Korean Job Discussion Forums

[brento1138]

I get paid 1.9 million won a month, at my hagwon, but some monthly expenses really cut into my paycheck. Mainly home-heating expenses are high. My place is pretty big. My roomate & I share a two bedroom top-section of a house, have a nice sized kitchen, living room, and TV room. The place is old, but big. But both of us don't need the space at all.

We pay the monthly costs of the heating (oil) which is 165,000. Then, we also pay a large electricity bill due to electric heat. I paid over 100,000 won last time for my electric bill. So that's like 185,000 won off my pay!! My place isn't even heated much by the oil & electricity, and it's rarely above 17 degrees celcius. You can see your breath in the bathroom.

It's like I'm getting paid 1.72 a month, not to mention the other deductions (health taxes etc). Last month I had to pay the whole oil bill myself, since I had the place to myself.

Does anyone else here pay bills like this??? Should my school cover these and not me? I asked for a new place, but that's a no-go due to the lease being for another 10 months. Unfortunately, my contract says I gotta pay these bills, but I had no idea they'd be so high. I want to know what other people are paying out there.

Do you think I have a bad deal? Should I complain more to my director?

[Ya-ta Boy]

Your bills sound pretty average for the size of place you have. And no, the employer should not be paying them.

Now that spring is coming, those bills will plumet (unless you run your air con 24/7 all summer). It's a mistake to think you are paying bills month by month. Think about the average you pay per month, spread over a year.

[VanIslander]

[casey's moon]

Vanislander summed it up nicely.

My first year in Korea was like that too -- our place was always cold and we spent a lot of won heating it. Some buildings weren't built very well, and are drafty and poorly insulated. Where I'm living now (in an apartment complex), it is always warm and we pay less than 10,000 a month for gas! It is insanely cheap compared to the villa I first lived in.

Oh yeah, and are you sure that you and your roommates are operating the boiler properly? Are you keeping your water heated all the time (not a great idea in some buildings)? Are you turning your heat to the "away" setting when you are both away? Turning the boiler off and on is not a good idea, but keeping it on full blast all the time isn't recommended either.

The other thing is, are you enjoying your life in Korea? If you're only here to make money, then perhaps you should be agonising over this and looking for a way to improve the situation. Hopefully you're having a good time and saving some won at the same time. Don't sweat it too much. Spring is almost here, despite today's flurries!

[hellofaniceguy]

Another suggestion...
have your boiler cleaned. Cost's about 50,000.
You have NO idea when the last time your boiler was inspected and cleaned. Could have been 5 years ago.
Get your school or the apartment owner to call a boiler maintenance person to clean it. It'll run way more efficiently! Burn less oil...save money.
But...if your place is old...it has lots of drafts!
Koreans DO NOT know how to build housing, buildings, etc. They just pour the concrete slabs and put them together. Very shoddy workmanship. No pride at all in making or building something����and they especially don't know how to build energy efficient apartments or housing.
If you are there next winter��come fall��start insulating your windows, etc. Take it upon yourself to look after yourself��cause no one else will.

[Yu_Bum_suk]

[Toby]

You should pay your own bills. Yuor director could be fleecing you on them every month, unless of course he lets you see them...

[brento1138]

Thanks for the replies. It seems like others are in the same boat as myself. But I think when the next winter comes, I'm off to a contract with a nice, warm (modern!) apartment. I'll warn others about this before they come...