Korean Job Discussion Forums

[crazylemongirl]

[Cedar]

I think the foreign teachers are exceptionally cheap. When Koreans earning half their salary are willing to have a lean week in order to be hospitable and pay the entire bill, foreigners are calculating their share of the bill, counting the change and adding it up twice. I long ago made it my policy not to hang out with foreigners much in this country, and this is one reason... I was just so embarrased by their behavior in front of the Koreans we'd be out with! These days I am a poor student, myself. You know what? I try not to go out often, cause there is NO WAY I am going to let a Korean split the bill or pay for me twice in a row!

[mindmetoo]

Someone posted a story once about getting married. His fellow waegook teacher went to his wedding and gave a rather generous amount. Something like 60,000 or 80,000 won. Double or triple the amount one normally gives. All was good until a month later the teacher asked for the money back. "I'm short this month and I gave you a lot of money for your wedding... so could I have it back?"

[Hollywoodaction]

[Universalis]

I used to work with a guy who was always looking to go in halfs on bottles of beer and bowls of rice.

"Anyone want to split a beer?"

"Anyone want to share some rice?"

And he would invite himself out to dinner with us when we hit the local all-you-can-eat place but wouldn't eat anything. I would have to explain to the ajjuma that this guy was with us but he wouldn't be eating, so please don't bill him. A pain in the ass...

Brian

[Koreabound2004]

I have met a lot of cheap people here....want to save money for home, paying debts, want to travel....somewhat understandable...but a line has to be drawn.

I am tired of other teachers skipping out on their share of cab fare(I don't have change, pay ya later, never happens).

Dinners, they split it equally, even if all parties didn't drink alcohol...or eat the more expensive meals....

Or we all contribute to buy a few pitchers, and some people drink much more than others, but pay the same....

Couple of instances that I can think of anyways....

[Yaya]

[paperbag princess]

there are some serious cheapos here, but there are also some very generous people. i generally befriend the type of people who are like me. i don't count pennies. i have people over for dinner. my sofa is always welcome for a friend. what goes around, comes around. be generous and people will be generous with you.

in montreal, the attitude is that if you invite, it's your bill. i like it that way. but sometimes if i've invited someone several times (more than five) and they don't reciporcate, then they don't get invited again. it's simple really.

[Sooke]

Last Christmas, about 15 foreigners from my work went out for beef kalbi. We ate and drank like kings. So, after getting a bellyfull of delicious beef, not to mention baek-sae-ju, soju, and beer, the bill per person was ridiculously low-something like 13,000 won each. (No way you're eating that much beef and getting a buzz for 13 bucks back home-that's for dizzamn sho').

Anyway, this tool that works with us says "y'know, I think I only ate about 8,000 won worth". We razzed him and shamed him but he did not give in. So a few of us had to kick in an extra 'chunner', no big deal. So anyway, this dilhole pulls out his wallet, and it's so fat with cash it can hardly be folded to it's natural shape. He had like 600,000 won cash on him at the resturant.

Needless to say, we still rip on him for that, and he's not joined us for dinner since. What a tool.

Another dude that used to work with us was totally cheap with his girlfriend. When he'd go in to the city to visit her, he'd make her pay the bus fare to and from. As well, he would never pay for dinners or ant entertainment when together. He went to Thailand with her, but he had more time off, and so was staying longer. He convinced her to stay longer, so she had to cancell her return ticket, and he said he'd buy her a new one, cuz he was rolling in cash. Anyway, she paid for a new ticket (she lost a lot of money on that deal, but did it because she thought he'd help her out). Anyway, he didn't pay shiz-nit, and then dumped her when he came home.

Actual quote after me picking up a 10,900 won brick (1kg) of cheese at costco for him: "10,900 won for cheese. That's a bit steep, I wanna see the receipt." Before he left the school, he left a man won on my desk.

[Sooke]

Don't even get me started on the amount of times other foreigners have ripped me or my group of friends off with the pitchers. Fool me thirty-one times, shame on you. Fool me thirty-two times, shame on me.

[Wrench]

I hate cheap people. Thank god the other foreign teacher I work with is not cheap. We usually take turns paying for a night out, sometimes I don't have enough cash in my wallet so I cover him and sometimes he doesn't have enough cash so I cover for him but by the sounds of things foreigners are supper cheap. I will not argue over 300 won, I don't think 30 cents will break the bank.

[Yaya]

[Apple Scruff]

[Hanson]

Agreed!

[Swiss James]

See this is the flipside of the coin though-