Reassurance and questions about Korea answered

1. As I have been discussing this opportunity with family members and friends, one of the main concerns/questions they have is, will I be safe? Is the area/school I will be teaching in safe? I know danger exists everywhere, but I am looking for some reassurance in regards to quality of life in Ulsan. Will my apartment be located in a safe part of the city? How are foreigners regarded by locals? How well are foreigners received? What dangers, if any do you expect I may encounter, or what dangers exist that I should be aware of?

Safety is truly the least of your concerns while in Korea. I can understand where you are coming from with this concern. When I first went to Korea, none of my family and friends knew much about Korea -- nor did I really. It's one of those places that seems to go unregistered on any radars. Everyone hears about Japan, China, Thailand and other such places, but hears little about Korea. So, I was really stepping into the unknown. The good news for you, though, is that at Pegasus we have all been there, done that, and got the t-shirt. :)

So, we can help you understand what you are getting into... and rest assured, you really do not have to worry.

The fact is that you could hardly be choosing to go to a safer country. I say this now having traveled around the world since living in Korea, and I definitely know what it is like to feel unsafe. Korea is far safer than anywhere else you could possibly work as an English teacher. It is safer than working anywhere in Central or South America, safer than anywhere in Europe, and it is by far the safest place to teach in Asia. I have been to many international cities and wandered through some very shady areas, let me tell you. I have been to Bangkok, and other parts of Thailand, where you have to watch your bag from being snatched right off of your back, or where you can't trust most taxi drivers as they might take you for a ride somewhere to get you to buy into some scam. I've been to Beijing, where in certain heavily touristed areas the street children may swarm foreigners, grabbing onto their legs with their very filthy hands, until they are thrown some money. I've been to Hong Kong where in certain areas you cannot avoid the shady salesman always trying to drag you into their stores, to sell you some overpriced electronics. I have been followed through the streets of Cairo, having to fake calling the police to be left alone. I lived for a while in East London, where I ran home from the subway everyday as I felt so unnerved walking those streets, even in daylight. So, I definitely know how it feels to be in various types of danger. Yet, in all of my months in Korea, I never once felt threatened on any level. As far as the threat spectrum is concerned, Korea doesn't even register on it. It is a very law abiding society and I never heard of any real threats to foreigners. There are no areas that I would have felt unsafe walking around, even in the middle of the night. At first, this amazed me, as there are many places in Canada where I would definitely not walk at night. However, it is absolutely true that I would walk anywhere in Korea. It is a bit hard to describe, especially coming from North America, where cities do definitely have areas both good and bad. In fact, most cities in the world have bad areas, it would seem. Yet, truly, Korea is a rare gem of a place in that it really has no such areas. Everywhere is the same. Everywhere is safe. Once you get there, you will know exactly what we mean by this. It is a strange feeling to describe. In fact, the only other place I felt as safe was when I was in Singapore, as it too is a very law-abiding, respectful society.

I should mention that there are, indeed, a few slightly poorer areas, but they are not the same as poor areas in North America or in any other place for that matter. These areas are generally on the outskirts of the towns, more than in the centre. You will definitely not be living in these areas, as these small areas do not have apartments, which is the standard teacher accommodation. In the main parts of the cities, it is all big, tall, concrete apartment buildings everywhere, and this is where you will be. Every neighborhood is essentially the same. So, it doesn't matter what part of the city you live, it will all be the same. Korea is a very homogenous country. There are no real defined areas the way there is in other countries. Korea simply has sprawling, homogenous cities. Korea is truly a country of new money. There are absolutely no "ghettos" or "wrong side of the tracks." It is also important to know that in the few poorer areas on the outskirts, there are no "scary" or threatening people. There are simple hard working people, who work selling vegetables and the like at streetside booths or in the big city markets. These Koreans are not at all aggressive or thieving as they sometimes are in other Asian cities. Chances are, though, you will probably not have any reason to be near one of these lower class areas, and your only experience with the lower classes will be through dealing with them as vendors at markets. However, when you do meet poorer Koreans, you will find that these people are very genuine. They were some of the nicest people I met while in Korea. Especially if you attempt to speak to them in Korean, as their English is the most limited of any Koreans, they will really warm up to you.

Koreans are generally very happy to meet you. You'll have many Koreans wanting to be your friend right away. Many of them want to be your friend to learn about your culture, others really want to practice their English. Either way, they are genuine and have no ill-intentions whatsoever. You'll also have many people looking at you, in fascination more than anything. Koreans, especially children, love seeing foreigners in the flesh. You'll notice that many advertisements include foreign celebrities. So, they are very receptive to and fascinated with Westerners. So, when they meet one, they are very happy. If they only look at you (or perhaps stare), it is merely that they are too shy to say hello. Children may actually point, as this is acceptable in their culture. Often their parents will then encourage them to say "hello" to you, to practice their English. This happened to me wherever I went, whether I was in the grocery line-up, at Starbucks, or just walking down the street. You may also hear them say, "meguk saram." Do not worry, if you hear this. They are merely saying, in awe of the sighting, "foreigner!" They are excited to see you, and not meaning any harm or insult. The words directly translate to American person. If you want to say Canadian, for instance, you can say "Canada saram." However, they generalize all foreigners as "meguk saram" similar to the way westerners generalize them as Asian. To them, we all seem the same.

2. In regards to living arrangements. Will my apartment be housed amongst other Pegasus recruitments or ESL teachers?

You will have standard teacher housing. In most cases, you are not the only foreigner in the building, as the common type of housing is the officetel (studio apartments) which is favored by foreigners and companies housing foreigners. However, there is no gaurantee that there will be other ESL teachers. It is only likely. There is a good chance that you will be near other teachers though. However, they may not be in the same building. This is for the school board to confirm and arrange. You will also be really close to the school. They are usually a short walk from the school. However, be assured that you will be instantly tapped into the network of other Ulsan teachers, and we will be organizing events for you throughout the year.