Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Patong Dong]

I've heard here and there that if you're married your public school generally provides a two room apt. I've got a studio with my wife, and am just wondering how common that is in Gepik? Hakwans I've worked at have always taken that I'm married into account and I've had two rooms or officetels with the loft bed area. I just made the move to the public school and what my handler tells me will happen is often contradicted by the "office lady" so just trying to get an idea of other married couples' experiences. My wife is not teaching here if that makes a difference.

[WendyRose]

My significant other and I have a 3 room apartment with a kitchen/dining room and western style bathroom + bathtub. I think you will have more luck with bigger apartments if you are outside of Seoul. I'm about 15 minutes from Seoul and prefer the cleaner air/scenery/feeling better. Good luck.

[Patong Dong]

Holy S! That's great. Great for you. I know where Hanam-si is and I am also outside of Seoul in the not so nice Siheung. My co-teacher/handler is great and wants me to have a bigger place, but the admin. is dragging their feet. I am just wondering if there is wiggle room in the provided budget that allows for couples to have a bigger place.

Thanks for your reply.

[cruisemonkey]

[Otherside]

[cruisemonkey]

[farrepatt]

You should be getting a 2 bedroom apartment from your school. I work for GEPIK (as does my wife) and we have a nice 2 bedroom apartment.

I've know two other couples in our area and both had 2 bedroom apartments even though only one of them worked for GEPIK (the other worked at hagwons).

[blonde researcher]

If you are already in the apartment now , the odds are the school has already secured a lease deposit on it for 12 months and wont want to cancel this - no matter how much you think (and they think) it could be too small.

The EPIK and GEPIK and SMOE schools have a set government budget for one teacher and this is for a single apartment. Your wife is not working and the school does not have to provide a 2 bedroom apartment for you as they will need additional money to provide additional bedrooms.

It seems you may have scored 'the luck of the draw' of the rentable housing in the school area.

it is impossible to compare the housing of any other teacher to another as there is only the "bland clause" written in the contract about housing.

Was this really a GEPIK position done through the Gyeonggi office of education and did you have a letter of appointment? if you got a visa number from immigration it is likely that the GEPIK provincial office had nothing to do with your contract and that the school has hired you by themsleves , as they can do. if the school hires you themselves they still have to give you the GEPIK contract, but they will sort the housing themselves as they want.

[Patong Dong]

Thanks for all the answers. To Blonde Researcher: I was not hired by the Gyeonggi office but came through the school, so maybe there is something to that. I do have the GEPIK contract and the housing part is indeed vague. The school did however say they would be willing to move us into the Bucheon station area as Siheung is a little to much excitement, but then said that apt. would be even smaller. It could only be smaller by not having a laundry room, so we opted to stay. So it doesn't seem to be an issue getting out of the lease.

With a month in I've come to realise that I spend a lot more time in the apt. as the surrounding area doesn't have a lot to offer beyond climbing the mountain so the confines are getting to me. But I guess this what I received, so will ask again but it doesn't seem as if I can demand a 2 bedroom.

Thanks again.

[valkerie]