Korean Job Discussion Forums

[bulldogbill]

I am curious.

Given that the standard contract for employment as an English instructor in Korea includes free accommodation, my question is:

Who actually pays for their own housing?

Is it because you choose something better than the standard fare, or because your contract does not provide accommodation, or because your contract only provides a reimbursed amount?

So the next question for such people is what is the amount reimbursed?

[harryh]

I pay for my own housing. It's better than the previous dives I've lived in, and in a more convenient location. I paid a deposit and pay rent monthly.

The first four contracts were with housing provided, but nowadays I have enough cash for some kind of deposit.

[Dome Vans]

I get a nice small, clean apartment which the Office of Education pays for and I don't even have to pay for utilities (Landlord) so everything is included. Feel sorry for A/C users in the summer and heating in the winter. Guess I got lucky with this one.

[Pyongshin Sangja]

[faster]

I pay for my own housing. When my housing was supplied, though, it was excellent, but it's nice not to have to rely on someone else for my source of shelter.

[Hyeon Een]

I pay for my own housing. My uni doesn't offer housing. We get $500 housing money a month.

I like being independent. I like being able to choose where I live. My 'housing priorities' are totally different to those of most Korean people - I don't care if my place is old, but I DO want an outside area. If you offered me a brand new apartment built yesterday I wouldn't take it over my 20 year old place because I have a huge terrace which is awesome for about 8 months of the year for barbecuing, parties etc. Most Koreans would prefer a small modern apartment with windows which don't even open.

In the past I've had housing provided by my employers.. I KNOW I would have been much happier if they'd let ME spend the money on a house instead of going with their idea of what a cheap house should be. There's cheap I like and cheap I don't like. Korean employers tend to choose the cheap I don't like.

[Demophobe]

[Ya-ta Boy]

I currently live in job-provided housing but have had my own place before. One advantage to having your own place: When you quit the job you can still continue to live there as long as you want and not get thrown out on the street. More than one person has been forced to accept a job they didn't particularly like because they had to vacate the apartment they were living in when they finished their job.

[halfmanhalfbiscuit]

[SuperHero]

I pay for my own housing and have done so since I completed my first contract. Why? Because I don't want to be an indentured laborer beholden to my employer for housing. I get to choose my neighborhood and apartment and the size of it.

It's much easier to maintain a seperation of work and personal life when your home is your home and not owned by your employer. Who wants to move everytime they quit a job. What about having to consider not quitting a job just because the house is nice or in a neighborhood that you like.

copied from the duplicate thread

[bassexpander]

My housing is provided. It used to be in an awful place, until one of the near-campus units owned by the school opened up (another teacher moved to off-campus housing and I got this). In the old place, I had to live in a basement box, next to many of my students. I kept hearing them coming/going at 3am -- heels clicking up and down the marble stairs. It caused me sleep problems, which didn't help my daily work life, either.

They pretty much leave us alone, but we're really close to work, hear lots of noisy students, and the school takes a semester to come around and fix stuff unless I start raising my voice.

Having a good place makes all the difference in the world in your job. Unfortunately, most schools give you a choice of paid housing, or 300,000 to 400,000 compensation per month. You can't get much of anything with that, and end up spending your own money, too.

That means if you get your own place, you will probably need your own 5 to 10 mill in key money as well. A lot of newbee teachers don't have that, or don't feel comfortable letting some Korean sit on it for a year (and possibly not return it quickly).

[halfmanhalfbiscuit]

Never get tied into paying a deposit.

5-10 grand USD isn't small change and one's time in Korea is not guaranteed(on the basis of the E2 visa)

What is more,who knows how long the reimbursement lag going to be?

Beget that

[anyangoldboy]

saved enough money in my first two years to put 5mil down for my current place now. Sharing with one other person and there might be a third soon hopefully

[Ilsanman]

If you plan to stay here for more than a year, I highly recommend getting your own place.

[saw6436]

My school provides housing and all utilities paid. I opted to buy my own place. One of my better decisions. Being totally independent is a true plus to living here.