Korean Job Discussion Forums

[the eye]

I noticed a fresh ad for OeDae Language Institute in Manchon Dong, Daegu.

I was enticed into working there a year ago. The owners lied about the apartment.
When i arrived, the apartment was revealed to be a small converted classrom INSIDE the academy, one the 8th floor of an office building. The furniture looked to be pulled out of a junk pile.
the room was too small to have storage space or even walking room around the bed and table.
The kichen was the office kitchen, the bathroom was the public bathroom on the other side of the classrooms.
The best part....the shower. It was added on the balcony. An uninsulated, unlit balcony.

The owners couldn't understand why this was unacceptable. After trying to negotiate more reasonable living quarters with no results, i asked for a release.
The owners cited all sorts of 'expenses' that i incurred, and must repay in order to get my release...none of which made any sense because i paid my own airfare and stayed in a yeogwan at my own expense while we were negotiating.
In the end, i had to pay them for my release.
money well spent.

[dulouz]

Thats a good horror story. You should have moved in and walked around in your underwear,scrathed yourself and left beer cans in the sink.

[JacktheCat]

That reminds me of my first teaching job here in Korea, where the hackwon owner tried to put me in an unheated apartment by telling me that Koreans don't use heat in the winter.

[Ya-ta Boy]

[dulouz]

I lived without hot water for 10 months. The first year I had my own place I freaked over the bills and I had the hot water turned off. I had hot water by heating a pot of water on the stove. I lived with out heat too but only in the spring summer and fall. Apr - Dec It was pretty bad sometimes.

[guangho]

I just got the hot water turned on. Yippee!

[Badmojo]