Korean Job Discussion Forums

dairyairy · Joined: 17 May 2012 Location: South Korea

I'd say that if the school places you in housing that is more than 1 hour away from your school, that it is perfectly reasonable to request compensation for the extra travel expenses.

TheUrbanMyth · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Location: Retired

It's not a matter of spoiling when it comes to placing NETS near the school...it's a matter of making it easy for the boss to check up on them if they call in sick or something.

Pretty sure that the latter reason is prevalent in more hakwon bosses' minds then the former.

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

northway · Joined: 05 Jul 2010

nathanrutledge · Joined: 01 May 2008 Location: Marakesh

Funny thing about this post is it's not South Florida OR London, so... totally irrelevant.

You're definitely not biking to work. No sidewalks and lots of highway.

I'd be concerned with location. Are you right next to the station? Banghwa is the end of the line, out by the airport. Also, how far from Balsan station is your job? If you've got a 10-15 minute walk each way, plus another 10 on the subway, you're looking at upwards of an hour if you have to wait for the train (end of line 5, you will definitely be waiting at certain times.) If that's the case, you could be looking at another 10 hours a week of simply commuting. Yeah, looking at the map it's really close, and if you have a motorcycle or find a good bus, it could be a quick 10 minutes (and if you live and work right outside the subway station and catch the trains, it could be an easy ten minutes), but the odds are that it'll take a bit of time.

I'd find out the TIME required to get to work, then ask based on that. I had a job once that took me about an hour by bus even though it was only 2 miles. Walking, waiting, transferring, waiting, and walking some more adds up. When I was there, they gave me a stipend, but I didn't ask for one.

Good luck.

HapKi · Joined: 10 Dec 2004 Location: TALL BUILDING-SEOUL

Let me get this straight. School's providing your housing,
and you want to ask them for commute money?
My vote is you're being petty.

wes1989 · Joined: 07 Jun 2012

furtakk · Joined: 02 Jun 2009

wes1989 · Joined: 07 Jun 2012

Porksta · Joined: 05 May 2011

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

missty · Joined: 19 Feb 2008

some waygug-in · Joined: 25 Jan 2003

some K teachers make really long commutes. foreign teachers are spoiled when it comes to commuting/living close to work[/quote]

FT's compared to KT's. Well it's really apples and oranges.

KT's don't have to move half way round the world to take the job,

don't have to leave family, friends and support networks behind them,

don't have all the hassles with visas, immigration, learning to live in a
new and different (sometimes hostile) culture,

don't have to worry about all the risks and unknowns that FT's have.

They can teach privates legally.

They can quit anytime and find another job without all the visa issues.

There are a lot more things than just 'teaching' that should be considered
when talking about the benefits FT's get in Korea.

amoonbot · Joined: 29 Jul 2009

"They can teach privates legally." - This isn't true of Korean teachers. For those under a public school contract, Korean or not, you're not allowed to do extra work on the side unless it is approved by the school. And some hagwons also apply this rule to their employees regardless of visa or citizenship class.