Korean Job Discussion Forums

cdnguy · Joined: 07 Apr 2004

So my gf and I are arriving in Korea in the second week of January. As per the title of this post we will be arriving without a contract and will be looking to share housing.

Two issues that need clarifying. First, is it SOP for the school to reimburse airfare cost even though we will be applying in person?

Second, we want to share a house but we would like to be given a larger appartment than would be given to a single person. Basically we would be looking for a place valued at double the cost of a single appartment. Does this sound like it will be difficult to get?

Thanks for all your help.

tomwaits · Joined: 05 Feb 2003 Location: PC Bong

And what about the visa run you will need to do? Some schools might say it's either - or. They re-imburse the flight but you pay the visa trip. My exp is 3 years old so maybe someone more recent can comment.

J.B. Clamence · Joined: 15 Jan 2003

If you sign a contract before coming to Korea, then your school should pay your return airfare. If you apply for a position while in Korea, then the standard is that the school should pay for your visa trip to Japan instead of your airfare to/from your home country. It is a good idea to come here first and apply while you are here, but the down side to that is, of course, you have to pay your own way to get here. But this is of course industry standard: there is no law which requires it, so make sure that it is in your contract.

As far as housing goes, it's all up to your employer. Some schools offer nice housing, others offer crapholes. That is something you will have to negotiate with them when you try to get a job. But of course, that is one advantage of applying while in Korea: you will be able to check out the housing before you sign.

Homer · Guest

1- If you apply in Korea the owner will not reimburse your flight to Korea (why would he???).

He or she usually will pay for your visa run to Japan.

2- The appartment question. It might be difficult to get a bigger appartment but you should be able to get shared accomodations, i.e., what they would give two teachers sharing an appart.

Also, directors are sometimes reluctant to hire couples.

chronicpride · Joined: 16 Jan 2003

TheUrbanMyth · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Location: Retired

Homer · Guest

I stand corrected.

I assume that they would not reimburse. Good news then.

turtlepi1 · Joined: 15 Jun 2004 Location: Abu Dhabi, UAE

Just to clarify...

You are saying that they paid your airfare over (even though you were already "in-country" AND they paid your visa run to Japan?)

I ask because a lot of people have said it is usually either/or You can elect to pay for your visa run and they will pay your ticket over OR they will pay your visa run.

I know every situation is different and it depends on how bad they want you and how big a jam they are in but your post makes it sound like it is common practice for employers to pay both...I'm not sure that is the case after reading many threads...

chronicpride · Joined: 16 Jan 2003

More often than not, I've seen them pay for both. I wouldn't settle for anything less, if I was signing anywhere.

I used to laugh at directors whenever some wanted to start negotiating over who's going to pay for the visa run for the prospective teacher.

cdnguy · Joined: 07 Apr 2004

Thanks to all who responded. I have been backpacking throught South East Asia on my way to Korea so I havent had the time to be more active on dave's.

All your replies are appreciated.

Cheers,