Korean Job Discussion Forums

[bulldogbill]

I am curious.

Given that the standard contract for employment as an English instructor in Korea includes free accommodation, my question is:

Who actually pays for their own housing?

Is it because you choose something better than the standard fare, or because your contract does not provide accommodation, or because your contract only provides a reimbursed amount?

So the next question for such people is what is the amount reimbursed?

[Tony_Balony]

The housing provided is often substandard. Your mental health is attached to your security, your security is attached to to your home. As long as you rest at the will of your scatalogical employer, you just won't sleep well.

[faster]

I pay for my own housing.

[chachee99]

not me. and I don't fear the school invading my privacy or holding it against me either. In short, it means I sleep well every night.

Also, why i the question in the Buy/Sell/Trade forum? Are you looking for a renter?


Eish!!! Some people.

[bulldogbill]

Oops - wrong forum

I will repost in job related forum

[superdave]

[SuperHero]

I pay for my own housing and have done so since I completed my first contract. Why? Because I don't want to be an indentured laborer beholden to my employer for housing. I get to choose my neighborhood and apartment and the size of it.

It's much easier to maintain a seperation of work and personal life when your home is your home and not owned by your employer. Who wants to move everytime they quit a job. What about having to consider not quitting a job just because the house is nice or in a neighborhood that you like.

[bassexpander]

My housing is provided. It used to be in an awful place, until one of the near-campus units owned by the school opened up (another teacher moved to off-campus housing and I got this). In the old place, I had to live in a basement box, next to many of my students. I kept hearing them coming/going at 3am -- heels clicking up and down the marble stairs. It caused me sleep problems, which didn't help my daily work life, either.

They pretty much leave us alone, but we're really close to work, hear lots of noisy students, and the school takes a semester to come around and fix stuff unless I start raising my voice.

Having a good place makes all the difference in the world in your job. Unfortunately, most schools give you a choice of paid housing, or 300,000 to 400,000 compensation per month. You can't get much of anything with that, and end up spending your own money, too.

That means if you get your own place, you will probably need your own 5 to 10 mill in key money as well. A lot of newbee teachers don't have that, or don't feel comfortable letting some Korean sit on it for a year (and possibly not return it quickly).

[valkyrian2]

http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?t=103113