Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Enigma]

I'm looking at a public school job in a rural area of Gyeonggido. Currently, the school has a teacher from another school who splits his time between the two schools, and now they are looking for their own teacher.
The recruiter told me this morning that because they haven't had a teacher before, they obviously don't have an apartment, and so I could find my own.
I've never looked for an apartment in Korea before, and my Korean is very low, so I'm not sure the best way to go about this.
I think one of my biggest concerns is that after getting the apartment, I have to spend the next 3 months haggling to get it furnished.
Because the school is paying for it, obviously they'll have some say in what I choose, so I'm wondering if any of you have been in a similar situation, and if you any advice for me.

Thank you very much.

[bassexpander]

Some general info for you:

Step 1: Location. Find a place close enough to work that's not too expensive. You should ask Koreans at work for advice on this.

Step 2: Get a Korean friend willing to spend a good few days minimum looking with you (if you want to do it right). And I do mean full days. To get a decent place, there is no substitute for footwork.

Step 3: Start talking to realtors in an area. Just go there and walk around near apartment complexes. They're on every corner, and are called 부동산. You should hit the bricks and ask around at every realtor in the area you want! As a side note, finding places on the internet is generally a bust. They pull bait-n-switch, then tell you the gorgeous/cheap place they had is now gone.... oh, but here's a royal piece of crap for 100,000 per month more... you get the idea.

As for realtors, they are everywhere. You need to visit them all, despite what they say. One guy will tell you the apartment complex across the street has nothing, and the other guy will have one or two apartments in there that are for rent. It all depends on who the person owning the place went to to list his/her apartment.

Realtors share information and call around, but they split the fees if another realtor gets involved. If the realtor that has a listing on a place thinks they'll be able to easily rent it out soon without a tip from another realtor, they may opt to lie and say that they don't know of any apartments for rent. They'd rather lie, rent out the place by themselves later, and keep the full fee to themselves.

Don't bother asking a friend for a realtor -- you'll feel obligated. That puts you at a disadvantage, and severely limits the number of places you may find. Also, in my experience there are few "deals" between friends that don't carry some sort of expectations later. There are no special deals between "I have this realtor friend"... there are only deals where someone smiles more and makes a sale.

Step 4: Look at A LOT of places until you find what you want. As a general rule, I have to look at a minimum of 8 to 12 apartments before I start seeing things I like. That's just been my experience. Also, and this is very important -- new places often rent for the same price as a shitty old place. That's also why it's good to keep looking.

As a rule, the realtors will show you crap first in hopes of renting it. What I do is try to filter the crap by asking for the following:

1. No place in a building older than 6 years (villas and apartments started being built a little more modern around 2002).
2. Aircon, or the holes in the wall needed to install your own aircon IS A MUST. You can get your own installed new for under 275,000 in a one-room. Unless it's an officetell, there probably won't be an included aircon.

3. Note: Basement places are usually cheaper, because Koreans don't want to live there for safety/robbery/peeping-tom reasons. If there are bars on the windows, and two locks, you can get a place like this cheaper. Be aware that mold is often an issue in basement places -- usually in summer, and often in winter, too. You will need good ventilation and possibly a dehumidifier. Look for tell-tale signs of black mold or leaks in corners of walls before renting.

4. Don't settle for shitty old wallpaper or flooring that needs to be replaced. They should replace it, or at least it should be in decent condition.

All-in-all, you will probably be happier in a newer officetell. The expenses for management (cleaning elevators/hallways) can be a tad more expensive, as can utilities, but it is worth it if you can't find a non-officetell situation you're happy with. Ask your Korean buddy to find you newer officetells first, and get an idea on prices. You may not have this option available if you're in a more rural setting.

Hope this helps.

[Enigma]

That's very helpful! Thank you very much, bassexpander.