Sooooo.......since my last post on here, where I had only just purchased the 140 hour TEFL course, I now have accepted a job in Sunflower Language School in Ulsan and hopefully will be flying out on the 26th August! Its all happened sooo fast.....and soo easily to my surprise.
I am currenlty waiting in for DHL to come and pick up a package full of documents to send to South Korea then the next step is to go down to london for an interview with the Korea Consulate. Hopefully I will start getting excited soon but at the moment it hasnt really sunk in that I am going and I feel a bit aprehensive :s!
Does anyone have any advice on the types of things I should take to korea? what type of clothing etc and how much money should I take to live on for the first month?
:)
x
What do you think?
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How's it going!? Are you there now???
Hi xmelx87,
I am teaching in Ulsan. It has only a population of over a million but in geographical terms its a big city. Its more spread out than any other city Ive been to in Korea. Its a nice city once you settle in. There are lots of foreignors around so you will make loads of friends. Haven't heard of Sunflower Language School but then theres alot of language schools here. The best resource is www.ulsanonline.com/. Here you will find loads of information about the city, bars, restaurants, cinema times, bus times etc all in English.
Best of Luck!
HI There
You will love South Korea.
The best advice I can offer is to link into your nearest Facebook Teachers group.
I think yours will be Teachers in Ulsan and the link is;
www.facebook.com/groups/198457023516277/
Its a great way to hook up with other foreigners in your area and get to meet them. Most groups are pretty active and plan regular entertainments and get togethers. It can help alleviate the initial culture shock that some feel, and its fun! They will also be able to tell you where you can get all those things you can't live without.
There are a few things I would bring just to give you some time to find out where you can get what you need. Everything is available here but it can take a little time to find it.
Toothpaste - toothpaste here has no fluoride and there is none added to the water so bring a couple of tubes.
Deodorant - bring a few of whatever you like - its harder to get here and the brands are very limited
OK - this next one will sound odd - bring a set of sheets and a towel! Yes you can get sheets and towels here but again it might take some time to find them and the first night here you will be greatful you did. Most hagweons (private langauage schools) will provide a bed and some will even give you a pillow and duvee, but most do not provide linen and after a long flight all you will want is a shower and a nap!
Shopping here is fantastic, and you really can get everything you want, it just takes a little time to find it. Its also very cheap!
Congrats! Hope its brilliant for you!
Xmelx87, join the club! I'm almost done with my 140-hour TEFL course with I-to-I and I'm waiting for my E2 Teaching visa in Korea to be processed. I used FedEx to send them my documents. I will be teaching in Incheon.
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Cool so il get shoe and bra shopping over the next few weeks! :) thanks for your advice! really appreciate it! x
Like I said, I don't have a dress code, so I'm not sure tbh! I guess I'd just go with what you think, and definiately avoid ripped jeans and low cut or string tops. As for shopping, there will be stuff that will fit you as a size 12, the problem is whether it looks good! I can even find stuff to fit me (size 18... or so) if I go to Seoul, so all is not lost if you find you really need clothes, you just might have to hunt a little to find something that looks okay. I'd bring a ready supply of bras though. I didn't, and my parcle with them in has been lost in the post, and I REALLY miss them tbh! Also, shoes are a bit of a problem for some, they tend to only go up to a size 5 1/2 in womans shoes (UK size) I think. I don't know, I'm a size 9 so I did all my shoe shopping before I came here! I can't even find shoes in the UK that fit!
hey Mahlath! Thanks for your advice! It has really helped! I wanted to come over with about £800 but as I am coming over sooner than planned I will probly only have £600! I will just have to make do with this! the manager of my school also said she may pay me early if I am struggling......not sure if she just said this to get me across quicker though lol! i would say Im quite curvy (UK size 12) and iv read that if you are bigger than a size 10 and bigger than a B cup I wont get anything to fit. I was advised that the dress code for my school is semi formal so not sure what this means. Maybe a smart top and comfy bottoms or vice versa?
As for money, it really depends on you! Are you a drinker? There are a lot of places to drink here, and you can easily spend money on that. The same is true for coffee shops. I love going to coffee shops, and I spend money on that. Are you going to be willing to try cooking (you probably won't have an oven, try and have a few good recipies you can do on the stove before you come, and then be prepared to throw them all away when you realise that tinned tomatoes are really hard to find)? I mean, if I go to a coffee shop and eat out 3 times a day I can spend 15,000W a day on this, which is 105,000W a week, which if you then add 50,000W for going out drinking or to the cinema or whatever ends up at 155,000W a week, which is about £450 for 5 weeks, but you will possibly need to buy some things. I know all that sounds like I'm living extravagantly, and it is a little, but buying food to cook is not going to knock much off that number. Also, bear in mind that you are going to need to buy things when you get here. You will be suprised what you need. I made do with about £500 when I got out here, but like I said, it is totally up to you, and I'm not really a big drinker.
Ohhh! Well done! As for clothing, don't make the same mistake I did. String tops are not really acceptable out here (check if your school has a dress code, mine doesn't), so don't bring any! Stick to t-shirts. they are a bit conservative about cut, so go for a higher cut t-shirt, especially if you have a larger bust. As for shorts though, you will get away with the shortest ones you have. It is strange, they aren't at all conservative in that sense. At the moment it is HOT! Very, very hot! And muggy, so everything feels hotter. Bring light clothing, otherwise you will drown in this heat. The winter however, is cold, really, really cold! It was -15 degrees C last winter fairly frequently. If you have them, bring your thermals. I would just make do with tights under jeans. The fashion here is good, and if you aren't too big or too curvy you can buy a lot of nice stuff out here for not too much money.
As for other things, take the advice about having to bring tampons and deoderant with you with a bit of skepticism. It was very true a few years ago, but nowadays, you might need to look a bit for it, but you should be able to find both in any city (and Ulsan is a big city, isn't it?) and how often do you really need to buy them? I wouldn't bother filling your suitcase with either to last you longer than the first month.
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