Korean Job Discussion Forums

[i4NI]

Basically I don't want the housing my school (GEPIK) is providing and want to find my own place. I haven't yet signed my contract but I've already gotten the job. So I want to ask:

Is it possible to get the school to give me the 400,000 won they will provide along with deposit money (say 10,000,000 won) for my own place?

Anyone from SMOE/GEPIK have any experiences like this?

[TheChickenLover]

Nope. You only get your housing allowance.

Chicken

[ttompatz]

It is PS policy NOT TO give the deposit money if the teacher finds their own place of residence.

Take what they give or take the monthly cash (which becomes taxable).

.

[i4NI]

I don't want their crappy housing.

[Otherside]

Then get them to find you better housing.

As I don't know all the details of your situation, this is just a stab in the dark. But your options are:

1. If the housing is poor Ask the school to find you better housing, state why the current housing is bad and why you need better housing.

2. If the housing is adequate but you would like better, then tell the school that. Offer to pay in some extra cash, another 200K can make a pretty big difference.

3. Take the housing they've offered and move on.

4. Take the 400K housing allowance and find your own place. This is not recommeneded, this allowance will be taxed and with no key money you'll find much much worse than what's they are offering. Your options will be to front your own key money (bad on many levels) or to pay an exhorbitant monthly rent.

I'd go with option 2.

[BrianInSuwon]

i4NI - I love the avator.

First, can you change the topic title? You are referring to key money which is different from the deposit . Gepik takes out 900,000 (300,000 per month for the first 3 months) as a security deposit from all teachers (even if you have your own housing).

Second, tell your school that you want to go along with them when they look at apartments. I did this for my first public school position. I actually used some of my vacation time from a previous job to visit the school and look at apartments with them. My co-teacher was happy that I came along. She didn't want the stress of choosing the wrong place and then having the new teacher complaining all the time.

[i4NI]

[esetters21]

As others mentioned already, you will not get any key money. The best thing to do is as BIS said and ask to go along with the person in charge of finding housing for you. That's what I did, and I am much better off for doing so given the first few places that I was shown by the realtor.

One thing that you have to consider with paying in some extra cash for monthly rent is by even doing so, the chances are that key money is going to be higher for a nicer place in most instances. Will your school pay extra for key money?

[red_devil]

And even if you DID manage to get key money even with a Hagwon, they would still want the housing in the school's name thereby defeating the whole purpose of "getting your own" place independent of the school.

[BrianInSuwon]

It seems from your last post that you are already living in school provided housing which is a problem since the school has already signed a one year lease with the building owner.

So, the question is, how important is this to you? If its really important, then your only option is to tell the school that you can't live in that apartment. Tell them that you would love to stay at the school but in order to do so, you would need the school to find you an officetel closer to Seoul, maybe near a certain subway station and you would be happy to commute. Look sad, not angry. Don't demand, but simply sadly state that this is something you need for you are finding it too difficult to live in the countryside. The school might be able to break the housing contract and find you another place. If they can and they like you (this is why its important to be sad and not angry and demanding) and they want you to stay then they will help you. But if for some reason they inform you that its impossible. Then your only choice is to write an official letter to the board of education and request that you be transferred to another school; in the letter you would outline your reason for the request. The board of education might call the principal and motive him/her to help you find a better apartment or they might relocate you to a different school or they might decline your request.

Regardless of what you decide to do, please update this thread. Experience speaks volumes.

[i4NI]

[BrianInSuwon]

I definitely think you can request an area outside your school zone. The school should work with you on this. I personally wouldn't mention your willingness to chip in. Just ask them to search for apartments in a certain area and request that you go along with the co-teacher to look at 3 or 4 of them.

I'm pretty sure the 900,000 depost is clearly written out in the contract. I remember another teacher posting that he still had to pay for it even though he was living in his friends apartment and taking the 400,000 per month option. It appears to be more or less insurance that the teacher will not pull a runner.

[Insomnia]

I'm finally back on Dave's, just letting you guys know the school for whatever reason wouldn't offer me other housing than the one the previous teacher had and wouldn't give me key money (보증금). I found it strange since they bought any appliances i needed, a toaster oven, a new desk, a new closet and offered to buy other furniture.

Anyway i'm actually glad to be back on Daves

Oh yeah, I also forget to mention they never made me pay that deposit money. I guess it's up to the school.

[xCustomx]

[Insomnia]

Some people have the same questions!