Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Korussian]

I'm hoping for some advice from you experienced folks about how best to handle this within the Korean office politics system:

My girlfriend and I share an apartment - she very recently joined up with GEPIK through the standard process, and I have a standard recently updated GEPIK contract independently with my school (i.e. same same).

My school admin has surreptitiously been discussing with her school admin splitting the cost of our apartment (480,000 won) between them. Her school admin told my girlfriend today that that means that, since they're shelling out for some rent after all, she'll get maybe half of the 400,000 won Housing Allowance in our GEPIK contracts (or some other semi-random amount around 200,000 won).

"What?", we screeched in unison, "who said anything about our two unassociated public schools tag-teaming on anything whatsoever?". My school pays rent - period. Her school pays 400,000 won - period.

We double-checked while still in sinful Canada that one of us would get the apartment while the other would get the settlement allowance, and that was the agreement from the get-go. We've been here 2 or 3 weeks already, and no one mentioned this change. We get the feeling it's because her principle isn't pleased that we're not married. Yes, I know it's Korea and we have to be sensitive to conservative values, etc, etc, but c'mon!

Article 10.3 of the GEPIK contract states:

[ttompatz]

Stand your ground....

1) 2 apartments, (you both have a contract that stipulates housing)
2) couple housing (2 bedroom apartment) or
3) single housing + housing allowance.
4) housing allowance for each of you and NO supplied housing.

Those are the options required by the contract.
THEY are OBLIGATED to meet one of them.

PICK ONE.

If they don't agree and/or won't negotiate, then you can either escalate up the scale (go to GEPIK) or walk out and don't look back.

.

[Korussian]

Thanks for your reply, ttompatz. We won't hesitate then, to stand our ground.

I'm concerned that the real goal is to make us pick Option 1 - two separate apartments, in order to conservatize our living situation.

I get the feeling it's not so much a cash saving issue for the schools, but both principles have commented on our being unmarried (which of course we politely accepted).

I can't know for sure that conservatism is what it's all about, but, if it is, is the best approach:

a) Make up that we're engaged or getting married back in Canada or something, but please still pay the 400K
b) Point to the contract and say End of Story + GEPIK threat
c) Offer a compromise that still results in our final jean jingle reflecting a 200k boost each (as originally agreed)
d) Other?

[yingwenlaoshi]

What a bunch of douchebags. It's amazing what they can come up with, eh?

[nobbyken]

Is the contract worded that couple housing is for married teachers.
A married couple where one is a teacher qualifies for couple housing.

A couple of teachers sharing housing is a bit like Gepik paying one an allowance to a teacher to pay for housing which Gepik are already paying for. I'm not surprised they clocked you.

Do people who own their own houses get a housing allowance?

[Korussian]

nobbyken, thanks for writing.

Article 10.2 states:

[ttompatz]

[prideofidaho]

The housing allowance should always be regarded as intrinsically part of your salary. The reason it's an allowance (I believe) is because of the vast majority of people requiring school's to provide them with housing. So it would follow that minority are using the housing allowance.

Korussian, I essentially lived in your situation for a year with my boyfriend. We split the allowance and his school paid for the rent. One big difference: our employer had no idea. When we decided to get a proper place together, bigger than one room, we both told our schools / employers that this was our plan. One of the supervisors pulled the old 'you're living in sin'...which is nonsense...I'm not living in sin, I just don't subscribe to getting married, so get over it. Anyway, seemed like he had to do that for show for some time, and after a few weeks he got over us an 'allowed' us to move in together. Weird eh?

As others have mentioned, stick to your guns...seems like you have a plan. Is there any way you can say your girlfriend is moving out without the school knowing. You shouldn't have to give them any sort of proof that she has housing elsewhere.

You're probably right to just ignore the comments about your personal life, it's a hard thing to do and I can empathize. I don't tell anyone about it unless I can trust them.

I hope things work out for you.

[spliff]

You should have never advertised that u 2 where a couple, nor should u have let them find out u were living or intending to live together. Would have made things a lot easier, IMHO. If someone asks about my personal life I simply pretend I didn't hear them. After a few times they usually get the message.

[nobbyken]

Sounds like they're just trying to save some money on the budget.
Some schools will always try that. I suppose they feel a little put-out by the fact that housing allowance is being shared/pocketed.
It's only Koreans who should know these tricks .

How did they find out?

[Korussian]

Thanks PrideOfIdaho and Spliff, I'm learning the hard way that I should have done everything possible to keep the co-habitation under wraps.

Spliff, I can certainly understand why you relentlessly separate the personal from the professional in Korea. It's not something that would make sense in my situation, but it would certainly have avoided these housing allowance issues.

We both applied as a couple to the same recruiter with the hope of finding schools near one another, which, up to now, has worked out splendidly. The recruiter told the schools we are couple, so they already knew even before the phone interviews. Let that be a lesson to all you GEPIK-hopeful couples out there. Full disclosure may not always be the best way to go.

My own principal is awesome, likes to take us out for dinner, and has invited us with him to his hometown, etc. It's my girlfriend's school that I imagine is pulling the strings, and since we're in a tiny town, those strings are pretty short and tight.

[Ramen]

Principals must be Christians.

So you two will burn in hell.

[matthews_world]

Look at it K-style:

When did one apartment magically become two?

[wylies99]

It's not a "morals" deal- it's all about the money.

[Otherside]

I know of three couples (unmarried) in the GEPIK program who were provided with couple housing. One recieved a pretty good apartment, 2 bedrooms, lounge/kitchen area, and the other 2 recieved GREAT apartments...In the one situation where I know the details, the schools clubbed together and put a significant amount of key money down (30mill) in addition to paying about 600K/month.

Seems to me, that couple housing is the way to go!