Korean Job Discussion Forums

[kiwikimchi]

I live in a rural area in Gyeonggi. My ondol and hot water are heated by "oil" and not by gas or electricity like normal appartments.
However here in the country what happens is the "oil man" comes and delivers you either a half drum of =105,000 or a full drum 210,000. I asked my co teacher how long a drum would last and she said 1 drum would last close to a year. Ok I ended up getting half a drum and that lasted only 2 weeks...not the close to 1 year she gave me.
I don't have long showers and always keep the temp of my appartment low when Iam work. I actually have it on the most economical setting there is.
So I am kind of pissed that what she told me was a lie and that I have to keep refilling the oil. Before I took the job I asked about the heating of the appartment and they told me of this system and how I would only need to fill the oil 1 or maybe 2 times. Any one else have the same problem? I am not happy I should have to pay this espicially when it seems i have not been told the truth. What would your advice be?
Now I have no hot water until Monday.

[goniff]

come to seoul and you won't (maybe) have to put up with such primitive crap...

[Big Mac]

I've always found that when Koreans don't know the answer to something, rather than tell you that they don't know, they pull some random answer out of their behind.

That's probably what happened. One of my apartments in Korea ran on LPG. My first winter bill was close to 200,000 Won for the month. I started using a space heater instead and set my thermostat to 18 degrees and I was still getting bills for around 80,000 Won a month.

In Seoul my heating bill in the winter (natural gas) was more like 40,000 Won, and I never worried about cranking the heat up there. Heating bills are pretty inconsistent in Korea and really depend on the type of fuel being used.

[kiwikimchi]

I agree. But in this case she knew the answer and also knew the answer was one I wouln't like hence the lie.

On a side note...
How do does one get a letter of release and if you get one does your visa stay valid? Or do you have to go through all the paper work again.
Things at my school are awful and my apartment is another story altogether. The quality of job you get in Korea is a gamble and I lucked out. There is only 2 public schools in my area and my middle school is crap. I would like to change to the elementary school that currently has no native teacher. I am not sure that is possible though.
In a nut shell they way I am treated is horrible and I am not listened to or respected. Maybe why the previous 2-3 teachers have broken their contract early.

[Louis VI]

In many Asian cultures the truth is just one value among many, harmony being another. There's little of that Western Christian "the truth will set you free" Anglo-Saxon "obedience to truth" ethic. We westerners tend to be blind to the wisdom of a lie and instead overgeneralize the value of truthtelling and overestimate the cost of a lie.

[Weigookin74]

Basically old buildings suck and new buildings are better. I've definately done my time and feel your pain. Now I'm living in a regional city in a new building. Heat is warm and cheap. I suggest turning off your heat during the day when you are out. It'll make the oil last longer. Turn on the heat for the first couple of hours you're home, then shut it down. Use a heating fan or a heating lamp for the rest of the time. Then, when you go to bed, turn it on a low setting. You can also use an electric blanket. Doing this will make it last much longer. This is what Koreans would do. Maybe that's why she said it would be cheaper than what it actually is. But I've discovered that sometimes Koreans just don't have a clue about things. I've asked them about things. But after research on my own discovered what they were full of. Anyhew, hope this help. I'd consider investing in a heater fan. They are the best for heat when you're living in a crappy building. Your electric will prob be 100,000 a month, but the oil will last forever. Maybe you don't even need to use it except for cooking and showering.


Heater fan will heat your room and not just the space in front of you (Which a heating lamp does). This is important to keep all the room warm and help keep mold at bay.

http://english.gmarket.co.kr/challenge/neo_goods/goods.asp?goodscode=172417202&pos_shop_cd=EN&pos_class_cd=90000001&pos_class_kind=T&keyword_order=heater

Will cost you a little bit of cash, but you'll get your money back on monthly oil bills.

[Weigookin74]

I guess the Koreans call it a fan heater. 팬히터

[Weigookin74]

Plus if you're stuck deskwarming at a cold school where they won't turn on the heat, bring in your heater fan or maybe your heating lamp if you have one but don't use it anymore. You'll be warm at work all day. By the time the school discovers their electric bill, it'll be too late. Winter will be over and they can tell you not to do it all they want. Ha ha.

[Weigookin74]

Then proceed to do it again anyways next winter.

[kiwikimchi]

Thanks for the suggestions. The thing is that I only use it to have showers with and don't use the ondol ever. I have a heat fan thing that keeps me warm and the electric bill is spilit by 2 others, my 6AM-1AM consistantly loud neighbours (which is another issue altogether) and my land lord up stairs. So I don't have to worry about having a big power bill as my last one was 15,000.
There can't possibly be a more economical way to use it than I already am.
I guess I will have to grin and bear it and wait for the next "suprise" I haven't been told about. It is an unexpected blow to my budget and in the mean time I have decided to go back to basics....heat some hot water in my kettle and wash my self that way.

[curlyhoward]

Are you sharing the house with others?
Is it a 2-floor/story house?

Some old houses have 1 boiler that heats both upstairs and downstairs.
Some houses have separate boilers.

Your oil bill seems rather high.

You just might be helping to heat your landlord's apartment. Or, someone may have borrowed/taken/stolen some oil from the drum of your boiler. I don't want to make false accusations, but something seems wrong. My wife's family uses oil for heating, etc. If you are using the boiler as you have mentioned, the oil should last much longer.

[kiwikimchi]

Yes I am sharing a house with my neighbour beside me and upstairs is my landlord.

I will look into it. But if My oil was heating the others rooms wouldn't they also be heating mine?

Yes soomething does seem wrong, its too expensive.

[kiwikimchi]

An angry landlord has just banged on my door yelling in korea about the boiler. Followed by and e mail fromy co teacher....


Hi,
I'm sending you an email about the heater.
I got a call from the landlord and he said the heater ran out of oil so it's not working now.
And he's keeping the heater machine warm to make it not freeze.
In fact in winter when the heater does not work, it feezes and it gets broken.
That's why he's worried about it and put some heater thing in front of the heater/boiler machine to make it not freeze.
He's almost freaking out and called me..
And he said he would fill the heater up with one drum and he told me to tell you about it.
To survive this winter, you 're gonna need more than one drum anyway.
So, can you pay the bill when the oil guy comes?
I know you're an economical person but we can't help it.
Actually I pay almost 140,000 won for gas just for a month.
Here gas is more expensive than oil.
Hoping my case would make you feel any better. ^^
Take care, bye~

and my reply....

Hello
Yes he came and saw me before.
I have actually decided I don't want to have the heating.
I will wash with hot water from the kettle.
There is a small fan heater that I can use
and I don't feel the cold in this appartment.
I wasn't aware of the expensive price for the oil and
was told it would last for a long time.
I only filled it up 2 weeks ago and now it is empty
and I didn't use the ondol, only for having a shower.
I have talked to some other people in the same
situation and they are doing the same as me.
So can you please tell him this and I don't need the
oil.
Thank you


I did not ask for the oil and I am not going to pay for it.
I am happy boiling up water and have an old fashioned scrub down rather than pay 300,000-400,000 per month for a hot shower.

[jvalmer]

How big are those gas drums that they gas guy has to fill up? I used to live in a small town and typically they'd fill up 200 liters of gas. It should last at least a couple of months in the winter and last virtually all spring and summer. Even with the heat cranked up you should get over a months supply (I've done that personally). Something is not adding up here.

[jvalmer]

You should at least pay your ct the 140,000-won she paid.