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jewelz
Joined: 25 Sep 2006
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 Posted: Mon Sep 25, 2006 3:47 pm Post subject: tooth attack on my first day of teaching!!! |
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Oh my goodness,
I knew I should of saw the dentist b4 I left Canada....
All of the sugar and coffee I drank the first few days here in korea spiked my tooth sensitivity again...
I had four middle school students during my 6 o clock class and had to leave. I asked my boss, the director, to take over I ran home and grabbed my sensodyne. She overlooked it as i came back in a flash!!
O.k. so no more caffeine or sugar ... whine whine
On top of that I made huge efforts to come ot KOrea with my young daughter!!
O.k so day two in this new for me 'hagwon sytem' ... ohh god help me now!! |
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ThePoet
Joined: 15 May 2004
Location: No longer in Korea - just lurking here
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| Posted: Mon Sep 25, 2006 4:16 pm Post subject: |
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Welcome to Korea,
I hope the rest of your year goes better than your first day.
Dentists here are relatively inexpensive. When you are on the National Health coverage (remind your boss about that), a cavity filling is about 10,000 won. Most dentists speak English at least a little, and most have fully modern facilities with the latest and greatest whoop-dee-doo dental machinery and gadgets.
I would also recommend that for future emergencies when a dentist may be closed due to chuseok or weekend, that you invest in this product: http://www.dentanurse.com/homeuse.html#KIT
It is a great emergency dental kit that will take away your problems temporarily. I broke a tooth and it was so jagged that my tongue was starting to bleed...patched it right up.until I could see my dentist on Monday.
Poet |
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sheba
Joined: 16 May 2005
Location: Here there and everywhere!
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| Posted: Mon Sep 25, 2006 7:19 pm Post subject: |
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Yeah the dentists are cheap compared to back home, and even cheaper with health insurance! I had a root canal a few months back and the 8 visits it took cost about 50,000 won total.
My friend had a root canal without insurance and it cost her 50,000 won for the first visit. Back home it cost me about the same just for a check up though! |
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jewelz
Joined: 25 Sep 2006
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| Posted: Tue Sep 26, 2006 3:06 pm Post subject: health plan |
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Hi,
My boss has a special deal cut with the local doctor where her foreign teachers in the past just pay a small fee and it goes under her plan... I pay like 3000 won just for a visit etc. I really never get sick back home b/c I havea few tricks and me and my daughter were exposed to every germ and virus in the planet from her daycare. On short, this does not worry me.
WOuld the cost of the dentist fees directly, override all the medical fees, or should I insist to pay into this plan. Maybe she can work something out with the dentist.
Thanks for your insight...
small town foreigner... ahhay |
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Real Reality
Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Tue Sep 26, 2006 3:28 pm Post subject: Re: health plan |
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| jewelz wrote: |
Hi,
My boss has a special deal cut with the local doctor where her foreign teachers in the past just pay a small fee and it goes under her plan... I pay like 3000 won just for a visit etc. |
"Special deal?" Is that as in illegal deal? Is that as in if you really have an expensive medical bill your boss will leave you with the bill without any of your own insurance coverage. |
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Hyalucent
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: British North America
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| Posted: Tue Sep 26, 2006 5:32 pm Post subject: |
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No complaints here either, especially that I never had to book an appointment. Just walk in and they'll find you a seat within a few minutes.
Back in Canada, you can't get in for a checkup or cleaning without scheduling an initial examination and X-rays first. You have to twist their arm to get them to do it on the same visit... then it's an hour to get serviced by the hygenist and another half hour wait for the actual dentist to come in, sign the papers, and lecture you on all the expensive things you should do... teeth caps, just in case, full wrap X-rays for my wisdom teeth... Chrissakes they even asked if I wanted to look into braces. All these were "preventative", in other words, not necessary... but, "Hey! You have dental coverage with your company, right?!"
Seeing a brand new dentist in Korea to get my teeth cleaned: 30,000 Won and 20 minutes.
Same in Canada: Book a week in advance, total of $171 bucks less private medical coverage. |
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VanIslander
Joined: 18 Aug 2003
Location: Geoje, Hadong, Tongyeong,... now in a small coastal island town outside Gyeongsangnamdo!
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| Posted: Tue Sep 26, 2006 5:41 pm Post subject: Re: tooth attack on my first day of teaching!!! |
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| jewelz wrote: |
| All of the sugar and coffee I drank the first few days here in korea spiked my tooth sensitivity again |
This country even causes toothaches! 
I haven't had a toothache in over twenty years. Knock on wood.
I have heard from others I've met who've had it done that it's quick and cheap to get dental work here, but not always painless.
Good luck whatever. |
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Novernae
Joined: 02 Mar 2005
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| Posted: Tue Sep 26, 2006 6:15 pm Post subject: Re: health plan |
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| jewelz wrote: |
Hi,
My boss has a special deal cut with the local doctor where her foreign teachers in the past just pay a small fee and it goes under her plan... I pay like 3000 won just for a visit etc. I really never get sick back home b/c I havea few tricks and me and my daughter were exposed to every germ and virus in the planet from her daycare. On short, this does not worry me.
WOuld the cost of the dentist fees directly, override all the medical fees, or should I insist to pay into this plan. Maybe she can work something out with the dentist.
Thanks for your insight...
small town foreigner... ahhay |
wonderful.... insurance fraud.... 
It is illegal to not have National Health Insurance. This probably means they are not paying into your pensions which you get back with your contibutions doubled if you are Canadian or American (as signing you up for one would put you on the radar for the other) |
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jewelz
Joined: 25 Sep 2006
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| Posted: Tue Sep 26, 2006 6:28 pm Post subject: ok the bottom line on insurance |
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I will ask her about all of this pension mumbo jumbo with my health insurance etc.
Also, I really do not like following the rules as much as possible b/c you get screwed no matter which way you look at it...
However, if this is serious I may have to follow the rules, however my predecessors, three other teachers prior to me were in the same shoes... |
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Novernae
Joined: 02 Mar 2005
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| Posted: Tue Sep 26, 2006 6:37 pm Post subject: Re: ok the bottom line on insurance |
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| jewelz wrote: |
I will ask her about all of this pension mumbo jumbo with my health insurance etc.
Also, I really do not like following the rules as much as possible b/c you get screwed no matter which way you look at it...
However, if this is serious I may have to follow the rules, however my predecessors, three other teachers prior to me were in the same shoes... |
As for the pension, you mentioned in another thread you are from Victoria. It is in your best interest to have the pension as in the end, on a 2 million won salary you will be reimbursed over 2.1 million in a lump sum, half of which you paid, and half of which your employer paid... that's a million won bonus that you would not be getting. Also, if you are found not to be under the health plan at anytime during your year, the government will make you pay back payments from the time you arrived, for services you wouldn't have been using. |
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