Korean Job Discussion Forums

[sjoeyr]

Hi,
So I just found out I have been accepted with SMOE and I have a little less than 3 weeks before I leave, I have a few questions. Anything you can answer will be helpful. Please forgive me if any of the questions seem stupid, I have never been to South Korea before and these questions are based off things I have read.

1) I am not going to have the time to get my vaccinations before I leave for Hep A and Hep B, is it okay if I get them when I arrive to Seoul?

2) Do I really need to avoid drinking the water there? Is it okay to use for brushing teeth?

3) When getting paid, I assume it will be via check, is it easy to set up a bank account there, or is there a way to have the money directly deposited into my US account?

4) Can I bring my own phone and just get a sim card there and activate my phone?

5) Does the school usually show us how to get to and from school, or are we on our own with figuring it out?

That's it for now, any advice I can get will be greatly appreciated!

thanks!

[Katchafire]

1) I am not going to have the time to get my vaccinations before I leave for Hep A and Hep B, is it okay if I get them when I arrive to Seoul?

I never had any vaccinations before I came to Korea 3 yrs ago. Once you do your med check here - it may be suggested for you to have Hep done. I haven't.

2) Do I really need to avoid drinking the water there? Is it okay to use for brushing teeth?

Yes, I would suggest avoiding drinking the water here (not that it has ever done me any harm when I've had it - but DEFINATELY fine to brush your teeth in.) The water taste can vary from metallic to dirt. Bottled water is cheap - or you can get one of those water cooler thingy majigs once you get here if you wish.

3) When getting paid, I assume it will be via check, is it easy to set up a bank account there, or is there a way to have the money directly deposited into my US account?

Once you get to work, they'll take you to set up a bank account where you will have your pay directly deposited. From what I've heard and experienced .. Woori is perhaps one of the better ones for ease of Internet banking and International transfers - but most schools have their 'preferred' bank.


4) Can I bring my own phone and just get a sim card there and activate my phone?

I'm pretty sure the answer is no. But it doesnt cost much at all to set up here with a pre-pay or, if you have a nice co-teacher that will go along and sign up with you, you can get a contract phone.

5) Does the school usually show us how to get to and from school, or are we on our own with figuring it out?

Yes of course you will be shown how to get to and from school. Generally on the first day they will show you how. You should know already if its in 'walking distance' etc. If not, they will show you what bus you need - and you can always ask someone (co-teach) to do the trip with you once to help.

Good luck, and enjoy.

[sjoeyr]

Thank you so much! I have one more question - do I pay for my med check up front? If so, how much does it cost?

[Katchafire]

Sorry, I did actually intend to mention that in my answer. It can vary between 40,000w - 60/70,000 (although I think the most common is around 50).
Some schools will pay for it, some wont. Could be a plan to ask your school or 'request' it from your school before you arrive.
My first year I paid, my second the school did.

[sjoeyr]

Awesome! Thanks for the info!

[eIn07912]

1) I am not going to have the time to get my vaccinations before I leave for Hep A and Hep B, is it okay if I get them when I arrive to Seoul?

yes u can get them here. and theyre cheaper. just had my done (after being here 3 years) its a drawn out process, 6 months i think total. so its not like u get one shot and ur done. but yeah, any hospital will do it. only thing, may have to wait till they order more hep A shots. huge outbreak not too long ago (all over asia) so supplies ran low for a bit. also drove the price up on them.

2) Do I really need to avoid drinking the water there? Is it okay to use for brushing teeth?

do-not-drink-the-water. showering and brushing is fine. and if ur out of bottled water and about to dehydrate a glass or two wont kill u. its just not a good idea to drink it daily. besides, clean bottled water comes in half gallon jugs for less than a dollar.

3) When getting paid, I assume it will be via check, is it easy to set up a bank account there, or is there a way to have the money directly deposited into my US account?

US account? no. transfer fees would eat away at u and ur school isnt going to go through that hassle every month. someone at ur school will probably take u to set up an account. dont worry. they know u dont speak korean and r in a foreign land. theyll hold ur hand on the "getting set up" things... teaching however, they just throw u right into the fire. haha

4) Can I bring my own phone and just get a sim card there and activate my phone?

doubt it. never heard of anyone doing that. but most foreigners get prepaid or "card Pones" for cheap. a flashy one will cost u a hundred bucks, a basic one for less than 50. then usually 20 or 30 a month, depending on how much u use it (hint: use skype to make calls and ur phone for text msgs, will make ur mins last much longer. a 15 min phone call u make on ur phone can eat up 20bucks worth)

5) Does the school usually show us how to get to and from school, or are we on our own with figuring it out?

haha, of course they'll show u around. probably show u the local mart to buy food and such with, the local kim bap place for cheap eats, and usually another foreign teacher will show u the best way to get to itaewon and back, haha. remember, u r an investment for ur school. they put money into u, so u can work and earn them money. theyre not going to leaving u hanging in the wind on stuff. usually ur immediate supervisor is a korean who speaks english really well or is a gyopo (korean raised abroad) and knows how to get new teachers settled in. dont be afraid to lean on this person for the first month or so till u get the hang of things. thats what their there for and used to. they actually expect it. one told me once that if a foreigner didnt harass her she'd be worried. because she'd think he was taking the "well, im gonna mid night on this place in a week anyways, so who cares if i dont get my cable set up or i eat pizza every day?"

and if its for ur visa med check, probably will have to pay up front and ur school will reimburse u (depends on ur contract though) however... u could just tell them u want the school to pay for and be insistent on it and they probably will.

[sjoeyr]

Thank you! You have also been very helpful! I'm waiting on my acceptance package so I can go get my visa - I am super excited about this new adventure

[escapetooz]

To clarify about the phones... foreign phones absolutely don't work here. Not even with a new sim card. Getting a prepaid for me was a huge pain because there was only one store in the area that hooks up prepaids for foreigners. Also you need your ARC card before you can get hooked up.

On the other hand, a co-teacher bought a prepaid phone from this guy that comes around selling used phones and was up and running that day, no ARC card. I guess maybe he just keeps the phone under the last name it was under? I honestly have no idea how it was so easy for her. I went to 4-5 stores in the pouring rain with my boss all of them telling us no. Then he had to go to a specific store to try and get me hooked up and on and on... it was a huge fiasco.

You will need your ARC card before you can get a bank account too. I read online somewhere KEB bank was best because there are certain branches that have English services and its the best for getting money back to your US account... I'm not sure if its worth the hassle though yet. I did it for the online banking in English but it doesn't work on my mac. Have yet to try it on the school's PC. There are less KEB banks than most of the others so it might be more trouble than its worth unless there is one near you.

[eIn07912]

dont need ur ARC to get a phone. u can get one with ur passport. i did.

and go to Techno Mart. most koreans know where this is. if u need to take a taxi or the subway, its at Gangbyeon station, on the green number 2 line. nice and easy, jap-an-easey

[GoldMember]

If you are going to be working and living in Seoul, bring Oxygen mask and respirator. You'll eventually find out why.

[shinramyun]