Korean Job Discussion Forums

Troglodyte · Joined: 06 Dec 2009

For bare minimum living, you could get by on $400. As others have said, you'll be down to basics but you can do it. You'll be following in the footsteps of many who have come before you.

Most likely the apartment will have pots and pans when you arrive or the school will provide them within a day or two. Some schools will even stock your fridge for you with a few basics and snacks.

To help stretch your money, shop at the big supermarkets. Your boss should be able to show you the nearest to your apartment. If it came down to it, you could live off of bleached white rice alone for over a month without suffering from major malnutrition, although you should go with whole grain rice instead if you actually try to do this. Include some eggs, tofu, bean paste soup and some apples (all cheap) and you can make it. It won't be nice but you can do it. You won't get any utilities bills until you're into your second month and even then you could pay them late (it takes months before your utilities actually get cut off). The apartment SHOULD be within walking distance of the school (although this is not always the case) but even if it's an hour away on foot, you could still manage it for a month. So, your bare minimum expenses should be low for the first month.

If you want to make friends, try registering on a language exchange website. In theory you meet a Korean and teach them English in exchange for them teaching you Korean. Often they don't teach you much, but it's a good way to meet people. It's probably most popular among university students although you can often meet older businessmen (this is more of an option for the guys though). Hanlingo also has an interesting feature that you might like - food for language exchange. You can find people who are offering to buy you a meal/drink in exchange for a class. http://hanlingo.com/food/ This might be a good option for you during your first month while you're living off rice and bean soup. Don't worry about taking advantage of someone because the price of a meal is nowhere near as much as the price of a 1 hour private class (starting rates are 40,000 Won/hr). The student will be getting a good deal out of it (and you'll get a meal).

kingplaya4 · Joined: 14 May 2006

Some schools will stock the fridge with snacks and beverages? I've only worked at 3 schools in 8 years, but never had that nor have I ever heard of it, unless you're talking about a bottle of that vitamin C drink they like to give out.

$1400 is more than you need if you don't mind living a bit lean at first, but it's actually less than I would feel comfortable with just in case things do go south. Bring as much as you can, I imagine you can make do with $800 although things will be tight. You don't want to ask for an advance your first month, the heydays are over her if they ever existed, and it will put you in a vulnerable light.

verok · Joined: 11 Aug 2014 Location: United States

Sector7G · Joined: 24 May 2008

So Sincere · Joined: 04 Apr 2011

1- With how much money could I live frugally, yet comfortably my first month? I'm not expecting to leave with more than $400, so... on a scale from 1-10, how horrible is that?

I'd say about an 8 for someone who isn't very flexible with adapting their lifestyle for the short term. $400 probably won't go very far for someone who must have a certain type of this or that to function throughout the day.

FWIW, you don't seem to necessarily fit into this category. Just reading this thread makes me think you'll probably be fine, but as many others have said, you should be able to get an advance after a few weeks.

2- Youtube and the blogospehere are saturated with people talking about how awesome Seoul/SK is: the food! Internet outdoors! Hongdae! so many expats! you can learn how to read hangul in 2 hours! I'm specially skeptical of the latter since it's been a day now, but what negative things should I expect when I arrive?

Humidity. General cultural quirks among the natives. Entering and exiting subway cars, for example, is something that always makes me twitch like a robot with a short circuit.

Taxi drivers who run red lights, and drivers who generally tend to scare the shit out of pedestrians who aren't paying attention.

Seoul is awesome if crowds don't bother you, Hongdae can be a blast (not really a good idea on a $400 budget), white folk are abundant, and hangul is easy to read. Really, I was skeptical of the latter as well.

3- I'll be working at a Poly school. Is it horrible? There seems to be a lot of mixed feelings about it...

I worked at Avalon, which is in the same category of hagwon chains throughout the country. Horrible? Maybe. Based on my experience, it really depends on the competence of the management, Korean and NETs alike. With the right management it can be an awesome experience, for the most part. The wrong management, or management that doesn't like you, for whatever reason, can be a huge pain in the ass.

My best advice is to keep your head down and play by the rules in the immediate future. Prove that you know how to do your job well over a few months and management will be more receptive to your suggestions or requests.

4- Is it easy to befriend people? I know this sounds like the type of question a prepubescent girl would ask, but it's a genuine worry. Will I be welcomed by a group of people who'll greet me with: "hey, welcome to SK. You'll hate it here. Also, I already have a set group of friends, so good luck on your own, beetch."

You will be fine in Seoul. Even if you don't exactly mesh with your expat coworkers they'll take you out soon after you arrive or at least suggest places to go. If they give you the cold shoulder without at least introducing you to some other people then you won't want to spend your time with them outside of work anyway. In short, don't worry about it.

5- Should I expect to move into my apartment from day one when I arrive, or is that a pipe dream?

I was put up in a love hotel (not as bad is it sounds) for about a week because the girl I was replacing was finishing up her contract just as I arrived.

