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OiGirl
Joined: 23 Jan 2003
Location: Hoke-y-gun
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 Posted: Wed Aug 11, 2004 1:43 pm Post subject: |
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| I don't get a free place. Very few people live in supplied accomodations after their first contract. If they do, they suck. I do get a few other things, though. |
The people suck because they won't look a gift horse in the mouth, or the free accomodations suck? |
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peppermint
Joined: 13 May 2003
Location: traversing the minefields of caddishness.
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| Posted: Wed Aug 11, 2004 1:56 pm Post subject: |
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I dunno man- I live in a school supplied apartment at the moment. It's got two bedrooms, a big screen tv, and a big ass air conditioner. All utilities are paid by the school, and if anything breaks, the janitor will come and fix it, usually that day. Doesn't feel too sucky to me.
(note to newbies- this is not the norm) |
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mindmetoo
Joined: 02 Feb 2004
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| Posted: Wed Aug 11, 2004 3:12 pm Post subject: |
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| Pyongshin Sangja wrote: |
I don't get a free place. Very few people live in supplied accomodations after their first contract. If they do, they suck. I do get a few other things, though. |
Are you teaching at a hagwon? Who are the "very few people"? Most hagwon teachers get free apartments with their second, third, etc contracts.
| Quote: |
| Nope, gas in Canada is still much cheaper than here. |
Yes. Gas is cheaper in Canada. But I find only Americans seem surprised the rest of the world doesn't pay $1.35 a gallon. As Canadians I think we can also figure out Koreans pay more for gas but they don't have to drive as far.
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| The Marriott is not super-deluxe. Hotel prices here are very high. Seoul is NOT a world-class city. Stop comparing it to ones that are. |
The KNTO rates it as super deluxe.
eg http://english.tour2korea.com/04Bookings/Accommodations/hotelsearch_list.asp
Seoul is not a world class city? What's your definition? Hosted world class events, world capital, one of the largest cities in the world, home to world class corporations...
| Quote: |
| Korean beer is absolute swill, I hate it with a passion. I have sympathy for someone that refuses to drink the garbage the Korean govt. approves for human consumption. I rarely go to movies anymore, I hate public transportation and I certainly don't go to chains like Movenpick. |
Sounds like you're enjoying your time here. Best of luck. |
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just because
Joined: 01 Aug 2003
Location: Changwon - 4964
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| Posted: Wed Aug 11, 2004 6:10 pm Post subject: |
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| jj wrote: |
| do you mean a month??? |
If you are talking about the water bill than yes. |
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Hollywoodaction
Joined: 02 Jul 2004
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| Posted: Wed Aug 11, 2004 6:11 pm Post subject: |
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Last time I went to France, gas and diesel where more expensive there than in Korea. And according to what I've read, fuel seems roughly the same price all over Europe. Besides, Korean cars are smaller than what North Americans usually drive. Not many full sized cars and SUVs in Korea.
As for the appartments, they are quite cheap. Sure, it's expensive if you rent out a villa or a luxury appartment, but I doubt that's a problem that many English teachers encounter. Besides, rent is pretty low. You don't even have to pay rent if you make a big enough deposit. Can you rent an appartment in New York or Toronto for 300$ per month, or even in Halifax or Bangor? If you still think that's too much, do what we did. We bought our own appartment last year. Since we bought it, its value has increased 30 million won, and it will go higher since they will build an elementary school next door. |
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itaewonguy
Joined: 25 Mar 2003
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| Posted: Wed Aug 11, 2004 8:37 pm Post subject: |
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who ever said korea was cheap???
its not! and I think everyone on this board will agree its an expensive country.
of course we all live different lifestyles here...
for example my living expenses are what 90% of the teachers make in a month here...
but I enjoy my life here..
rent 800.000
gas 400.000
phones- 200.000
mangement fees- 200.000
eating out - 400.000
thats 2 mill right there..
add another 1 million for all my hobbies, matience, and going out...
3 million a month!! just living!!
anything above that I will save .. still the savings dont last long do they
someone will save for a trip to south asia.. or a new PDP TV worth 7 million hahahhaha 
are you visting kore?? or are you living here?
thats the big difference!!
this is my home ... so I live like it..
IM buying a NEW BMW this christmas.. WHY? why not?
ill rock up to privates in my new 5 series BMW hahahhaha
clothes, toys, etc... thats what its about...
90% of the teachers here.. make there 2 million.. live like college students
drink draft beer.. and eat cup noodles.. and return to the west with 10 million and then what? they spend it there too!!
marriott prices are 130.000 if you book on line too!!
once you live here you learn the tricks and stop living like a foreigner!
I know more here than locals do.. |
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Cedar
Joined: 11 Mar 2003
Location: In front of my computer, again.
