Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Miranda]

Split costs and all that, or do the schools (public or private) prefer singles? Anyone have information? Hope I'm posting this right, i'm new here

[summer33ny]

They prefer it in that they can just get one apartment for the both of you (less work and expense for them).

It depends on the area though. I heard that in some places they were not taking couples because all they were offering their teachers were small studio apartments. In most other places though, especially rural, they love couples.

[Captain Courageous]

Some schools like 'em, some don't. For some it's convenient, for others it's a liability - if one leaves, both generally do.

[Miranda]

thanks guys. also when people say rural do they mean rural rural, or rural as in less than half a million people haha?

[hapigokelli]

In my experience with SMOE (Seoul public schools) they do not prefer couples. In fact, they consider couples to be more a nuisance than anything.

Of the new teachers being placed in schools for August 2009, almost all of the couples were placed apart from eachother, on opposite sides of the city in schools and apartments that are 1-1.5 hours apart by subway or more. (This even happened to some married couples that I know.) When they say that they don't guarantee joint housing for unmarried couples what they really mean is that if you don't have a marriage certificate, you go into the lottery just like everyone else, with no preference placed on you.

Just my personal experience, please forgive my poor writing as i'm in a hurry.

[storysinger81]

[yellowdove]

My husband and I were able to find a married couple's position using a recruiter, Ben at Footprints. There are some schools specifically looking for married couples. If you go through a recruiter, I think you would have a better chance of finding a position that wants a couple. Helps a LOT if you're actually married.

[namyangjubadger]

GEPIK will try to make accomodations for couples, although they won't place you in the same apartment.

My boyfriend and I were lucky enough to both be placed at school in Namyangju-si, although he lives in Guri, not by his school, a 35 minutes bus ride from my city. Our schools are also located about 30 minutes apart within Namyangju. However, we are not married, so really it is the best we could ask for.

Just make sure that your recruiter is on top of communicating that you would like to be as close to each other as possible.

[tenchu77491]

If a foreigner and a Korean are a 'couple' will a school recognize this and allow the bigger apartment for the two? Or, would the school have the balls to say if you're unmarried the girl should be living at home?

[ekul]

[tenchu77491]

I can see that working if she's not Korean, but if she's Korean it will bring up a whole bunch of other questions I assume. I guess I could say she is an American-Korean (but she's not American at all) and we could lie about it, no?

Does anyone actually look into it much?

[ekul]

When I said I was married and someone commented on why we don't have the same surnames I just replied we don't change them in the west. Strangely enough that seemed to work. So make up some elaborate lie and just roll with it.

[tenchu77491]

Will do