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Living overseas

Relocating to Seoul, South Korea

7 replies

Hanjam · 04/03/2014 16:10

Hello. I can't find much info on living in Seoul. We are due to relocate there in a few months with our children who are aged 6 through to 11. Can anyone tell me what it's like living there (we're from UK), good british schools and good areas to live? Thank you so much...

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MasterOfTheYoniverse · 05/03/2014 01:09

Seoul is a very modern user friendly place.
Almost everything is usually walkable within your "village" & it’s easy to get the things you need on a daily basis. There is always an open 7/11 at arms length day and night!

Between neighborhoods, there is a great public transport system.
you can easily do without a car. Its safe, reliable and relatively cheap.
For a big western style economy, South Korea is cheap (comparatively to say Tokyo) and there is entertainment/food for all budgets.
Beautiful landmarks (palaces and temples surrounded by peaceful parks) & Big parks/woods/river walks within the city and nearby.

Healthcare is good and affordable, some surgeries have entirely English-speaking medical staff, your medical insurance helpline will be able to assist.
Most people understand english and will make an effort to help out. Its worth making a small effort to learn basic civilities, they are so gracious and won't hold your Faux-pas against you. The basic rule is to never loose your temper/show frustration publicly, its all about keeping face and negotiating like in most parts of Asia.

Did you see the expat woman website? lots of usefull info.
expatwoman

here is a link to all international schools
shools

The british school is north of the river with a good range of accommodation nearby. The business/shopping/old city are for the most part in this area.

You could also consider Dulwich college which is south of the river. Lots of pleasant areas in this part of town, lots of expats here too with the french school also in the area. Could be good if your husband works in/near the gangnam district.

I would advise against living on one bank and going to school on another as the traffic can be a killer and they could sit on the school bus for a while.
Schools can usually tell you about bus routes so do ask if you need to factor that in when looking for a place.

HTH

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Hanjam · 06/03/2014 18:09

A great help - thank you so much.

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NatD1 · 13/03/2014 05:57

Hi Hanjam. We moved to Seoul last June, we lived 8 years in Japan previously. South Korea is quite an easy country to live in for most things. My ten year old twins love their school and living here. For them its been an easy transition. There's a number of new schools opened in the last couple of years - go look at them all and see what fits your family best. Plus traffic can be bad so checking out where you'll live and bus routes etc is important.

If you have any specific questions - I can try to help answer them. Good luck.

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Hanjam · 15/03/2014 21:03

Thank you so much...

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Hanjam · 15/03/2014 21:05

We're looking at dulwich college so not sure if your twins are there?!

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NatD1 · 16/03/2014 22:26

I know quite a few people with kids in Dulwich. It has a great reputation and I've only ever heard positive comments (in international school terms - that's a miracle)!. We did consider going there but it's the opposite end of Seoul from where we live / dh work and just not practical for us.

Our twins go to Dwight Seoul in Digital Media City, it made sense for us to continue with IB education as that's what they came from in Japan and easier for us to move in the future. We're very happy with our choice and more importantly our children love it too.

We also looked at the well known big established international school with the British section. On paper it looked good but in person I just didn't like it at all.

That is a positive of Seoul. There are quite a few international schools, so lots of choice in education styles and you can find what you're looking for.

Good luck with your search.

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Hanjam · 18/03/2014 16:50

Great news - thank you. Glad your kids are so happy.

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