Korean Job Discussion Forums

rel · Joined: 10 May 2005 Location: Toronto

If I work at a public school, can my non-Korean gf later come over and stay/live with me?

Should I notify the school? Will I have any problems? Thanks

cincynate · Joined: 07 Jul 2009 Location: Jeju-do, South Korea

Yes your girlfriend can live with you. It's your apartment. No you shouldn't notify the school. What you do outside of work is none of their business (unless you are committing crimes, then it is).

Remember, your girlfriend will only be able to get a tourist visa which is valid for 90 days. After 90 days she will have to leave Korea and re-enter to get another visa. There is no special visa she can get to stay the entire time unless you two are or get married.

luckylady · Joined: 30 Jan 2012 Location: u.s. of occupied territories

Canadians and maybe others (donno) get a 6 month visa - maybe some get longer even? 9 months? so you're assuming the OP's gf is a Yank - maybe not

passport220 · Joined: 14 Jun 2006 Location: Gyeongsangbuk-do province

Emark · Joined: 10 May 2007 Location: duh, Korea?

Careful, careful.

Unless you slapped down the money for the apartment and have your name on the agreement, it is and always will be the schools.

There are always eyes about. If the nosey adjuma down the hall / street sees someone constantly coming and going from your apartment then she could pass that news on to the school for any number of reasons.

Many apartments, houses, rooms, have fees based on how many people live inside. By having your g/f there, you are cheeping out of that fee. Again, that might step on someone's toes.

Just a note that you might want to be careful.

Rutherford · Joined: 31 Jul 2007

I've had apartments provided for me and I've also rented several on my own. I've never heard of an apartment in Korea charging more for additional occupants. That might be the case if you are renting a Goshiwon but not a one-room with rent and key money.

Troglodyte · Joined: 06 Dec 2009

I think that it's actually very common to have different fees based on how many people live in the apartment. It's related to the maintenance fees (which are also determined by how big the apartment is).

That said, they might not care about a 3 month visit. Still, you can as the landlord about it, or just ask the school.

Emark · Joined: 10 May 2007 Location: duh, Korea?

My building charges an extra 30,000won for another occupant. It's for the overall building operations and water. 2 people use more and have more wear and tear on the building than one I guess.

I had an apartment in a "house" style building from 2008-2010. The owner divided the water bill up by how many people lived in each apartment. Minimum payment was 7,000 won, then added 2 or 3,000 for each person after that.

Anyway,
If people haven't noticed, there has been a lot of change in the real-estate game here; even since 2010.

jaec13 · Joined: 12 May 2012

Don't know if it's the same, but I'm getting ready to start teaching public school and was told by my recruiter that the city (Busan) does not allow non-married couples to live together. It may vary though from city to city. I didn't ask what they would do if we did though.

Also, just as a friendly reminder, if you're on an E2 visa the school is the only reason you're allowed in Korea (since they are sponsoring you), what you do outside of work is most certainly their business (at least in their eyes).

Troglodyte · Joined: 06 Dec 2009

A lot of public schools used to have rules about non-married couples living together. I think that a lot more of them accept it now though.

I think that the main concern would be the building fees. If you don't want to ask the school about it, just ask the landlord. He won't really care if you're "living in sin", as long as you pay your bills.

Tyshine · Joined: 04 Apr 2011

Just do what I do and don't tell anybody about it. I doubt you will get caught and if you do just lie about how long she has been there.