Korean Job Discussion Forums

[gmarthews]

Hello again.

My school say that they wont pay me the settlement allowance until I have my ARC, is this the case for everyone or is my co-teacher just mean?

They say they have to pay it into my bank account which I can't set up until I recieve my ARC, whcih should be in just under two weeks (I've already been to immi).

This means that I have to survive without pots, pans, plates etc for the next two weeks unless I'm prepared to put it all on my Visa card!

Is everyone else who's just started a new EPIK contact in the same situation?

Thanks for all your answers to my many questions guys!

[typo]

My public school handed me an envelope of cash.

Howeer, I also didn't buy shit or my apartment until a month in, and I ate out. What I did eventually buy was 1 pot, 1 spatula and a couple of glasses and chopsticks. You're not gonna cook much here, trust me when I say that eating out is way cheaper.

[teacha]

my GEPIK school also just handed me my settlement money in an envelope. i got it my first night here.

[louiloui]

She probably misunderstands what it is. That is money you should receive when you first arrive. It is supposed to be spending money for the time before you have a bank account, ARC card, etc.

[gmarthews]

[typo]

Give her the definition of "settlement."
Tell her your contacts at other public schools received different treatment, and the money is to be used by you to "settle" in to your apartment.

Good luck--but honestly, I'm not betting on you.

[lifeinkorea]

I thought the settlement allowance was just a one time deal for your first school. You get that for every public school you go to?

[gmarthews]

This made my co-teacher blanch - I pointed out that this is supposed to help for when I arrive - NOT in 2 weeks when my alien registration comes thru and when they can organise an account - they looked at my contract and joy upon joy it states that I am due the payment from 'beginning the term of employment' and so they said they will try...

They want to put it in the account which i don't have yet - but there is nothing in the account stating that it must be paid into an account...

I am being nice and saying fine - it is 'inconvenient' so pay us the limit in cash - but by rights I should have got 1,300,000 won yesterday...

[typo]

uh...i think you mean 300k.

if your settlement is 1.3 mil, holy moly sign me up

[kiwiinkorea]

I didn't get mine until I got my ARC. I had enough money to survive so I didn't make a big deal of it. Then I got it together with the travel allowance. I did get it paid pretty quickly after my bank account was opened though.

[broken76]

The settlement allowance is 300,000 won paid for the first year teaching at a public school and needs to be paid within 2 weeks of arrival. It does not need to be paid as soon as you arrive although it would be nice. Also many schools do prefer paying directly to a bank account so a record of the transaction exists.

[thoreau]

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[KingRufus]

I am going through epik and I'm in Gwangju. They said they will give us our settlement after everyone confirms their bank account and gets their arc.

[You]

I'm with a GEPIK public school and they gave me an envelope with the 300k the first night too

[kokujin]

My school put the settlement allowance in my bank account the first night I got there after this fall's EPIK orientation.