Korean Job Discussion Forums

[pandie]

Hi everyone,

I'm planning to travel to teach in South Korea with my girlfriend in the next couple of months, fingers crossed! I have type 1 diabetes and was wondering if there was anyone who had any experience of living with diabetes in South Korea and could tell me anything about insurance, buying insulin, needles, blood test strips etc. Also, has anyone had insulin or medicine posted out to them in South Korea, especially from the UK? Or does insurance make it cheap enough and easy enough to get hold of that you would not need to consider having it posted to you from home?

Any information would be greatly appreciated!

Many thanks.

[yodanole]

It's actually better in Korea because the insurance makes the insulin pens affordable so you don't have to deal with needles. Everything is available with no problem, but you want to go to a pharmacy near a larger hospital, because the Mom and Pop places don't stock up on specialty items.

Just find a larger hospital, go to the Internal Medicine Dept ( Nae Gua )., make an appointment. Then they will give you the routine tests for a new patient, and when you finally see the Dr. and get a prescription; go to the pharmacy and you're good to go,

Just bring a little to tide you over while they get you processed.

I'd bring a machine and some strips with you because the testing strips are the same price as back in the world, but they may not match your machine. And the machines are deadly expensive.

[oldtactics]

Yeah I can echo what yodanole said. A close friend of mine has Type 1 and he hasn't had any problems here, everything is readily available. You definitely don't need to get it shipped from home - it's available here and it's cheaper than it is in Canada... not sure if it's covered in the UK, but either way it's not expensive here. My only recommendation once you're over here is to keep an eye on your supply - pharmacies in Korea close early so you're out of luck (or have to go to emerg) if you run out after they're closed.

[krazijaanu]

y name is Janhvi and I am interested in a teaching job in South Korea. In fact I am in the process of doing so, I have been working with Davidson�s recruiting agency for the past 6 months. I compiled my documents, was interviewed by a school, offered a contract of 2.2 million won and was almost ready to go at the end of February 2012. What has stopped this process is that I disclosed to my recruiter that I have Type II diabetes. I let her know that it was a manageable condition, and my primary care doctor was willing to continue caring for and monitoring my progress. Furthermore, I told that I would even get my own medication if I didn�t find any there (my job is in Daejeon). Several days after I disclosed this information, my recruiter/placement consultant sent mean email stating that my visa would be denied because of my health issues. Since that has happened I have done more research about living with diabetes in South Korea. Not only is it possible but many people find it easier to manage this condition once in SK because of the cheaper cost of supplies. I wanted to know if what has happened to me is common, and if so are there ways to resolve this matter and still pursue jobs there? Thank you so much for your response!