Korean Job Discussion Forums

[discostu333]

Out of interest; for those people working in a public school, how much money do you pay a month for your school dinners?

In my friendship group, I know people who get dinners for free, right up to 60,000 a month.

[schwa]

2400 won per lunch.

[egrog1717]

Nothing
I opted out my 4th or 5th month here and havn't looked back!
(Finishing up my 2nd year in August)

[AsiaESLbound]

2,600 a day. Some days it's worth it, but most days it has negative value due to the high salt/MSG, too much dependence on deep fat frying, nothing baked, and a severe lack of fresh ingredients most days. It's expected of me to eat it or pay anyhow. What could I do with 45 minutes outside of a Family Mart or Lotteria sandwich? I already bring fruit and nuts to subsidize.

[tokkibunni8]

Way too much for rice and grass! Anywhere from 40,000/month to 60,000. No option to opt out either

[kinerry]

pay for school lunch? surely you jest?

[ontheway]

Hogwan. Free dinner every day. Some home cooked, some restaurant delivery.

[jonpurdy]

For those who think you don't pay, check your bank account balance. Your school MIGHT deduct monthly without telling you.

I pay around 28,000 a month, depending on how many lunches I get. Lunches are a little low on protein and high on salt but not so bad. They are quite delicious most of the time.

[pkang0202]

My school lunches are 4,000w.

Well worth it. My school serves teachers a different lunch than the students, and it is pretty damn good. Every Korean teacher I've talked to thats come to my school to eat lunch have commented that the lunch is so much better than their own. They usually come to my school for workshops or some other thing.

Some days the lunch is crap. But most days it rocks.

[Ramen]

The school pays (2000 won) me to eat their lunch.

[Missihippi]

Most public school teachers i've talked to pay between 2,000-3,000 won per lunch. It's taken out of their paycheck every month.

If you're like me and are somewhat picky with what you eat, you can ask if you can only get charged for the meals that you eat there. My school allows me to leave for lunch if i don't like the menu for the day. I look at the menu for the month in advance and circle the days that i will eat at school.

[jvalmer]

At my very first school in a very rural area I had lunches free for all schools I was required to teach at. My CT told me it was free for only me to keep me happy and entice me to stay in their rural town until the end of my contract. I used to come in during my vacations, when I was in town, just to eat lunch (hey, it was free and I'm a single guy).

When I went to a small sized city of 150,000. At one school I had to buy coupons of 10 costing 2000-won. The other was pay at the counter and cost me 2100-won. I have yet to encounter a school that takes the lunch fee out my pay, but I do know they exist.

The food they dump after these lunches is massive, so they don't mind if you take extras or sneak a free meal occasionally.

[22tea77]

First year in a rural area - Lunch-ee no charge-ee

Now, medium size city - over 50 thou a month!!!!
(Now my lunch-ee costs a bunch-ee!!)

[mmstyle]

If I paid, I would pay at the end of the month-the lunch lady would bring me a ticket for the total at the end of the month. I stopped eating them because they are chock full of msg at this school. The current charge is 3.080. I share my office with a 1 teacher, and I saw her pay stub....she actually told me everything on it....she gets a lunch stipend of 130,000 a month. As she rarely eats (and therefore, pays the school for school lunch) she makes hers at home and pockets the rest. She said this lunch money that she gets is given to every teacher. So, no the koreans don't actually "pay" out of pocket like we do.

She gets a transportation allowance too.

[sulperman]

70K a month. Pretty much worth it. Like PKang my lunch is different and better than the students'. I wish I could just pay for half the meals each month and pick and choose the good ones, but oh well. I'm not complaining.