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| Posted: Thu Aug 12, 2004 12:28 am Post subject: |
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I'm glad that Koreans pay closer to the REAL cost of gas. It helps them drive less. Whereas in NA everyone gets subsidized gas and complains about paying 2 bucks a gallon or whatever and it's what, 1/4 of the real cost not including the ENVIRONMENTAL cost.
If your water cost you 90,000 you are being ripped off big time. The worst place I ever lived in for water (and I am NOT a big water user) was like 20,000 but it was the entire second floor of a two story house (with yard, two bedrooms, outside balcony, roof, wood floors, etc.) and i think in that older area the lines must have been not so efficient... paying for leaks, you know.
I think that anyone who thinks Korea is expensive based on the Marriot is screwy. The Marriot is expensive in Bangkok, Jakarta, Jaipur, you name it... that's just how it is. People pay for it cause they are idjits who don't want anything to be different than home.
Why eat at the Marriot Hotel when a good restaurant (for foreign food) would cost you around 25,000 for one person for a very nice meal (if it wasn't T bone steak, mind you). Why eat that when a great Korean restaurant will charge you 10,000 for more than you can ever finish? And a cheaper Korean restaurant won't set you back more than 3,000 for a totally filling lunch?
If you've been here as long as you said you have, you should know that you were overcharged for your water, and you should know the prices you are quoting are an exception. If you don't get drunk everyday in expensive places you won't spend much money here at all, but still live well. |
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rawiri
Joined: 01 Jun 2003
Location: Lovely day for a fire drill.
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| Posted: Thu Aug 12, 2004 3:01 am Post subject: |
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[quote="itaewonguy"]
90% of the teachers here.. make there 2 million.. live like college students
drink draft beer.. and eat cup noodles.. and return to the west with 10 million and then what? they spend it there too!!
marriott prices are 130.000 if you book on line too!!
once you live here you learn the tricks and stop living like a foreigner!
I know more here than locals do..[/quote]
Sweet!!!,
man whats your secret???, just maxing out on privates or something a bit more elaborate...of course i wouldn't expect you too give it all away but i'm interested as to how you can really make money in this country. The potential is huge...i have a few plans im thinking of...they all require capital though...feck arse too the standard 2.0 a month bizzo...you seem to be kicking ass over here, good on you man...im considering staying here for a couple more years or moving on...if i was to stay it would definitly be with some kind of financial strategy...if you work here for more than two years and still ain't cracking much over the 2.0 mark theres something wrong!...my buddy worked here for 10 months and left with just over 11 mill...but he was hooked up with a k girl who was a korean teacher and had contacts to heaps of privates for him. |
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Homer
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Aug 12, 2004 6:00 am Post subject: |
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Grim,
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Apartment rents are sky high compared to 99% of other places in the world.
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I get free housing as many others do so what do I care about rent prices.
Then again they are not that high when compared to many other countries or cities (Japan, London, New York).
If you get the key money together then they are not that expensive at all.
As for people living in their own accomodations after the first contract they can still find nice places at a decent price.
| Quote: |
| Oil prices are amazing. |
Your definition of amazing differs from mine. 
I find my gas bill to be quite reasonable.
The water bill you quote smells of rip-off or BS.
Mine is a fraction of this and many in here have stated that their water bills were low.
Quoting the Marriott Hotel does not do anything. Expensive hotels are expensive everywhere Grim. Also, and really now, who here lives at the Marriott???
Finally you mention that living like in the West here is expensive.
That really depends what your lifestyle was back home now doesn't it?
I do all of the things I did back home here and manage to do so on a healthy 1000 000 won per month. We still (i am married) manage to save over 2.5 per month and have a very active lifestyle.
We travel once or twice per year and eat out when we feel like it. go to movies, the beach, theater, hiking, take taxis when we need too, ect....
This I would say is even better then my lifestyle back home as far as savings and overall economics.
Of course I am married which means we have two incomes coming in. But even when I was by myself, I had a comparable lifestyle here.
Life can be expensive where ever you are Grim. This place (Korea) is cheaper then back home in many respects and more expensive in others (housing). |
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Ilsanman
Joined: 15 Aug 2003
Location: Bucheon, Korea
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| Posted: Thu Aug 12, 2004 9:16 pm Post subject: yes |
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| Cedar wrote: |
I'm glad that Koreans pay closer to the REAL cost of gas. It helps them drive less. Whereas in NA everyone gets subsidized gas and complains about paying 2 bucks a gallon or whatever and it's what, 1/4 of the real cost not including the ENVIRONMENTAL cost.
