Korean Job Discussion Forums

[paula83]

hey im heading over in Aug hopefully to start work in Busan, was just wondering what would be a good amount of money to bring over with me to start off? It'l be my first month there so il be looking to have fun! The recruiter i spoke to said about 500-600 is this about right?

is anyone else here in busan just now?

[pkang0202]

You can never bring too much. I brought about $1000. You have to buy everything here. When I say everything, I mean dishes, pots, pans, toilet plunger, slippers for the bathroom, mop, paper towels, forks, spoons, chopsticks, tissues, toilet paper, shampoo, condiments, cooking supplies, cell phone, soap, etc...etc...

All that stuff by itself isn't much, but when you add it up, it ends up being a lot. Then you need some money for transportation. You will probably take the taxi a lot the first couple weeks you are here. Especially in Busan where there isn't an extensive subway system.

Also, if you get here just after payday, you gotta wait a few weeks before you get money again. Then there's that one thing you want to treat yourself with. Like an MP3 player, or DMB, or Digicam, whatever.

If you don't end up spending the $1000 then no big deal.

[paula83]

thanks for the reply, hopefully i will be able to bring over about �800 max, i dont think il have time to save up much more.

is it difficult setting up a bank acc in south korea? its gonna cost a fortune to be sending money back to my british acc for my loans etc!!!

[CasperTheFriendlyGhost]

I think that you should have at least enough for a month's expenses plus airfare home, or at least a month's expenses and someone who could buy a ticket home if needed. I'd say a month's expenses would be anywhere from $300-$600.

My money transfers are at a flat rate of 20,000 won each.

[kat2]

If you are careful, you should be OK on 400 pounds. That would bea bout 800,000 won. Should be fine IF you apartment is furnished. If not, you'll be pushing it. Also, you should find out when your first pay day will be. Some places pay for the previous month on the 15th, so you could be waiting 45 days or so before a paycheck.

You have to haev an Alien RegistratioN card to set up a bank account. You have to go to immigration after you get your visa. It takes two weeks at the busan immi office before your card is issued. Insist to your employer that you must go to immi immidiately to do this, or they will probably push it off and keep waiting. You also need the ARC to get pretty much anything else-home interent, cable, cell phone, landline, anything. So its very important to get it done ASAP.

Check with your home bank and see if they charge a fee for an incoming wire transfer. If so, switch banks or just be aware that you will be paying that every month in addition to the 20,000 that most bansk seems to charge here.

[sojourner1]

I brought $900 US and almost spent it all ending up having about $100 left at my 1st payday 5 weeks after arrival. Of course, I was taking taxis around alot (now I ride bus and walk around) to explore my new home away from home and eating at TGIF, Outback, and McDonalds often. I also had about $100 in set up costs such as for laundry detergent, clothes drying rack, soaps, towels, etc which took part of the $800 or so I spent in my 1st month. I could had done it on $300 to $400 had I not splurged on alot of taxies and western meals, but that was like a comfort thing during my days of culture shock.

Now that I am set up and have been going for nearly a half a year, I usually spend about $500 to $700 a month living comfortably (not counting deductions for utilities, tax, pensions, and health insurance) depending on what I buy and how much I travel around Korea on my weekends. Saved $3,500 total in my first 4 paychecks. Deductions and utility bills usually total around $300 to $400 so that leaves you with about $1600 to $1700 worth of Won a month to do as you please with.
Thats the money situation on a 2 million won a month salary or about $2000 a month. I must say it is much better than my previous employment situations which I do not guess very many of you could argue with me about that.

[daz1979]

Hi,

I survived on �300 in my first month but only because Barclays bank lied to me about being able to use my card over here and therefore I had to.

I was lucky in that my dishes, pots, pans, slippers, mop, paper towels, forks, spoons, chopsticks, tissues, toilet paper, shampoo, condiments, cooking supplies, cell phone, soap, etc that someone else mentioned were all here for me already. I suppose it depends how decent your gaffer is.

I would sort of agree with the airfare home; however, I'm sure you can last until payday if you really want to jump ship that badly.

Seriously, you will be fine with �500 as long as you don't have expensive tastes. Saying that I don't really go out drinking which is where most foreigners blow their cash stash.

Good luck,

D

[paula83]

thanks everyone for your replies im gonna aim for �800 to bring over coz my budgeting pretty bad and i wanna be able to have fun in the first month then get a bit more serious

daz1979
u said barcley lied to u? does ur maestro card not work over there? rbs told me mine would be fine? also the post office been trying to get me to take sum sort of pre-paid card i can pub bout �1000 on i think and use it as i go? u think that would be accepted over there?


im so glad i found this site, def helped me a lot more than any the agencies i spoke to!!!!!

[daz1979]

[kat2]

Do not trust that your ATM checkcard willl work here. My first year, my visa checkcard worked NOWHERE in korea. It worked in japan just fine, but not a single ATM would take it in SK. Yeah, its good for budgeting, but nearly screwed us when we first got here. I would take everything in cash just to be sure.

[ilovebdt]

[ilovebdt]

[sheba]

If you dont have enough money for a return ticket then how about a credit card? Enough cash to survive on until pay day - which can be up to 6 weeks, and access to money to pay a return ticket just in case.