Korean Job Discussion Forums

[CrikeyKorea]

So, i was thinking that Korean being an awesome language and all, i will study it at a university(probably sogang) for 6months from sept. as i dont live in seoul i dont really have much of an idea about costs and all of that.

If anyone out there has any ideas about living costs etc could u help give me an idea...

oh and if anyone has any ideas about accommodation-i dont want to live in a yogishiwan(sp?) nor can i afford big key money, post some replies, cheers....
oh yeah, hasook jip seems ok but i heard that im not allowed to bring girls( or more specifically one girl) back home which is kinda inconvenient... anyways thanks

[michael5799042]

Have you ever been to Korea?

[PeteJB]

Um, I can give you an idea. But 6 months at Sogang? If you want to learn Korean, study it at Seoul National, Yonsei or big name universities for the full duration of the course. If you plan to enter into a career somehow involving the Korean language these institutions are better recognized, despite Sogang offering a better structured course for foreigners. As for cost, the typical semester costs between 1.4 - 1.5 million Won. That is for the regular, 4-hour per day course.

Living costs, well that depends where you want to live. For one rooms (small but definitely better than shared accommodation) your looking at at least 3 million key money, and anywhere from 400,000 and up rent. You can get one rooms in Gangnam for about 600,000 without the need for key money. I stress these are one rooms, not apartments. Apartments will set you back about 10 million key money and a perhaps a cheaper rent than some one rooms.

[Toon Army]

[PBRstreetgang21]

actually Im doing exactly what you are planning right now. I taught for a year and saved up and am now using my savings to pay for the class and living expenses.

Right now Im at Korea U which I chose because I heard that while the program is not as good as Sogang (I hear its hands down the best) its still pretty good considering its location (ie not in Shinchon). I didnt want to live in too busy an area. KU has got a BEAUTIFUL campus. Plus Anamdong is chock full of great resturants and bars on the cheap for all the students. Its quiter but at the same time, its 15 min to Jongak on the subway.

Although Its only my second week I have ZERO complaints about the program.

Cost of Living:

roughly 1500 for 10 weeks. 30 bucks for books. you need you flight whatever it costs. 45 for the Visa. Then there is housing

living in a private dorm 하숙 gets you two meals and room and board and usually a warm and cuddly ajumma who thinks you are just Gods gift to Korea because you are a foreigner learning her language. Thats roughly 400 a month and usually requires fanagaling if you are gonna stay less than a year since they prefer a whole year contract.

otherwise the goshiwon. I am cheap and this is what I chose. 200 a month for something most americans would consider to small for a walk in closet. A bed smaller than twin....too small in fact to sleep in fetal position and Im just an average sized guy. There is a desk and door. Open the door there is the desk and the bed. Two people inside would be uncomfortable just standing up. But....Im never here, always out and when its said and done...its a place to sh*t and sleep. (one shower and one sh**ter shared with 30 some odd K dudes). If your a neat freak or need your space this is not the option. But I think it works fine

Last there is food and other stuff. This is your own determination. Where I live I could eat all my meals for less than 3 bucks a pop. So basically you set your own busget on this one. Mine is 40 bucks a day and I live WELL within that. I never cook and still get regularly drunk--- I love how cheap this country is.

All and all if you wanna learn Korean I recommend it. Compared to studying back in the States its a bargain plus you get the oppurtunity to meet lots of Koreans and other foreigners more than at a hagwon and the advantage of enjoying big city life without the stresses of having to WORK in a big city.

[PeteJB]

Yonsei is good if your intent on studying, and they do give university credits. If your just learning for the heck of learning Korean, then Sogang will suit you better.

[Drew345]

I study at Ganada private school which is nice because you can study month by month instead of signing for a whole semester, it is 4 days a week and 3 hours a day.
But I also hear Sogang is the best.

[CrikeyKorea]

ok, cool, yeh to clarify i live in Korea now and when i finish up i plan to do the study. i dont carre about uni credits etc, i just wanna study to improve my korean at a faster rate.

also, how do i go about getting a room at a 하속집?

thanks for da replies so far. much appreciated

[Giant_midget]

Hey Drew345,

Im thinking about going to Ganada in the summer. What is it like there?

[PBRstreetgang21]

to find a 하숙집 you can ask the school dept and they will send you a list (at least KU did). Otherwise go to school and if you walk around the area you will see signs for them.....just knock and the door and ask the ajumma. If you have a korean friend to do the talking that helps a lot since they usually dont speak much english (thats what I did). Actually I recommend walking around because you will be able to see where you will be living on the spot rather than making several trips to look after a bunch of phone calls. Average price is usually about 400

[petethebrick]

Check englishspectrum.com and the likes regularly. Don't be too against sharing I reckon. You're sure to find something affordable. They're are always lots of rooms to let around haebangchon although you're more likely to be distracted from studying living around there. I rented a room last year near jamsil sharing with a korean guy and girl. pretty big room and nice apartment, and cheap (320,000 no bills). Also was great for practicing language, sharing different foods etc.

[caniff]

[Drew345]

I think Ganada is only Hongdae.
I love it because they study only 12 hours a week instead of 20 at the Unis, and the schedule is month by month, so you can start and stop when you want. Mostly it is Japanese girls and women there, for whatever reason. But that makes it great because the teacher speaks no (or little) English in the classroom. I studied at another school before where everyone spoke English and it became full of long elaborate questions (in English) and discussions "about" the language. Much better to just eliminate English from the room.

My current teacher seems to be into adding extra grammar that is not even in the book and eliminating some of the class practice time. Not sure what is up with that, maybe she just doesn't see what she is doing (likes to talk). I never had this problem other months here and usually there is plenty of practice time.
Drew

[axmill]

I studied @ KU (Korea Univ.) and, I thought it was just mediocre. I will have to agree that everything around there is quite cheap (meals 3.00-5.00US)


I've had close friends that swear that Yonsei Language Insititute provides
them with the best Korean language ability. The nightlife out by Yonsei is AMAZING.

This year when I come to Korea I will have to check out others...

[Chris Kwon]

I'm really liking SNU's program these days. I've heard many bad things about Yonsei's.