Korean Job Discussion Forums

[John Connor]

I am being courted by a hagwon who offers a housing allowance of 400 000 won instead of the normal free accommodation.

The hagwon is a pretty central area of Seoul. I am single with no dependents, so a studio or one bedroom apartment would be fine.

Is 400 000 enough?

Are there any websites or magazines that list rental properties in English?

In housing allowance type of agreements, is there any kind of key money/ deposit required? If so, is at the expense of the teacher or school?

[winterfall]

[yingwenlaoshi]

You can get a brand new 4-pyeong box for 400. I was accepted at one hagwon and I was going to take it, but then I saw the apartment. Told them that it was a box. Needless to say, I'm not working there now.

If you don't mind living in a box, some of them are brand new and have free filtered water outside the room. What a bonus!

[John Connor]

Thanks fellas

Of the apartments Ive looked at on the net, I haven't came across one close to 400 000. Plus, I suppose the hagwon owner will expect me to front the key money or deposit.

What a rip-off

[DaeguNL]

Many Hagwons will supply the key money, I doubt many people coming to work in Korea have the 10M won necessary to rent an apartment

[byrddogs]

[isthisreally]

I would look at spending around 500-600,000 per month with 5 million down in Seoul. You can probably go cheap, but as an example I had a place in Hongdae (an expensive area may i add) for 5 million down and 630,000 per month.

Also you can stay in a goshiwon until you save your key money those can range from 200,000 and up depending on size. They will be a bit cramped, but it's doable.

The housing allowance being offered by most of these schools is simply a marketing ploy to make your salary look bigger. Add the 2 together and subtract 500 or 600 and also consider about the key money and you have a more accurate picture.

[DAC]

I wouldn't work anywhere without free accomodations. Key money (and getting it BACK when you leave) can be a ridiculous headache.

[DWAEJIMORIGUKBAP]

I had a decent 2 bedroom villa in HBC for 400,000 a month and 2 mil key money. Big kitchen, small bathroom, 2 decent sized bedrooms. It was old, but very clean and livable. Plus I had that awesome feleing of being independent from the workplace, like a real adult... Own furniture, own reantal agreement etc...

[John Connor]

So is key money in Korea like a deposit and therefore returnable? In Japan, key money is like a gift to the landlord and you never get it back.

I went to the interview today and was told that, no, we dont offer key money and they said that "that is often a problem with people who we interview." Obviously it wasn't a problem for the two indian teachers whom I saw working there.

[John Connor]

Im going to tell those guys that Im not interested. In any event, can you look for a goshiwon in a magazine or on a wesbite?

(Its taking forever to get 25 posts down) grrrr

[DWAEJIMORIGUKBAP]

[Dude Ranch]

[cruisemonkey]

[Dude Ranch]