climbhigher14k
03-12-2007, 02:31 PM
Hello All,
My wife Jessie and I just started a new job in the northeast corner of Chungchunbuk-do, in the town of Danyang. It is a very small town of 40,000, and is surrounded on 3 sides by a river/lake (the Namhangang turns into an artificial lake at Danyang), is 12 minutes from Sobaeksan National park, and is very peaceful. There are currently 5 foreign teachers in Danyang (including us), but two of the teachers are leaving in a little less than a month.
We have only been here two weeks, but so far the work experience has been amazing. Our employers have really taken care of us, and we are respected by our co-teachers. Furthermore, one of the other foreign teachers has been in Danyang for over three years, which says to me that this is a good place to be.
From a rock climbers perspective, there seems to be a lot of potential for new bouldering problems and rock routes all over. There are also some established areas, which I have not checked out yet, that are within 30 minutes. Ganhyun is about an hour away. In the artificial realm, there is a nice, fairly large outdoor wall in town.
We work aproximately from 1-9, Monday through Friday, working in regular schools in the afternoon and after-school programs in the evening. Essentially, we are employed by the Danyang county school board, and travel to different schools within in the county each week. Having a car is extremely beneficial, but not a neccesity (if you don't have a car, you are picked up by a teacher each day). We teach no more than 22 hours each week, and, as our schedule stands now, we don't work Friday evenings (perfect for starting weekend trips). Pay is determined by experience, but you recieve an extra 200,000 per month because the school is in the country, and an extra 200,000 per month for working in the evenings, in addition to a one-time 300,000 settlement. It is not likely you will make less than you are making now. I moved from a hogwan in Gangnam, Seoul, and I actually got a raise. We also get 14 days vacation in addition to Korean holidays (taken during winter and summer breaks).
THE SCHOOL IS LOOKING FOR 2 PEOPLE TO START WORKING AT THE BEGINNING OF APRIL, OR AS SOON AFTER THAT AS POSSIBLE
Here are the pros and cons, as I see them:
Pros:
good employers
public school (unlike a hogwan, the main goal of a public school is education, not money)
pleasant town
very near National Parks
great scenery
fairly nice apartments (small, but clean)
many outdoor sport opportunities (para-gliding, rafting, fishing, hiking, and, of course, ROCK CLIMBING!)
you would get to hang out with Jess and Me, which, in my opinion, is loads of fun
Cons:
few social outlets during the week
lack of a car would add to isolation and inconvenience
the closest E-mart or other such store is an hour away, Costco is two
If anyone is interested, or wants to know more, or wants to talk to someone who has been here longer, message me, email me, or call me. I don't have reliable internet access quite yet, so the best bet for quick communication would be to call.
If you want to check out the town, anyone is more than welcome to crash on our floor. We might even fix you a southern breakfast.
krisandjessie.adventure@gmail.com
krisontherocks@gmail.com
010-2300-6176
My wife Jessie and I just started a new job in the northeast corner of Chungchunbuk-do, in the town of Danyang. It is a very small town of 40,000, and is surrounded on 3 sides by a river/lake (the Namhangang turns into an artificial lake at Danyang), is 12 minutes from Sobaeksan National park, and is very peaceful. There are currently 5 foreign teachers in Danyang (including us), but two of the teachers are leaving in a little less than a month.
We have only been here two weeks, but so far the work experience has been amazing. Our employers have really taken care of us, and we are respected by our co-teachers. Furthermore, one of the other foreign teachers has been in Danyang for over three years, which says to me that this is a good place to be.
From a rock climbers perspective, there seems to be a lot of potential for new bouldering problems and rock routes all over. There are also some established areas, which I have not checked out yet, that are within 30 minutes. Ganhyun is about an hour away. In the artificial realm, there is a nice, fairly large outdoor wall in town.
We work aproximately from 1-9, Monday through Friday, working in regular schools in the afternoon and after-school programs in the evening. Essentially, we are employed by the Danyang county school board, and travel to different schools within in the county each week. Having a car is extremely beneficial, but not a neccesity (if you don't have a car, you are picked up by a teacher each day). We teach no more than 22 hours each week, and, as our schedule stands now, we don't work Friday evenings (perfect for starting weekend trips). Pay is determined by experience, but you recieve an extra 200,000 per month because the school is in the country, and an extra 200,000 per month for working in the evenings, in addition to a one-time 300,000 settlement. It is not likely you will make less than you are making now. I moved from a hogwan in Gangnam, Seoul, and I actually got a raise. We also get 14 days vacation in addition to Korean holidays (taken during winter and summer breaks).
THE SCHOOL IS LOOKING FOR 2 PEOPLE TO START WORKING AT THE BEGINNING OF APRIL, OR AS SOON AFTER THAT AS POSSIBLE
Here are the pros and cons, as I see them:
Pros:
good employers
public school (unlike a hogwan, the main goal of a public school is education, not money)
pleasant town
very near National Parks
great scenery
fairly nice apartments (small, but clean)
many outdoor sport opportunities (para-gliding, rafting, fishing, hiking, and, of course, ROCK CLIMBING!)
you would get to hang out with Jess and Me, which, in my opinion, is loads of fun
Cons:
few social outlets during the week
lack of a car would add to isolation and inconvenience
the closest E-mart or other such store is an hour away, Costco is two
If anyone is interested, or wants to know more, or wants to talk to someone who has been here longer, message me, email me, or call me. I don't have reliable internet access quite yet, so the best bet for quick communication would be to call.
If you want to check out the town, anyone is more than welcome to crash on our floor. We might even fix you a southern breakfast.
krisandjessie.adventure@gmail.com
krisontherocks@gmail.com
010-2300-6176