Korean Job Discussion Forums

[demaratus]

Hi All.

I have some questions regarding life upon arrival in Korea. Here they are:

1. Is roughly $1000 Can enough to keep a person afloat before their first payday in Seoul or Busan? Do schools generally provide advances if needed?

2. Are there any procedures i.e. Medical exams with blood tests, a person should be prepared for prior to arrival? And if so what are the costs roughly, do the schools cover them?

3. Is it advisable to bring any teaching materials I have from home? Or prizes ect....

4. Is it appropriate to bring a gift from your home to your new boss or co-workers?


More to come later,

Thanks,

Dem

[demaratus]

Oh and I should clairify that I will be bringing enough personal items (i.e. Hygene and such) that I won't need to purchase these things for the first month or so.

[Yu_Bum_suk]

1. You should be all right until your first paycheque. Don't splurge.

2. No. If they want you to get a medical, let them arrange it.

3. It wouldn't hurt. Some prizes from home is a good idea but I wouldn't use up too much space in your luguage for it, if I were you.

4. A bottle of something makes a nice gift for your new boss. A small souvenir like a Canada pin makes a nice gift for co-workers. Go to your MP's office. They'll give you a bag of Canada pins for free.

[mrd]

I went for a physical before I left Canada for Korea. My doctor suggested that I get the Hep A shot - and indeed, travel books on Korea will suggest you do the same.

Hep A is not the same as a Hep C shots that you got elementary school, and can be given one week after you recieve the first. Something to ask your doctor about.

I bought the owner a bottle of Johnnie Walker, and the vice-principle a bottle of Canadian Club, I wish that I brought gifts for the Korean teachers at my school though. There are about 6 of them here - in retrospect - I would have brought 6 little bottles of Iniskillin Ice Wine since the stuff is crazy expensive here.

[demaratus]

Yeah I have physicals done yearly. I will definatley be getting one here before I go (I am very glad I did prior to going to Taiwan!). My question should be expanded then to ask, if a person needs to bring documentation of their physical with them (or other documents like immunization records ect) and if it is a requirement to have one done when you get to Korea. It is a requirement in Taiwan, they do chest x-rays, blood tests (specifically for hiv and other stds, not sure about narcotics) and other tests (they made some of my friends do a stool sample). If I had to do one in Korea I would probably just wait as I have had all my required vaccinations for Korea when I went to Taiwan.

Thanks,

Dem

[spliff]

If you've never had chicken pox as a child you'll want to get a vaccine for it before you come. I never had the pox when I was young and the vaccine was not available then and, I got it here. It's hell to get when you're an adult! I thought I was gonna die, hospitalized for a week.

[Yu_Bum_suk]

[demaratus]

Is it a requirement? Should I bank on having to do one?

[xtchr]

It is a generally a requirement for public school teachers to have a once yearly health check. But hagwons usually have no such requirement.

Note the use of 'generally' and 'usually'. No two jobs or employers or provinces or offices are the same. Never knowing what is going to happen for sure helps to keep the thrill of living here alive

[demaratus]

Thanks for the replies. The reason I asked is in Taiwan there are a number of government mandated things a person must do to get an arc. The Physical exam/test is one. It has nothing at all to do with the schools and evrything to do with the government being scared of "foriegn diseases" and foriegners who may be a strain on the health system.