Korean Job Discussion Forums

[braindrops]

What's a normal housing arrangement to expect? And is it better to get housing or to ask for housing allowance? I've heard that if you ask for allowance, key money becomes an issue. How much should you receive for key money? I've heard that 5M for key money is pretty standard. Anybody get 10M?

And how much would you give for a bathtub instead of one of those sink faucet-connected hoses that pass for showers here?

Thanks!

[pkang0202]

I'd say the standard contract is:

Housing allowance = 500,000 / month.
No Key Money.

If your employer gives you key money, consider yourself lucky.

[Mr Lee's Monkey]

.....

[ttompatz]

[braindrops]

THANKS!!! So far...

Okay, so what are your various options if you take housing allowance? I know that there are different kinds of housings...can someone explain them to me and highlight the pros and cons?

For example, what is a "billa" and how does it differ from an "officetel"?

What the heck is an "officetel"?

What is a goshiwon? And a yogwon? I've only heard those terms...I have no idea what they are.

And a one-room, I take it, is a studio.

And if 500,000 won per month is pretty standard, what kind of place can you expect to get with that much?

[ttompatz]

[Weigookin74]

Monthly rent can depend on how much key money is paid. The larger the deposit the less the monthly rent. A studio is a one room. A villa ('billa')has one rooms (studio), two rooms (one bedroom apartment), and three rooms (Two bedroom apartment). What the Koreans call an apartment are usually in tall buildings and more like large Condos in the west. Often Koreans own those, but sometimes just give large deposits and pay low monthly rent. Goshiwons, I think, are kind of like boarding houses. Not sure about those.

Villas will probably be most common for foriegners. But sometimes they can get placed in older apartment buildings. Villas can be old run down dumpy buildings built years ago when Korea was a poor country and standards were low or they can be new modern decent buildings. I've lived in both. The old ones have thin windows, no insulation, poor heating systems, and are susceptible to mold. New ones, if built properly, have thick double windows, insulation, efficient heating, no mold, and bathrooms that don't look grubby and industrial.

As for the type of place you get put in, it depends on the cheapness of your employer. As you can imagine, the older buildings have cheaper deposits or sometimes none required, while newer ones have larger "Key" deposits required. The monthly rent will be slightly more expensive but not much. It's usually the deposit that is more expensive.

A decent not too new, not too old villa one room building, may have a 5 million deposit and 500,000 rent bill. A newer nicer one, in Seoul, will have 10 million deposit and 500,000 monthly rent bill. In the other cities in Korea, outisde of Seoul and Gyeong-gi Do, a new one room will usually be around 3 million deposit and 300,000 rent. A two room will be 5 mil deposit and 400,000 rent, and a three room will be 10 mil deposit and 500,000 rent.

Much cheaper for villa and apartments living ouside the most populated region of the country.

As ttompatz said, if you're here for the first time, take the apartment your employer provides. If you think your situation is stable, get your own and have no complaints.

Not sure about office tels. Former office buildings turned into small apartments? But now some new buildings built that way? I've heard utilities are quite expensive, but it might be a case of old vs new buildings. Office tels most common in Seoul than in other places I think.

If you know Hanguel, you can type in Korean on www.naver.com Seoul One Room. ( 서울 원룸 ). You can get examples of places in and around Seoul. If you live else where type that city's name in instead.

I do know of a couple of ruralish towns where the EPIK folk must live in the employer supplied accomodation because of corrupt deals between some folks at the local ed office and the building owner. But most of the time you should have the choice with EPIK at least.

But, now, I have a question for everyone else. I don't live in Seoul. Is it becoming more common for hakwons and other employers in Seoul to give you the option of getting your own place and take the rent subsidy? I know you can do it with the public schools, which I do so myself. Do you have to live in their supplied apartments instead?

[iggyb]

Listen to the others above: If this is your first time in Korea, take the provided housing.

Worst case, if you hate it, 6 months in or so, if you save up money, you can ask to change if you like the school and plan on staying a 2nd year.

Considering the fact its pretty much for free, the housing isn't bad. I was put in one very tiny apartment before, but the others were livable considering I wasn't paying for it.

I work for SMOE, and my officetel is quiet fine. I guess I pay about 100,000 won on utilities including Internet connection. An officetel is a studio apartment in a building that has both apartments and offices to rent.

Of course, if you are well off already and can lay down 10 or 20 or 30 million Won or more for key money, then you can take the housing allowance and live in a better place. Some FTs who stay around for many years will save up and do that. Since you get the key money back when you leave, it's not a bad deal...

[iggyb]

When I was looking 2-3 years ago, it wasn't uncommon to see ads for hakwons with no option for provided housing --- ones where they would give you a monthly housing allowance but you were on your own in terms of finding a place (and paying key money).

[busanliving]

500,00 isn't standard for housing, with EPIK it's 400,000 and with hogwans it's what you can get. I also had a problem with many hogwans not wanting to offer housing allowance as they already had housing contracts they were tied to.

[braindrops]

Well, if what you're saying is true, is it reasonable to ask for 1.0 million or so? That seems to be the going rate for a place in Seoul. Otherwise, allowance wouldn't cover rent the neighborhood I'm gonna work in... >_<

[ttompatz]

[braindrops]

** bow **

but seriously...seoul is expensive! or am i mistaken about that?

[furtakk]

Ignoring key money, Seoul is really not that bad. A newer 1 bedroom or officetel in a prime area will run you 6-900K. Older 'villa' type housing less. Move out of the busier areas and you'll see even lower.

I have a friend paying a 900 for a tiny 1 bedroom on the outskirts of Toronto. Another friend who pays 1.3K for something similar closer to downtown. Vancouver and larger U.S. cities are the same.

[Weigookin74]