Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Decisions]

General question about the need for travel health insurance and what people think about South Korean health services? Personally, I'm an EPIK teacher and I have been advised to get travel insurance by my recruiter in spite of the fact that I should be technically covered with government health insurance when I get there. I found this slightly bizarre. I fully understand that I may have to wait for the first month to get my ARC card to register for health cover, and that travel health insurance also covers you whilst in transit between your home country and Korea as well as in the case of certain thefts / lost luggage, but I still found it a little strange that it would be stressed as much as it has. It also makes me more than a little suspicious that my recruiter is promoting a Travel Health Insurance that it is partnered with. Does anyone have any more insight into this? Have people on the whole bought travel health insurance? For the first month, or their entire stay, or even at all?

Many thanks.

[Blanca]

As far as I'm aware, you're not covered by the national healthcare insurance whilst you do your orientation and until you get your ARC. Therefore you'll need some extra cover for this time. Trust me, you don't want to be shelling out for healthcare without it (although if you're American it won't seem so bad). I wouldn't trust the recruiter's insurance though. Shop around for the best deal, there's loads of companies that will cover you for the first couple of months, especially if you've been in your home country for 6 of the last 12 months.

Speaking from personal experience the national insurance is pretty good once you get it. My girlfriend had a month in hospital and all manner of things done to her and it only(!) cost $5000. Visits to the doctor will set you back $5 or so and a load of medication maybe as much again. If you plan on being very sick then it's worth having extra cover but you almost certainly won't need it.

[Pinehurst]

This is a good site for finding insurance for a variety of circumstances:
http://www.insuremytrip.com/