Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Desiato]

Hi all,

My first post on here.
I have been asked to go to Ulsan in South Korea for the handover of our project to Hyundai Heavy Industries. I'm a contractor here in the UK and the contract for this is 9 weeks in Korea.
The client is providing all flights, hotel with breakfast etc. I am being given �80 per diem and my simple question is, is that enough to comfortably live on for 9 weeks.
It has to cover my lunch and dinner and any socializing I choose to do. I love oriental food and would relish the chance to try the local foods etc and I don't really drink so it would mostly be for a bit of sightseeing and taxi or bus fares etc.

Thank you

Mick

[mm]

methinks it is plenty. but i'm not a big spender so maybe others will weigh in.

[ttompatz]

�80 per day (150k won per day) and no accommodation or travel expenses to worry about? (The average teacher makes between 75-100k per day and they have to pay living expenses as well as entertainment out of that.)

You will be fine unless you plan to spend your nights in salon rooms with �300 bottles of scotch and �500 per night ladies.

.

[Big Mac]

Unless you eat every meal at the most expensive restaurants in the country, I would think that 150,000 Won a day will be more than enough.

You can get a decent meal in Korea for between 5,000 and 10,000 Won. Less than 5,000 if you don't mind eating at a kim bap place.

Even alcohol is shockingly cheap, especially if you become partial to soju.

[Oliver]

You could survive over a week here on that.

[Desiato]

Excellent,

As long as I'm not going to be out of pocket I'm happy, if I get to save a shed load then even better
Very hard to judge what expense will be occiured and how much things are, looking forward to the trip, somewhere I probably would never go to otherwise.

Thanks guys.

[Desiato]

[interestedinhanguk]

[sojukettle]

My companies ( Korean co.) per diem is 35,000krw ( in korea) and 80,000krw ( overseas).

You'll be fine.

sk

[jvalmer]

80 pounds a day is like 140,000 won a day for meals and spending. Wow!

That should be more than enough. Since your breakfast is covered you just need to worry about lunch and dinner and some extra left over. If you get accustomed to local food and drinks then it will be cheap, no more than 30,000 won a day including drinks. The more people you have dining with you the cheaper it could get. However if go to western style places or chains then that can easily get close to 100,000-won for your 2 meals. More like 50,000 to 100,000 won. However I don't imagine you blowing the whole amount.

The most you'll be paying for transportation go get to Seoul would be around 60,000-won on the train riding first class. Although prices vary all over the map depending what time, where on the train and if the have any specials.

Buses will max out around 40,000-won to Seoul. So locally it will be 1000 to 10,000 won. Taxis will start at around 2500-won and most local rides shouldn't be over 20,000-won.

Note: When you get on the bus, stick to the back. Propane-run buses tend to have the tanks placed in the mid-section of the bus.

[busanliving]

Ilive in Ulsan and on that amout I can live for a week with socialising a few nights and a few meals out so you will be fine, Ulsan isnt as expensive as other big cities for restaurants etc.

[Desiato]

Thanks for all the replies, apart from the being away from home and missing my wife and kids, this should be a good experience.

The local food sounds good, we make and eat quite a bit of Sushi/Sashimi at home so all good there.
Thanks for the info on the buses and trains.

[interestedinhanguk]

[blackjack]

for more info about the kimbap places

http://maryeats.com/2006/11/16/kimbap-nara-menu/

But you probably won't be eating out in many places like this, my guess is that alot of your meals will be covered through "company dinners"

[blackjack]

Just looked at the numbers and you will be getting roughly what an average new teacher gets in around 5 months in two months. You will be living in a hotel so you won't have the option of eating at home and you will have to pay for laundry, but both of those are minor. You probably will be able to save at least half of it without trying