Korean Job Discussion Forums

PatrickGHBusan · Posted: Sat Nov 10, 2012 3:50 am Post subject:

My pleasure and again, best of luck to you both!

Adam Carolla · Joined: 26 Feb 2010

Moondoggy · Joined: 07 Jun 2011

Tyshine · Joined: 04 Apr 2011

I'm here with my gf. We were late placements for EPIK so we are about an hour apart by bus. With EPIK its hit or miss (I've seen couples who were a floor apart to others like me over an hour by bus). Next time we are just going to take the housing allowance. I think with Hagwons you can be fairly close to one another.

ayahyaha · Joined: 04 Apr 2011 Location: Seoul, South Korea

My boyfriend and I have had three jobs in Korea, one together and two apart.

The above advice that finding a job as a couple completely depends on the school is correct. (If you do want a job at the same place, you can do your best to present yourself as stable and long-term. I included pictures of us together with our applications, for example.)

If what you really want is to live nearby each other, and work different jobs -- which I strongly recommend unless you have extremely similar personalities (see below for more on that) -- that's not impossible. Recruiters will tell you that it's difficult, and you can agree, and let them know that you'll wait until you find the right arrangement. Then be prepared to wait for it.

For example, my boyfriend and I each got jobs in Gangnam in Seoul, and our apartments ended up being about 10 minutes walking distance from each other. The recruiter told us we were crazy to hold out for that, but after about two months, we were successful.

Now, we work in another part of the city but we're about 10 minutes apart by taxi. Both of these arrangements just took patience. We both turned down jobs along the way and I took a bit of a pay cut for my current situation, but it was worth it to me not to be an hour away from my boyfriend. If that's not a priority, then you can give yourselves a bigger radius on the map.

Remember that recruiters always paint a dire picture. I believe them about when they have job openings (i.e. more in February than now, for example), but I also question every other thing they say. Just be polite, expect them to lie but don't let it get to you, and hold out for what you want.

Finally -- I really do recommend caution about working together. At least in my experience, we were compared from day one, and people treated us as a unit rather than as individual teachers. Also, I'm very outgoing and smiley, and my boyfriend is more introverted and quiet. Generally, I would say that quiet people might have a hard time in Korea, but he's found great jobs on his own that were a better fit for him.

Also, living together might mean living in a shoebox together, which is a great way to cause difficulty in an already stressful situation. Zero personal space. I've been with my boyfriend for years and while we can do it, I'd still rather not.

So, my two cents.

PatrickGHBusan · Posted: Mon Nov 12, 2012 6:06 am Post subject:

Living together is always a big decision but if as a couple you have never lived together in your home country, doing so for the first time in a foreign country that will require you to adapt to local culture, to a smaller apt is in my view a recipe for disaster!

If you have lived together for a while in your home country and that was going well, then there is no real issue to living in the same place in Korea. I would however require a "no housing" contract and use the two housing allowances to find your own place.

stever1000 · Joined: 10 Nov 2012 Location: Comox, BC

Can anyone else comment on working together vs different schools?
My GF and I were looking for jobs together, but could also look for individual jobs too if that is better overall?

nero · Joined: 11 Mar 2009

I would be very wary about working at the same school and living with your sig other. I was in that situation in Thailand, where my gf and I were working very closely on implementing an English program in a private school. We lived together in housing at the school, and worked closely in the same office.

I never realised she was so bossy and pedantic, she never realised I was such a lazy procrastinator and so shit with computers.

It was nearly the end of us, lol.

Our situation is completely unique of course, so make of it what you will.