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aharari
Joined: 08 Mar 2011
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 Posted: Thu Mar 10, 2011 9:30 pm Post subject: Getting a nice apartment?? |
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| So from what I gather, you don't have much say in your apartment when you sign your contract. I've seen some really nice, spacious loft-style apartments and some tiny one-room apartments. Most people say it's a crapshoot so I assume you don't get to see pictures ahead of time. Is it considered rude to request certain things or ask for pictures of your apartment? |
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eamo
Joined: 08 Mar 2003
Location: Shepherd's Bush, 1964.
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| Posted: Thu Mar 10, 2011 10:42 pm Post subject: |
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It's likely you're replacing another foreign teacher, and it's also likely that you'll get the apt that foreigner was in.
If you do your homework on the company/school you want to work for then you should ask for the email of one of the foreigners there. They'll tell you what the apt is like. |
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Njord
Joined: 12 Jan 2006
Location: South Korea
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| Posted: Fri Mar 11, 2011 3:23 am Post subject: |
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| Most contracts will give you an option of a housing allowance instead of an apartment. There are many advantages to this, not least being able to decide for yourself where you live. I, for one, would also be uncomfortable having any employer also control my accommodation. |
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PatrickGHBusan
Joined: 24 Jun 2008
Location: Busan (1997-2008) Canada 2008 -
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| Posted: Fri Mar 11, 2011 5:29 am Post subject: |
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| Njord wrote: |
| Most contracts will give you an option of a housing allowance instead of an apartment. There are many advantages to this, not least being able to decide for yourself where you live. I, for one, would also be uncomfortable having any employer also control my accommodation. |
Quite understandable but you would still depend on your employer for the housing allowance....
Also finding your own place sometimes (read often) requires a key money deposit that can be substantial.
Still, choosing the housing allowance contract makes more sense for many people. |
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ttompatz
Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea
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| Posted: Fri Mar 11, 2011 6:10 am Post subject: Re: Getting a nice apartment?? |
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| aharari wrote: |
| So from what I gather, you don't have much say in your apartment when you sign your contract. I've seen some really nice, spacious loft-style apartments and some tiny one-room apartments. Most people say it's a crapshoot so I assume you don't get to see pictures ahead of time. Is it considered rude to request certain things or ask for pictures of your apartment? |
It is NOT bad form to ask for photos of the apartment.
I always have and I have rejected potential jobs based on poor housing.
You should know however that most hagwans will place you in a one-room villa (the shoebox type) and many (but not all) public schools (especially in larger urban areas) will tend to place you in an officetel (those loft apartments).
the reason for the difference is that the key money for a hagwan comes out of the owners pocket (and it may not be that deep of a pocket) and the deposit for a PS teacher is supplied by the district (so the school doesn't have to look for the cash first and it doesn't come from someone's pocket).
. |
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ontheway
Joined: 24 Aug 2005
Location: Somewhere under the rainbow...
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| Posted: Fri Mar 11, 2011 6:25 am Post subject: Re: Getting a nice apartment?? |
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| ttompatz wrote: |
| aharari wrote: |
| So from what I gather, you don't have much say in your apartment when you sign your contract. I've seen some really nice, spacious loft-style apartments and some tiny one-room apartments. Most people say it's a crapshoot so I assume you don't get to see pictures ahead of time. Is it considered rude to request certain things or ask for pictures of your apartment? |
It is NOT bad form to ask for photos of the apartment.
I always have and I have rejected potential jobs based on poor housing.
You should know however that most hagwans will place you in a one-room villa (the shoebox type) and many (but not all) public schools (especially in larger urban areas) will tend to place you in an officetel (those loft apartments).
the reason for the difference is that the key money for a hagwan comes out of the owners pocket (and it may not be that deep of a pocket) and the deposit for a PS teacher is supplied by the district (so the school doesn't have to look for the cash first and it doesn't come from someone's pocket).
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However, the best schools are the good hogwans that will give you a modern, fully furnished 2 or 3 bedroom condo in one of the nice high rise buildings where your neighbors will be young professional Koreans and their families. |
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Xuanzang
Joined: 10 Apr 2007
Location: Sadang
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| Posted: Fri Mar 11, 2011 6:47 am Post subject: Re: Getting a nice apartment?? |
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| ontheway wrote: |
| ttompatz wrote: |
| aharari wrote: |
| So from what I gather, you don't have much say in your apartment when you sign your contract. I've seen some really nice, spacious loft-style apartments and some tiny one-room apartments. Most people say it's a crapshoot so I assume you don't get to see pictures ahead of time. Is it considered rude to request certain things or ask for pictures of your apartment? |
It is NOT bad form to ask for photos of the apartment.
