Korean Job Discussion Forums

Hungrypirate · Joined: 07 Jan 2006 Location: Australia

If you're part of a couple working in S.Korea (or know a couple who are), did you:
- apply as a couple for a couple position or go for separate jobs?
- tell recruiters that you were a couple? did this help/hinder?
- move into a shared/single apartment? How did this work given your job offers?

Thanks in advance for any light you can shed. My boyfriend and I are new to this game, have about the same level of experience (some prof./volunteer experience with kids, but not teaching related), I have Master's, he has Bachelor's degree.

HP

kat2 · Joined: 25 Oct 2005 Location: Busan, South Korea

My husband and I have worked at two differnet schools here. We usually tell the recruiters that we are willilng to work at different schools, but we always get offered jobs at teh same school. When going directly through the school, we only look for couple positions. We insist on private accomodations and a 1 bedroom apartment. The school we are at now tried to put the two of us and our dog in a studio, but when we put our foot down they put us in a bigger place. Since jobs almost always include accomodation, the only way to get two jobs is too go through the same school. Its too much of a hassle toget two different schools to decide whose accomodation you will live in and how much the one not providing accomodation should pay the other school, etc. Just go for couple positions. It makes things easier.

Hungrypirate · Joined: 07 Jan 2006 Location: Australia

Thanks ksonnen, your post was very helpful. Did you have any trouble getting your jobs? How long did it take?

kat2 · Joined: 25 Oct 2005 Location: Busan, South Korea

I would give it a few weeks to a month. It will be faster with a recruiter, but as you should have seen on this board, be careful. Use common sense. If something seems fishy, then check it out, but doesn't mean that it is fishy. Korea is a wierd place. Some schools actualy said that they prefer a couple because it means that the teachers are less likely to leave because they are more stable, which I think is true. Let me know if you have any moer questions. Good luck!

fatpat · Joined: 05 Oct 2005 Location: The bright lights of Namchang

Fatpat and I are a couple (we both use the same log in - I am his girlfriend). In our cover letter we requested couple positions. We have ended up in 2 seperate hogwans that are 2 minutes walk apart but with a 2 bedroom apartment to share. The directors obviously share the cost for the apartment. I think it is a good situation to be in because we live together but don't work together so we don't spend all our time together. I think our situation is rare though. We are leaving on 9th April so our jobs will be vacant then......

cruisemonkey · Posted: Fri Jan 20, 2006 8:29 am Post subject:

I've seen one half of a couple get fired - through absolutely no fault of their own - because their partner was an idiot.

Unfair to that individual?... Yes!... but when you fly with the crows...

This is Korea.

cruisemonkey · Posted: Fri Jan 20, 2006 10:44 am Post subject:

In response to the OPs questions, consider the following true story -

Five individuals work at a place of employment. Three are single, two are a couple. The couple gets exactly the same housing as the individuals (nice, two-bedroom apartment, i.e. 'family' housing). The contract stipulates a person/couple can choose the supplied housing or W300,000/mo. in liew. The couple arrives in K-land and sees the individuals have exactly the same housing as the two of them. Consequently, the couple get their 'noses out of joint' because they're "being ripped off" to the tune of W300K/month. But are they?... No!... They were given 'couples' housing as specified in the contract (better than probably 97% of all teachers in K-land).

Human nature being what it is, they figured they should have 'twice' as much (housing) as the individuals... never mind they got all (and more) of what's specifed in their contract(s). It created hard feelings and neither of the couple are still here.

Had they played their card right they could have had the 2-bedroom and W300,000/month.

Hungrypirate · Joined: 07 Jan 2006 Location: Australia

Thank you to fatpat's girlfriend and cruisemonkey.

jaylynn232 · Joined: 25 Nov 2005 Location: Kyeonggi Do

My husband and I came over as a couple. We said that we were willing to work at seperate hogwans, but ended up working at the same place. We are careful to be respectful of eachother's space. We're also careful to make sure other teachers don't treat us as a single unit. We accepted single housing for extra housing money and our bills getting (electricity, gas...). It's not a bad deal.

coulter · Joined: 21 Apr 2004 Location: Gangwon-Do

My girlfriend and I are here as a couple. We applied as a couple (after both having a year's experience in Korea seperately) and got quite a few offers. We didn't use a recruiter since we were in the country already when we started looking for new jobs. We have a one bedroom appartment with a seperate livingroom and kitchen. It is much bigger and more comfortable than our co-worker's single studio. I lived by myself in a single studio appartment last year and it would have really sucked for two people.