Korean Job Discussion Forums

Corbin · Joined: 11 Jun 2009

Hello,

Can anyone help me with a couple questions I have re: next year's SMOE contract...

My fiancee and I are working for SMOE next year. We plan on getting married in the summer of 2010 after we've completed our contract. I'm pretty sure orientation starts on August 24th so I'm assuming that we'll be able to return to Canada on August 24th, 2010. Is orientation included in our contract?

Is there any way I can take any of my vacation days at the end of my contract? (allowing me to leave prior to August 24th)

And one more really important thing to us...

I've been told that they won't give us couples housing within SMOE because we don't have a marriage certificate. Is there any leeway here?? We've been together for ten years and our resumes reflect that (when they're examined together) And what documents do they want? Just a photocopy of a marriage certificate? Does the certificate get examined closely or verified by SMOE? Or do they just take a glance at it, put a check on a piece of paper, and hand it back to us?

And if there is no leeway...I've been told that they'll place us relatively close together in Seoul. What are the chances that one of our two apartments is a 1-bedroom instead of getting two studio apartment? (We need a door that closes in the bedroom)...

Or do you think we are better off taking both our apartment cash (I think
it's 1.2 million per month combined) and finding our own place? Is it really hard to find an apartment in Seoul that rents to foreigners? (We don't have any Korean friends and don't have any key money)

I know this is a lot of questions but we'd really, really appreciate if someone familiar w/ how things work at SMOE could answer us.
Thanks in advance

TT

prideofidaho · Joined: 19 Mar 2008

For what it's worth, SMOE has placed couples that aren't married together in housing. I wouldn't budge on that. It's just none of their business what the nature of your relationship is...married or not. Is a recruiter telling you this?

As for the early vacation, a lot of that will depend on the schools you work for. You have to clear vacation through them.

I can't speak for finding an apartment because mine fell into my lap. I live with my partner, and we aren't married. Was not and is not a problem. Again, it's none of anyone's business who you live with.

DJTwoTone · Posted: Thu Jul 09, 2009 7:16 pm Post subject:

Since your getting married anyway, Why not just have it done on paper??? That should satisfy SMOE... Also, you've been together for 10 years, do you live together and for how long? You may already be a common law couple...

Corbin · Joined: 11 Jun 2009

prideofidaho- Yeah I've had two separate recruiters both tell me that SMOE won't guarantee couples housing without documents (marriage cert). I think they said something like SMOE is "all run on documents"

DJ-I don't really want to get a quickie marriage just to satisfy some vague SMOE rule. But we've been living together for the ten years so I assume that we're common law. But I don't think there's any documents that you can get that say that.

Is this someting I should mention in my interview next week? I don't want seem like I'll be a pain in the butt because we need the jobs more than we need the couples housing.

Freddypops · Joined: 11 Jun 2009

KYC · Joined: 11 May 2006

Corbin · Joined: 11 Jun 2009

lol Freddiepops

KYC-Do you know any way I could identify that clause in the handbook? Can you remember any letters or numbers?

prideofidaho · Joined: 19 Mar 2008

Otherside · Joined: 06 Sep 2007

The reason SMOE (and other organisations for that matter) don't like to give couple's housing to non-married couples, is that relationships have a habit of turning sour. A couple breaks up and obviously don't want to live together, now they are stuck with a year lease for a 2 bedroom place and paying the extra rent. Not to mention when relationships do go South, one or both parties may decide to leave Korea, leaving them with a problem too.

That being said, you may get couples housing. For me it would be a deal-breaker. Speak to SMOE, and lay down the facts as they are. If they say they can't guarentee (which is a cop-out answer), your options are:
to take the housing allowance (which I believe is 500K per person) and find a place together. With 1mill/month for rent you can find a decent place, but in Korea you need to put down pretty big deposits (key money), so about 5-10mill. Do you have $4-8000 spare?

Or you can take your chances.

Or you can find another job where you do get couples housing.

"And if there is no leeway...I've been told that they'll place us relatively close together in Seoul"

Ah...the ol' "we'll do our best." Most likely, they'll pull your name out of the hat, and pick up the first school on the pile. You've been allocated. Then they'll pick up your partners name and the next school on the pile. She's been allocated. If the schools are close to eachother..that's great, they delivered as promised. If the school's are on the opposite sides of Seoul, they'll say "we tried, but all the schools are full." Seen this played out a couple of times....

Good luck~~

ramen209 · Joined: 14 Apr 2009

We are in the same boat, we are engaged and would prefer couple's housing.

Corbin · Joined: 11 Jun 2009

Thanks for the reply otherside

Ramen- What have you been told by your recruiters and/or SMOE?

This whole thing is making me a litte nervous. I'm not sure if SMOE is getting so many applications that we lack bargaining power. We both have our education degrees (hers in English) and we've had one successful contract in Korea before. With these qualifications, can I tell them in the phone interview that this is a deal breaker? (without them tossing our applications in the trash can)?

polonius · Joined: 05 Jun 2004

ramen209 · Joined: 14 Apr 2009

Corbin,

The interviewer from SMOE asked us if we would have a marriage certificate by the time we got to Korea.

We did not ask any further on the issue at the time.

We have heard that the apartaments in Seoul are tiny due to expensive real-estate. (so likely everyone gets a studio, smaller than the average U.S. studio, unless you happen to get really lucky)

*look at the thread on the co-op residence warning!

We aren't sure what we are going to do yet!

prideofidaho · Joined: 19 Mar 2008

Corbin and Ramen209,

Just wanted to mention that you could both get individual apartments, and if they are close to each other, you could 'live' together in one and use the other for whatever...

I lived in a smallish officetel (a studio apartment meant for one person) with my partner for a year. We made it. We were just very quiet about it.

Good luck to the both of you.

ramen209 · Joined: 14 Apr 2009

We would gladly each take our own place... if it could be guaranteed that the apartments would be close by. (not an hour apart as some friends/couples have been placed in some cases!)

Does anyone know if SMOE grants requests to live close together?

From what we have heard and researched so far it seems unlikely