Korean Job Discussion Forums

chowsi · Joined: 22 Apr 2007

Does anyone have experience with traveling to Korea with a non-teaching partner? My boyfriend has a job lined up at an architecture firm and I want to teach...we are having a hard time getting schools to let us live together in my free housing. Does anyone have any tips for this? Would it be better just to find a place that gives a housing allowance and find our own housing?

Also, what is normal rent like in Seoul and what is key money?

I know this is a lot of questions, thanks in advance.

shifdog · Joined: 20 Jul 2006

It depends how long you're planning to live in Korea. If you'll be here for a while, then it's probably best to get your own place. I don't have any idea about rent or key money.

Alternatively you can live together in a school furnished apartment and just not tell your employer anyone is living with you.

chowsi · Joined: 22 Apr 2007

you don't think i would get caught if i didn't tell them he was living there?

cubanlord · Joined: 08 Jul 2005 Location: In Japan!

take the housing allowance so that they do not have control over your living conditions. Then, they have no foundation from which to build an argument about your "man" living with you.

livinginkunsan · Joined: 02 Dec 2006

Get a public school position (work 9-5 same as him) and tell your school your partner is coming with you. They will give you a 1-2 bedroom. They dont care (or ask) if your partner is a teacher or not. It is none of their business. They can't control who lives with you (even in a hogwon)

waltjocketty · Joined: 09 Oct 2006

CDI has an hourly payment plan wherein they give you a 5 million won key deposit and you choose where you want to live. Just a thought.

syun79 · Joined: 12 Feb 2007

Key Money=deposit...In Korea they ask you to usually deposit around 10,000,000 won. That's around $10,000 US. They use the money for investments during the time that you live there. You usually have to stay in the apartment for at least a year. The rent depends on how much key money you put down. Usually, the more you put down, the lower the rent.

As for getting a place with your significant other, they shouldn't have a problem with it. Hagwons will give you more grief than the public schools though. Their main concern is that the two of you can't fit into a one-room or officetel (basically a studio apartment).

Hope this helps.

ilovebdt · Joined: 03 Jun 2005 Location: Nr Seoul

Isn't your boyfriend's company offering him any accommodation? Couldn't you live with him?

ilovebdt

JongnoGuru · Joined: 25 May 2004 Location: peeing on your doorstep

TheBrain · Joined: 10 Apr 2007 Location: Acme Lab

I usually take the side of native speakers, but not in this case. People live "in sin" all of the time, but that doesn't mean it's a smart decision. Maybe the Original Poster should have thought about this before planning to move to a foreign country. This is not a problem with working in Korea; this is a problem of getting others to approve of her personal life. Once she asked for special arrangements then she asked for her employers' approval of the living situation. She opened this can of worms. Yes, once she asked for employers to provide housing for her situation, she essentially asked for their approval. Don't blame Korean employers for not approving of this situation. Next time, be smarter about what you ask of your employer.
Don't flame me for this posting. I gave her a more honest answer than some who said do whatever you want. You can do whatever you want in your personal life, but it is unreasonable to expect your employer to make special arrangements for you because of your choices.

Octavius Hite · Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2007 10:11 pm Post subject:

The most important piece of info I can give you about living in Korea....

Tell them nothing. You should have just kept your mouth shut. I live with my boyfriend and can't say anything as two men living together would not be cool, so I say nothing. They have never asked and it is know problem.

Deny, deny, deny, deny.

Good luck.

shifdog · Joined: 20 Jul 2006

princess · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: soul of Asia

Living together before marriage is a bad idea anyways and to some schools, it looks bad for business if parents of students knew about it. One of my old bosses would lie to parents and tell them a couple was married even if they weren't. Statistics show that people who live together before marriage have higher divorce rates. Do you want to marry this guy someday and have him NOT take you for granted? If so, don't live with him. He gets all the benefits of marriage without actually having to marry you. Uh-oh... Crying or Very sad

Young FRANKenstein · Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2007 2:42 am Post subject:

Friends of mine just told the school they are engaged, and then it was no problem. And they work at a Christian uni.

(I suppose you could also say you are married... it's not like they're going to ask you to prove it)

faster · Joined: 03 Sep 2006