I'll spare you from the details, but I was given a relatively nice studio apartment in which my coworker who'd been living their previously wasn't the most tidy fellow and had a habit of smoking in his room. A day of cleaning and a few weeks of ventilation seemed to take care of things, but it's really luck of the draw in terms of the type of place you'll be provided.

IMO, this is the most uncertain variable in your $400 budget plan. You could be fine and just need to stock the fridge, or you could have to drop $100 on cleaning supplies and/or other miscellaneous furnishing items.

6- Anything else I should ask?

Try to get in touch with someone, preferably a foreigner who's been there for close to year or more, at your future employer. You can ask them about the schools routine for newbies including all stuff related to the apartment.

Bring as much stuff as you can, especially with your $400 budget. Bring at least one large bath towel, pillowcase(s) and bedding (again, helps if a future coworker can give you some info about the apartment).

I'm heading over to SK later this month and I already went to Costco to buy a years worth of toothpaste and deodorant. Not necessarily critical, but its still something I won't ever have to worry about over the next year.

Cave Dweller · Joined: 17 Aug 2014 Location: Seoul

OP, what kind of things are you into? There are lots of things always going on in Seoul and Seoul, and many are cheap or free. People on this board might be willing to help or take you somewhere. It'd also help if you told the rough area of Seoul that you'll be living in.

If you befriend some good people, they might be willing to spend some money on you for food, etc on the promise that next time (after you get settled) you will treat. I'd do that for a newbie. I have also bought a pint for a noob a few times, offering a 'welcome to Korea' beer. Things like that.

Unless someone is a complete douche, I was always willing to help out someone new. I never understood the resentment.

$400 a month will be very tough. Ask your co-workers for cheap decent places to eat in the area. Get addicted to kimbap.

coralreefer_1 · Joined: 19 Jan 2009

Alot of stuff going on in here, but if I may, please allow me to offer some advice.

400 would put you a bit tight. With that said however, even though getting some type of "advance" from your boss might be possible, it may not be a move you want to consider. It doesn't exactly instill confidence in a boss that one is a mature responsible adult, puts you in a humbling position of asking for help right out of the gate, and just kind of looks bad. If it is at all possible, i would advise to try to find some other way to get some more cash, and only ask for an advance as a very desperate last resort.

I think you can get by with 400 (assuming as others mentioned, nothing big comes up). There are plenty of local groups on facebook full of people whom can share info about places to get food on the cheap. For example, most cities have a wholesale/restaurant supply type store where groceries can be had for MUCH cheaper than any Emart/Homeplus. I buy 2kg of chicken breast in there for 12,000won, which is enough for 7-10 meals. Information like this from established local expats may go a long way in helping you get by until that first paycheck and things get settled down.

SeoulNate · Joined: 04 Jun 2010 Location: Hyehwa

I'll sell you my friendship for 400$. tips welcome

Also:

#2. For the love of god, please do not watch/support/encourage those types of people. we all know who you are talking about. They get paid to say overly nice/idealistic things about Korea, so take it for what it is worth, exactly nothing.

Steelrails · Joined: 12 Mar 2009 Location: Earth, Solar System

Troglodyte · Joined: 06 Dec 2009

PureLuck · Joined: 06 Jun 2014 Location: Seoul

Oh, I said I would report back in this post after my cheap month.

Yeah, I managed it, and it wasn't even that uncomfortable. Didn't buy anything but food out of pocket, so I've been living on what was in my suitcase and what was in my apartment when I arrived. I was out of cash when payday came but that's because I was expecting it and I got a little spendier towards the end. I COULD have lived on less, maybe even $200 if I was extremely careful about it. Of course you don't want to PLAN on living like this, but sometimes people are just broke when they land here and that's understandable.

Find a place that sells "gimbap," wander in there, and say "cham-chee keem-bap joo-say-oh" and you will get a filling meal for $2.50. If you don't get tired of this, repeat it and the store will grow very fond of you and sometimes even ask if you're going to be coming the next day too so they can have it ready for you. This stuff is absolutely delicious.

Some cheap grocery items that will add variety to what you eat:

1. Rice.
2. Ramen.
3. Leftover rice mixed into ramen. This feels like a king's meal when you're living OTC.
4. A big box of cereal and some Seoul milk. Seems expensive but it adds up to good value in terms of the number of meals. It's also tasty and makes you feel like a kid again.
5. Canned beans. Again, a good mixer with ramen.
6. Veggies from street vendors. Salted cucumber slices are a really nice snack, especially when it's hot outside. Just make sure you don't have your mini-fridge temperature set too low or they might freeze (happened to me once).
7. Canned peaches. I've noticed these tend to be on sale, at least at the grocery stores I've gone to.
8. Bananas. This will add a lot of fiber to your diet which will save you money on toilet paper.

It also makes sense to mention in a non-desperate sort of way that you're trying to live very cheap until payday, because I found your coworkers will do things like offer you leftovers that they don't plan on eating, etc. I got a few good hauls like this. One day a bag full of grapes, one day a bunch of cooked rice, etc. It seems like people are pretty generous here in general.