Korean Job Discussion Forums

Icewontolla · Joined: 08 Dec 2010

Renewing on the contract and health check is coming up. Last time we did it on a school day and the director drove me and explained to the doctors. This time they're saying they want me to go on teachers day (our day off) and alone. My coteacher says this is really strange and that they almost always help you get there and do it on a school day.

What's everyone's opinion on this. I barely understand korean and have horrible luck handing addresses to taxi's, they almost always never know what's going on. I'm also not sure how I would tell them at the hospital what I'm doing. I also feel it's odd to ask me to do it on a government holiday or my day off. Am I wrong?

rowdie3 · Joined: 22 Sep 2003 Location: Itaewon, Seoul

You've been here since 2010 and can't take a taxi by yourself??

Time to be a little more independent.

Call 02-1330 if you ever need a translator.

Yes, they can make you go on teacher's day. It is not a national holiday.

soomin · Joined: 18 Jun 2009 Location: Daegu

If you go to a larger hospital, they might have a translator... The hospital I go to has a nurse whose job is to help foreigners and explain illnesses and such to the doctors and to the patients in their native tongues... It is a free service... There are also foreigner hospitals that speak English in some places.

If not, I would tell your boss to write out everything you need to get checked for and then just hand that paper in when you sign up at the front desk.

Good luck!

Icewontolla · Joined: 08 Dec 2010

2011 and yes I can take taxis by myself. What I can't do is get them to my area if they give me a shitty address. Every time I try to go somewhere with an address and directions that I've been given the taxi has no idea. Last time I tried two taxis to go somewhere one of which talked on the phone with my director, and he still told me he had no idea.

It's more like being slighted a common courtesy. The address to my own house hardly ever works. It's like it's written in russian. When I try to say the names they stare at me like I'm a crazy person. I hand them the damn business card with our business address on it written in korean and that didn't even work last time. No one ever really explained how to get around or really anything. Korean hospitality and compassion that I've seen in many other places has never existed here.

It's all good I was just wondering if they were supposed to make us do it in our off time or if they had/should be providing transportation on a regular day.

Skippy · Joined: 18 Jan 2003 Location: Daejeon

First off for taxi. The first thing I learned with dealing with taxis and limited language capability is landmarks. Find some big important place near you and repeat that. It can be from a major apartment complex, large park, big important store, even just an area. Add in your dong aka community and you will be fine. Another way is to find a major intersection and learn the name like one of my old ones bokyoung-ograri. A little Korean with left... right... straight and right here has done me well.

In the end for the health check you have limited places to go and get a acceptable check. Pretty much hospitals so all you have to find the name of the closet hospital name an go ___________ byeonghwan. Any taxi drive worth his salt should be able to find it.

http://www.korvia.com/index.php/faq/65-e2-visa-application-/465-where-i-can-take-medical-checkup-done-for-applying-arc-card.html

Really - you are still having troubles with taxi after all this time!

amnsg2 · Joined: 15 Aug 2010 Location: Gumi

Actually, I was planning to do my health check alone and I found it a bit daunting. I think if your co teacher writes a note in Korean saying you want a health check you can go into the hospital take a number and give it to the person at the desk. They should direct you to the right area. A big hospital should have at least one English speaking person in that department.

Since it's a day off, couldn't a friend go with you? It's always easier with two people listening to Korean and picking out words. I think the health check is terrifying (I hate needles and hospital smells) so it's not an unreasonable ask.

mzeno · Joined: 12 Oct 2008

As soon as they start cutting back on assistance, you can start cutting back on compliance. Wait until they ask again, and again, and again...for your results... then you can elaborate on the difficulties involved in doing it on your own, etc,... You may find that they eventually stop asking.

Icewontolla · Joined: 08 Dec 2010

Thanks for the replies. As for landmarks I do appreciate the advice. One of the problems for me is that this is a very new area. There weren't/aren't many landmarks in existence. When I first got here the area wasn't in the gps for taxi's so they didn't even know it existed. Getting a little easier now.

I've never had trouble getting around Seoul or anything when taking taxis. It's more the cross country journey to my unknown corner of the world. I suppose it will be easier to get one going somewhere else, I just lack faith in my school's effort to make sure they give me the details I need.

Thanks all.

laynamarya · Joined: 01 Jan 2010 Location: Gwangjin-gu

Addresses in Korea are based on when the building was built, not where it is. That's why they mean virtually nothing to taxi drivers. Also, since so many many buildings are torn down and built and change names so quickly around here, landmarks are almost always a better bet, as others mentioned.

As for the health check, if you go to a decently large hospital, they will be able to guide you pretty easily, since they've probably done it dozens of times for other folks who aren't fluent in Korean yet. My first year, the hospital even had colored lines painted on the floor to follow as the doctors checked off each item on the form.

It should take less than an hour. If you go to a hospital in an area you've been wanting to check out anyway, you can get the check overwith quickly and enjoy the rest of your day.

Troglodyte · Joined: 06 Dec 2009

Ask someone at the school to show you on Google Maps where you can find a large hospital that can do the health check. Print it out and just show it to the taxi driver. If it's a large hospital, he should know where it is anyway. Those are landmarks.

While you're at it, ask someone to write down that you're doing the health check for immigration. The hospital should know what tests you need. Even if they don't speak English, they point you down a hall and into a room, or show you a room number. It doesn't take many communication skills to get through it.