Korean Job Discussion Forums

[wanderkind]

What scenarios have people have encountered in housing for public school employment?

Does the school lease it? Own it? Is it the property of the local education office?

If you found yourself in an undesirable living situation, what could you do? What did you do?

Personal situation:
-fairly lavish, large, family size apartment
-35 minutes from school by walk, ~15min bike
-no useful public transport (one bus that doesn't go anywhere I need to go, and it goes there very infrequently)
-150,000 / month minimum building-utility bills, and that with all showering done out of the house, no heat or aircon, and extreme electricity economy (according to the bill, I used about 60-70% of the utilities of the previous teacher in the same period [who was himself quite frugal I've heard])

Basically I appreciate the generous apartment they provided me with, but even with my stuff as spread out as possible, there's still 2 rooms I don't use. The school and all amenities are in town, while the apartment is outside of town. I'm perfectly content living in a shoebox, and other teachers in the area living in one-rooms beside their schools are paying under 50,000won monthly inclusive of internet. The more bills I get the more it seems like I've been given the gift of a reduced salary and inconvenience

Thoughts? If I have options to alter my accommodations, I'd love to hear about them.

[SeoulNate]

how much of that is the maintenance fee?

I am going to guess quite a bit of it.

Go through the maintenance part of the bill and check what you are paying for. Often if it is that high you are paying for parking space, internet, tv etc.

[Troglodyte]

[wanderkind]

[Fox]

[Troglodyte]

Maybe you could advertise for a roommate. Is there a university within reasonable distance from your place? If so you could probably find a student roommate.

[wanderkind]

[sojusucks]

I have mostly been in GEPIK and EPIK. The school rented out an apartment for me and provided the furniture in the contract. I didn't have any worries. I only had to pay utilities.

[Lucas]

[beentheredonethat777]

You cannot sublet an EPIK apt, even as an apt share. You'll get fired.[/quote]

^^.This.This.

[Xanetos]

Is EPIK or your school spending a lot of time in your apartments or something?

[Weigookin74]

Every place is different. Some local education offices will be friends with some old ajossi and force you to live in his run down apartment even if the contract allows you to ask to move once a year or take the rent subsidy. Most will provide a basic apartment with nothing fancy. Others will provide a large spacious place. Some will even provide a large modern apartment, but are far and few in between.

If you want to pay your own key money and take the rent subsidy, you can choose your own place. I've done that with a one room. Deposits are cheaper in the provinces than in Seoul. A modern place might require 10 million or more in Seoul whereas out here, I paid 3 million won for a modern place. Low energy bills, no mold issues (as modern means properly insulated). Happy until recently. Want more space. Lol. I can get a large 3 room or two room with an upstairs loft for a 10 mil deposit and might do that next year when this lease period is up. I'm guessing 30 to 50 million deposit in Seoul which kind of blows.

Anyways, ask your ed office about next year. They may not want to bother as many are too cheap to pay the key and won't often tty to get you anything great. Most of the places that agree to rent without a deposit are older crappier buildings that we often get stuck in. Ok for a year, I guess. But longer term, you prob want something nice.

Either that or find a good hakwon that will get you a nice place. Some good hakwons don't want their employees stressed over housing so will just get them a nice place to keep them from complaining.