Korean Job Discussion Forums

[cruisemonkey]

Has anyone been pleasantly surprised or extremely disappointed by their employer-supplied housing?

[Lieflike]

Worked at Chonbuk National University back in 2001... was pleasantly surprised at the teacher apartments. New, nice bathrooms with a shower and tub.. good stuff.

..wish I could say the same about the hagwon administration.

[cruisemonkey]

I guess it's always a gamble if you haven't been able to get them to send some pics of the place.

[peony]

i cried.. really

[Naruto]

HAS to have a western style toilet.

[just because]

I am pretty happy with my one room studio house...

I got everything I asked for and more but it is a tiny bit smallish at 10 pyeong but who cares because it is brand new, surrounded by a quiet neighbourhood, supermarket across the road....

The first apartment i had here wasa bit bad with it being only 12 pyeong between 2 but it was really close to downtown and the second one was 28 pyeong for two but it was so far out in the sticks...

Even though this one is smaller it is only little ol me so I'm happy

[mindmetoo]

I was pleased with my place. A one bedroom loft. Very trendy in Toronto, this style. And it comes with A/C. My only beef is it's a bit too big. I really was looking forward to a small, cute serviceable place.

[Badmojo]

I don't have a bathroom sink.

I'm not happy.

[bucheon bum]

I was the first inhabitant of my place, was nice. Around 10 pyong I'd say, not that big but perfectly fine for just myself. Grocery store right next store and on a fairly quiet street (by korean standards).

[schwa]

I've really enjoyed my place these last 3 years -- ground floor of a 3-unit bldg on a quiet residential street, 30 pyeong & nicely laid out.

I found it myself after much searching. I paid the deposit & the school district has picked up the monthly rent. Change of policy this year though & they want an all-deposit place (their dime). So moving next month.

I had some trepidation what they'd come up with. Having house-hunted before I know theres tons of crap apartments out there but I got to view the new place recently & its great!

An older villa but in good shape, end of a dead-end lane surrounded by trees (birdsong was all I heard during my visit). Convenient to everything & just a 5-minute stroll through some woods to my work. Only 21 pyeong but 3 bright rooms plus kitchen, 2 verandahs, nice natural woodwork throughout & it will have all new wallpaper & flooring.

I'm looking forward to moving.

[Anasazi]

After hearing the horror stories, I tried really hard to have rock bottom expectations for housing. I basically assumed that I'd find my own place eventually.

My place is sweet, though. It's in the basement of an apartment building, but there are windows (tinted) that let in a surprising amount of natural light. You wouldn't know you're in a basement at all, except the place stays a bit cooler than upstairs. There's two rooms plus bathroom and washing closet. I've got Skylife, AC, a western toilet, and it's relatively clean. I saw one cockroach my first day, and then nothing since. (There's a single mosquito living solely off my blood, but that's hardly an apartment issue.) The bed isn't exactly comfortable, but compared to the box spring I was sleeping on before I came here, it's practically a feather mattress.

My boss has offered a big fridge and microwave, so I think I'm golden as far as hagwon housing goes.

[haengdangdong]

My old place was miserable. Roaches on the walls and floors, windows that opened up to cement walls. The neighbors were so close I would wake up thinking they were actually in my room. I got electrocuted twice trying to get the heater going.

The worst part was the bathroom. It wasn't outside the apartment, but the room wasn't heated or insulated, it was like having to shower on the porch. Had to go #2 with a jacket on come December. My roommate and I eventually gave up and started washing our hair and brushing our teeth in the kitchen sink. We'd go use the shower at the gym on breaks.

My coworkers' place wasn't much better. They didn't have hot water in the shower, and when they finally complained enough that our boss had it fixed, it was even worse. The water temp jumped from ice cold to scalding hot. My friend got second degree burns in her own shower. They finally got a new place when their stove exploded and started a fire.


Here's a pic of my old kitchen: Coffee maker, toaster, pots, pans, soy milk, toothbrush, face wash and shampoo.



I think maybe these some of the ridiculous inconvenieces in Korea like my old bathroom (the not-so-dangerous ones) keep us young though. You have to laugh at them otherwise you'll be bitter, so they keep your sense of humor going, and you have to adapt to them, so they also keep you from getting too set in your ways.

[buddy bradley]

My place sounds the best so far.

My only gripe is with the c_ckroaches, the stench, the broken toilet, no air-con, no furniture, the exhaust pipe factory across the road, the broken bathroom window, and mold that spreads from the wall, across the floor and onto my bed.

Oh yeah, the washing machine makes strange noises too, but besides that my place is amazing.

Mad props to Mr. Kim for organizing such a gem for me!

[jazblanc77]

Mine is 21 pyeong (69.3 square meters), with two rooms, a living room, laundry room and big kitchen. Yeah, my wife and I are more satisfied with our apartment now than we were with our 7 pyeong one last year.

[jajdude]

Mine is OK. The air con is too weak. I had to move to sleep under the faint path of slightly cool air it manages to thrust out at about 5 km/h. It's about average and just big enough to air out my farts. The fridge is good and keeps beer cold real well. The TV works sometimes.