If your water cost you 90,000 you are being ripped off big time. The worst place I ever lived in for water (and I am NOT a big water user) was like 20,000 but it was the entire second floor of a two story house (with yard, two bedrooms, outside balcony, roof, wood floors, etc.) and i think in that older area the lines must have been not so efficient... paying for leaks, you know.
I think that anyone who thinks Korea is expensive based on the Marriot is screwy. The Marriot is expensive in Bangkok, Jakarta, Jaipur, you name it... that's just how it is. People pay for it cause they are idjits who don't want anything to be different than home.
Why eat at the Marriot Hotel when a good restaurant (for foreign food) would cost you around 25,000 for one person for a very nice meal (if it wasn't T bone steak, mind you). Why eat that when a great Korean restaurant will charge you 10,000 for more than you can ever finish? And a cheaper Korean restaurant won't set you back more than 3,000 for a totally filling lunch?
If you've been here as long as you said you have, you should know that you were overcharged for your water, and you should know the prices you are quoting are an exception. If you don't get drunk everyday in expensive places you won't spend much money here at all, but still live well. |
You think gas prices make Koreans drive less? There are far too many cars on the road, even with a great public transportation system. They just revamped it, raised their prices, and made routes more extensive and effecient, but it did nothing for the traffic problems in Korea, especially the Seoul area.
Anywhere you go, public transportation just isn't quite convenient enough for many people, and they will drive regardless. |
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Hollywoodaction
Joined: 02 Jul 2004
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| Posted: Fri Aug 13, 2004 4:36 am Post subject: |
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| itaewonguy wrote: |
who ever said korea was cheap???
..
IM buying a NEW BMW this christmas.. WHY? why not?
ill rock up to privates in my new 5 series BMW hahahhaha
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What good is a BMW gonna do to you when you're stuck in traffic like everyone else? Way too many cameras in Korea to bother with anything bigger than a 2.0L. But, if you do get one, don't bother to worry about some a-hole scratching your new car. I currently own two cars here and they were both scartched within a week of leaving the lot. I guess you could say there are two things you can't get away from in life (in Korea): death and someone scratching you car. |
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Mashimaro
Joined: 31 Jan 2003
Location: location, location
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| Posted: Fri Aug 13, 2004 4:51 am Post subject: |
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| itaewonguy wrote: |
once you live here you learn the tricks and stop living like a foreigner!
I know more here than locals do.. |
I guess you must speak really good korean to find out all this information that koreans don't now about. right? |
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Pyongshin Sangja
Joined: 20 Apr 2003
Location: I love baby!
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| Posted: Fri Aug 13, 2004 5:03 am Post subject: |
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Pyongshin Sangja wrote:
I don't get a free place. Very few people live in supplied accomodations after their first contract. If they do, they suck. I do get a few other things, though.
Are you teaching at a hagwon? Who are the "very few people"? Most hagwon teachers get free apartments with their second, third, etc contracts.
No, I don't teach at a hagwon. I used to. I hate them as much as I hate Korean beer. Three years at a hagwon? Fate worse than death. 90% of hagwon accomodation is roach-infested hell. I know whereof I speak.
Quote:
Nope, gas in Canada is still much cheaper than here.
Yes. Gas is cheaper in Canada. But I find only Americans seem surprised the rest of the world doesn't pay $1.35 a gallon. As Canadians I think we can also figure out Koreans pay more for gas but they don't have to drive as far.
That's ridiculous. Koreans drive as much as we do. They commute long distances and spend a lot of time stuck in traffic jams. They all buy the largest car possible and shun compacts. I am still shocked at the price of gas in Korea. It's almost double what it costs in Canada. That means two times as much. That is a drastic increase. You must not drive. That's why you don't care.
Quote:
The Marriott is not super-deluxe. Hotel prices here are very high. Seoul is NOT a world-class city. Stop comparing it to ones that are.
The KNTO rates it as super deluxe.
eg http://english.tour2korea.com/04Bookings/Accommodations/hotelsearch_list.asp
Seoul is not a world class city? What's your definition? Hosted world class events, world capital, one of the largest cities in the world, home to world class corporations...
Ok, ok. You can have the Marriott. Tell me you wouldn't rather be at the Oriental in Bangkok, though. What's my definition of world-class? A cosmopolitan, open, friendly city that people want to visit that sets global trends. That is not Seoul.
Quote:
Korean beer is absolute swill, I hate it with a passion. I have sympathy for someone that refuses to drink the garbage the Korean govt. approves for human consumption. I rarely go to movies anymore, I hate public transportation and I certainly don't go to chains like Movenpick.
Sounds like you're enjoying your time here. Best of luck.
