You'll likely have to pay some rent dependent on what kind of apartment you choose to have. For example, some friends of mine paid 200,000 others 400,000. The 200,000 apartment was your typical officetel you would get from a hagwon.

This is a great opportunity if you want to have a visa and decent part-time wage where you can work another job or jobs at the same time. The base salary for part-time (3-4 hours a day @ 25,000 to 30,000 won an hour depending on qualifications, experience etc) should work out at about 1.5 - 2 million won a month (including a Saturday or 2) so even if you only want to work part-time it's quite liveable.

Full-time hourly wage is lower than part-time but you should still be making around 2.5 - 3 million with full accomodation provided if thats the route you want to take.

Bare in mind these numbers are not from first hand experience so they are a bit rough.

Also, I'm not sure if they sponsor airfare or not, especially for part-time.

That's Wall Street. We have them here, too. Very reputable

Galwayj

daesu wrote: »

I've mates there so I know the area a bit. Nice but small foreign community and it's a bit quiet. Access to Seoul is quite fast by the airport train but it's not as cheap as other public transportation. From memory it's about 5,000 won from Unseo to Gimpo (Seoul area).

If you look here; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incheon_Airport_Train

You can see the stations on this line, you'll probably be travelling to one of the five stations, A01 - A05 regularly to get into Seoul or A06 to go to Incheon (Large city close to Seoul).

You'll likely want to transfer to Line's 6 or 2 (Seoul) if you are planning to go the areas with foreigners. Line 6 to Itaewon and line 2 to Hongdae.

its quite nice here so far... job is pretty good , fairly relaxed 5-6 hrs a day . do you know if theres a foreigner bar here ?

daesu

Galwayj wrote: »

its quite nice here so far... job is pretty good , fairly relaxed 5-6 hrs a day . do you know if theres a foreigner bar here ?

There's a foreign style bar, can't remember the name of it at the minute. But as I said, the foreign community is quite small there.