I always have and I have rejected potential jobs based on poor housing.
You should know however that most hagwans will place you in a one-room villa (the shoebox type) and many (but not all) public schools (especially in larger urban areas) will tend to place you in an officetel (those loft apartments).
the reason for the difference is that the key money for a hagwan comes out of the owners pocket (and it may not be that deep of a pocket) and the deposit for a PS teacher is supplied by the district (so the school doesn't have to look for the cash first and it doesn't come from someone's pocket).
. |
However, the best schools are the good hogwans that will give you a modern, fully furnished 2 or 3 bedroom condo in one of the nice high rise buildings where your neighbors will be young professional Koreans and their families. |
Once in a blue moon. |
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sallymonster
Joined: 06 Feb 2010
Location: Seattle area
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| Posted: Fri Mar 11, 2011 5:59 pm Post subject: |
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| If I'm in Korea, looking for a job, and get an offer, is it unreasonable to ask to visit the housing and see it in person? |
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eamo
Joined: 08 Mar 2003
Location: Shepherd's Bush, 1964.
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| Posted: Fri Mar 11, 2011 6:19 pm Post subject: |
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| sallymonster wrote: |
| If I'm in Korea, looking for a job, and get an offer, is it unreasonable to ask to visit the housing and see it in person? |
I don't think so. I've done it. |
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Slowmotion
Joined: 15 Aug 2009
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| Posted: Fri Mar 11, 2011 6:43 pm Post subject: |
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| Njord wrote: |
| Most contracts will give you an option of a housing allowance instead of an apartment. There are many advantages to this, not least being able to decide for yourself where you live. I, for one, would also be uncomfortable having any employer also control my accommodation. |
The bad thing is the school isn't likely to give you the key money. This is what happened in my case (public school). For hagwons it might be different. |
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aharari
Joined: 08 Mar 2011
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| Posted: Fri Mar 11, 2011 7:33 pm Post subject: |
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| Very informative responses - thanks everyone. I think I'll try and get the contact info of the previous tenant first because I can likely kill two birds with one stone; learn about the apartment and learn about the school. |
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aharari
Joined: 08 Mar 2011
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| Posted: Fri Mar 11, 2011 7:35 pm Post subject: |
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Oh, and I also meant to ask about the housing allowance option...
How do you find your own apartment and furnish it without speaking a word of Korean? |
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schwa
Joined: 18 Jan 2003
Location: Yap
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| Posted: Fri Mar 11, 2011 8:18 pm Post subject: |
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| aharari wrote: |
| How do you find your own apartment and furnish it without speaking a word of Korean? |
Far from easily. |
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Njord
Joined: 12 Jan 2006
Location: South Korea
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| Posted: Fri Mar 11, 2011 8:58 pm Post subject: |
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| aharari wrote: |
Oh, and I also meant to ask about the housing allowance option...
How do you find your own apartment and furnish it without speaking a word of Korean? |
In certain areas of Seoul you could do this on your own as there are some English-speaking real estate agents. Otherwise, you really need a friend who can help you translate and negotiate. For the most part, there will not be much negotiation involved as there is a fairly well-defined market price. However, you do need to be careful about the debt load of the owner.
The deposit is only about 5-10 million on villas or officetels. Almost anyone working in Korea can save that much in a year. Some places will also give an option of monthly rent only (for a higher amount) or paying a full year's rent in advance without a deposit. Again, this depends on the location and the flexibility of the landlord. |
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Njord
Joined: 12 Jan 2006
Location: South Korea
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| Posted: Fri Mar 11, 2011 9:04 pm Post subject: |
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To furnish your apartment you have two inexpensive options: Gmarket or used furniture stores.
I used a combination of both. Gmarket has inexpensive furniture and an English language menu and payment system. When I've ordered from there, my purchases arrived within a couple of days.
There are many used furniture stores and most of the stuff I've seen there looks almost new. You can probably get most of what you need in one trip and have the store deliver everything to your new apartment the next day. |
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