If you like Korean beer you are on glue. You may as well drink paint-thinner because you appear to have no taste buds. 90% of films are Hollywood garbage, I didn't really watch them at home either after I finished university. I always hated public transportation. You can ride The Peasant Wagon, I drive when and where I want. Franchises kill local businesses, drive wages down, destroy local food cultures and are just plain tacky. I've always felt this way. It's just crystallising here. |
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mindmetoo
Joined: 02 Feb 2004
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| Posted: Fri Aug 13, 2004 11:17 pm Post subject: |
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| No, I don't teach at a hagwon. I used to. I hate them as much as I hate Korean beer. Three years at a hagwon? Fate worse than death. 90% of hagwon accomodation is roach-infested hell. I know whereof I speak. |
That doesn't at all describe my seoul apartment or the apartments of anyone I know. Sounds like you've made a lot of bad decisions.
| Quote: |
| That's ridiculous. Koreans drive as much as we do. They commute long distances and spend a lot of time stuck in traffic jams. They all buy the largest car possible and shun compacts. I am still shocked at the price of gas in Korea. It's almost double what it costs in Canada. That means two times as much. That is a drastic increase. You must not drive. That's why you don't care. |
Canadians consume 62 barrels of oil per day per 1000 people. Koreans consume 44 barrels of oil per day per 1000. Seems to me Canadians use a lot more oil.
I'm not sure Koreans shun compacts. Every other car seems to be a Matiz subcompact. Have you driven on a north american road lately? Few subcompacts these days. It's all SUVs, F150 pickups, Hummers, V6/V8s... And then of course in Korea there are a lot of LPG powered cars on the road.
I have no need to drive in Seoul. I live close to the subway, my work is across the street, I like using the subway. I drive in North America but I hate it with a passion. The subway is such a better alternative. I like spending my time reading instead of fighting traffic.
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| Ok, ok. You can have the Marriott. Tell me you wouldn't rather be at the Oriental in Bangkok, though. What's my definition of world-class? A cosmopolitan, open, friendly city that people want to visit that sets global trends. That is not Seoul. |
You may be hard done by Koreans but when I was here as a tourist I was impressed how friendly and welcoming Koreans were. I was impressed how easy the city is to get around if you speak only English. Koreans have worked hard in a lot of ways to make their city easier for biz types and tourists.
I'm starting to wonder what you actually are doing here as you seem to not like anything. Perhaps you're unemployable back in Canada? |
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Ilsanman
Joined: 15 Aug 2003
Location: Bucheon, Korea
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| Posted: Sat Aug 14, 2004 10:13 am Post subject: yes |
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| mindmetoo wrote: |
| Quote: |
| No, I don't teach at a hagwon. I used to. I hate them as much as I hate Korean beer. Three years at a hagwon? Fate worse than death. 90% of hagwon accomodation is roach-infested hell. I know whereof I speak. |
That doesn't at all describe my seoul apartment or the apartments of anyone I know. Sounds like you've made a lot of bad decisions.
| Quote: |
| That's ridiculous. Koreans drive as much as we do. They commute long distances and spend a lot of time stuck in traffic jams. They all buy the largest car possible and shun compacts. I am still shocked at the price of gas in Korea. It's almost double what it costs in Canada. That means two times as much. That is a drastic increase. You must not drive. That's why you don't care. |
Canadians consume 62 barrels of oil per day per 1000 people. Koreans consume 44 barrels of oil per day per 1000. Seems to me Canadians use a lot more oil.
I'm not sure Koreans shun compacts. Every other car seems to be a Matiz subcompact. Have you driven on a north american road lately? Few subcompacts these days. It's all SUVs, F150 pickups, Hummers, V6/V8s... And then of course in Korea there are a lot of LPG powered cars on the road.
I have no need to drive in Seoul. I live close to the subway, my work is across the street, I like using the subway. I drive in North America but I hate it with a passion. The subway is such a better alternative. I like spending my time reading instead of fighting traffic.
| Quote: |
| Ok, ok. You can have the Marriott. Tell me you wouldn't rather be at the Oriental in Bangkok, though. What's my definition of world-class? A cosmopolitan, open, friendly city that people want to visit that sets global trends. That is not Seoul. |
You may be hard done by Koreans but when I was here as a tourist I was impressed how friendly and welcoming Koreans were. I was impressed how easy the city is to get around if you speak only English. Koreans have worked hard in a lot of ways to make their city easier for biz types and tourists.
I'm starting to wonder what you actually are doing here as you seem to not like anything. Perhaps you're unemployable back in Canada? |
Canada also is 100 times bigger than Korea. Many cities (including mine) lacks a good public transportation system. We have a much colder winter too. I think that explains our overuse of oil.
Believe me, I would not drive if I didn't have to. I waited until I was 25 before buying my 1st car. |
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