Korean Job Discussion Forums

[mimilove8]

I'm due to be in Korea by next week but I'm extremely worried about the exchange rate... it seems like one day I'll research and the rate will start picking up, only to plummet to a new low the next day.

I don't want something like this to stop me from going to Korea, but I'm also wondering if I'll be able to pay off my bills and live a decent life while I'm there... I've heard that it seems to even out, but in this horrible economy, I'm wondering if I'll be able to survive, let alone take care of my debts.

Any advice you have is much appreciated, thanks!

[prideofidaho]

Where are you from? What currency are you exchanging Korean won to? I can only answer as a Canadian sending money back every month...so please bear that in mind.

I'm able to send home money every month. I normally send about 500 Canadian home at the beginning of the month, then send whatever is leftover at the end. I'm not trying to send home the bulk of my income. Be realistic with what you can afford...you're more likely to continue to send home and to not have it affect your life here to drastically. I've heard of Americans sending home as much as 1.2 million won (not sure what that is in USD), which is due to hard work, and they don't suffer too much because they work hard at bringing in as much as possible. It all depends on you, how hard you want to work, and how much you need to send home. Have a look at what you'll be making, and what you'll want to send home. Factor in your own expenses and see if it makes sense for you.

At the very least, I'm sure you can manage a couple hundred every month.

If I can give you a piece of advice: don't waste your life worrying about things like currency exchange and having it consume your daily life. In the grand scheme of things, it's just not as important as being happy, doing the things you want to do, and enjoying your life. Life's too short. Don't look at exchange rates every day. You're not an economist. It's only going to make you miserable. Nobody is starving over here. I still think that I wouldn't be able to save as much if I were living in Toronto...but that's my opinion.

Enjoy!