So, I’m from the states. While the move here wasn’t a planned out one, I’m realizing more and more it was a great one.
Back home, I used to pay about 30% or so in taxes. Even when I was paying less, it always was about that in general. Here, it’s a flat 3.3% for basically everyone. So, if you calculate it, you would basically see these type of returns:
Income made in Korea The income value in the U.S. inflated b/c of the higher taxes
2,000,000 won/mo = $25k $34,535
3,000,000 won/mo = $37.5k $51,803
4,000,000 won/mo = $50k $69,071
5,000,000 won/mo = $62.5k $86,339
Just consider yourself getting a raise by moving here. I don’t see myself leaving for quite a while. I was offered Continue Reading »
Chah-mae – Korean yellow melons you eat with the seeds
Tangerines in the winter – they are so cheap in the winter
Cheap food delivery – you can’t beat the price, the speed and the taste
Work ethic of people – I’ve never seen so many people who work their butts for $3 (American) an hour… Continue Reading »
So, I got this flyer in my friend’s Korean local newspaper today and it had a bunch of pictures of lambs on it, but the man behind them wasn’t your ordinary sheep herder. He was Korean. I took a closer look at the flyer and it looked like the green, lush fields from back home (Seattle). The fields reminded me of what it would look like in potentially Switzerland or in Wisconsin. However, then there were Korean signs saying “Herb Country” with little minature castles or structures that resembled them. Continue Reading »
I’d argue there are definitely some things missing here, but it’s not a bad primer to read before moving here.
Overview:
Living in Korea can be an eye opening experience if it is your first time immersed in an Asian culture.
Housing
To accommodate the wide range of people living in Korea, there are many different types of bachelor suites and studio apartments designed to fit the basic needs of the masses along with apartments and other forms of housing.
As an instructor at CDI, you will be living in a typical studio apartment/bachelor suite that caters to the busy life of a single person. These apartments are not spacious but are adequate for one person to live comfortably on his/her days off. Fortunately, these apartments are in good condition and are very clean. If you are expecting a big fancy loft, you will find yourself in great disappointment, but if you have a positive and realistic attitude about housing in a metropolitan city, you will be pleasantly surprised.
All of these apartments will have modern and western bathroom facilities with a toilet, sink and shower. Bathtubs are generally very rare in single housing accommodations in Korea.
Most CDI instructors will have housing in a “Villa” or an “Officetel” when they live in Korea. Most single housing in Korea is located in either of these two structures that are dispersed throughout the city.
- i. Villa – The smaller buildings that contain these accommodations are referred to as “Villas,” in Korea. A majority of these buildings are located in the residential sections of the city and are more affordable due to the low maintenance costs. These buildings typically have an owner that resides in the building while playing the role of the superintendent.
- ii. Officetel – The tall buildings that have both residential and light commercial accommodations are called “Officetels,” in Korea. These Officetels are all fairly new, which means that they all come with updated technology. Most of the suites in the Officetels have keyless entry and other neat features, depending on the location. The costs may be higher than the villas due to the building maintenance. One of the advantages of living in an Officetel is the close proximity to shops and services, which may sometimes be situated in the building itself.Under the monthly remuneration package, your single housing accommodation will come furnished with a bed, refrigerator, stove, A/C and washing machine for your convenience.
Communications/Cell Phones
We highly recommend you acquire a cellular phone when you arrive to Korea and want to live here. Almost everyone in the country owns a cell phone, and it is the main channel for CDI communication. Instructors will need to acquire the Alien Registration Card from the immigration office before being able to register for cellular phone service. All cell phones have the capability to send and receive text and email messages, and also can make and receive international calls. Once hired, we are available to assist you in the process of acquiring a cell phone. An average monthly usage bill can range between 30 to 70 US dollars, and brand new cellular phones average between 100 to 500 US dollars depending on the capabilities. However, approximately 200 US dollars will get you a brand new color phone with a digital camera and MP3 music capability. It is also easy to purchase used phones at a highly discounted price, as low as 40 US dollars.
Korea boasts the world’s fastest and easiest access to the information superhighway. You can choose from a variety of bandwidths, pertaining to your needs, and usually get connected without a service charge, if agreeing to a one year contract. The average cost for internet service costs about 20 to 30 US dollars. “PC bangs” are Korea’s version of an Internet Cafe also know as a ‘game rooms,’ are available near most residential areas, and its computers costs about 1 to 2 US dollars per hour to use.
Many instructors desire to study the Korean language during their time in Korea. While some courses are available at established adult language institutes, there are some ways of learning Korean at no cost from local community centers, language exchange groups, and through private tutors. For individuals who are looking for more intensive studies, there are a number of Korean universities that offer both short-term and long-term courses working towards a language proficiency certificate.
Greetings
The formal way of saying “hello” in Korean is an-nyung-ha-sae-yo. Much like in the West, Koreans say this when meeting and greeting each other. It also implies the question, “how are you?” Among close friends a shorter verse of the word, an-nyung, is used, which also used as goodbye.
Most Koreans will also bow their heads when greeting each other but not necessarily all the time. Usually, the closer the friendship, the less need for the formality. However, Koreans do tend to bow when greeting an older person or their employers. Shaking hands is also common in Korea when greeting one another.
Do not be too distracted if Koreans do not look you directly in the eye when speaking. It is considered impolite to stare into the eyes, especially to an older person. However, the younger generation of students will make eye contact and instructors should encourage the students to make friendly eye contact when engaging in conversation.
Banking/Money
You will need at least a passport to open a bank account locally in any city throughout Korea. However, many will require also your Alien Registration Card as well to open up the account.
Currently, the largest denomination of Korean won is the 10,000 won bill called “Man-won.” There are checks which you can get in 100,000 won and 1,000,000 denominations.
There is also online banking available while living in Korea.
Instructors send money home for a variety of reasons. The most common method is using wire transfers. There is a limit to how much you can send at one time and the fee will depend on the amount that is sent, keep in mind that the person receiving the funds will also be charged a small fee. This is a simple procedure that can be done at the bank you receive your monthly pay.
Daily Amenities
Health and fitness clubs are easily accessible, and typically offer aerobic and weightlifting equipment. Some clubs also offer yoga, Pilates, and other fitness programs to help you maintain your level of fitness. Some locations throughout Korea will have saunas too. Most gyms have a monthly and/or yearly fee, ranging from 50 to 150 US dollars per month based on various membership packages. Outdoor sports such as soccer and basketball are also common. While tennis courts are few and usually require a reservation and court usage fee, basketball courts and soccer fields can be readily found at schoolyards and in local neighborhoods for public use. Golf in Korea is quite expensive ranging up to 200 US dollars for 18 holes and a caddy. Driving ranges cost about 10 to 20 dollars per hour, and may be a more manageable way to practice your swing.
Recreation
Skiing and snowboarding are also very popular winter sports in Korea. Slopes are just an hour or two away from most major cities. Equipment and ski clothing can be rented at most locations with the cost ranging from about 100 to 150 dollars for lift tickets, rental equipment and lunch. If you plan to do a lot of snowboarding or skiing in Korea, it might be wise to invest in used equipment, which is commonly available at very reasonable prices.
Local Culture
Koreans are quite friendly to foreigners and will generally show interest in your well-being. Koreans especially welcome those who smile and make genuine efforts to understand and appreciate the Korean language and culture. Patience is a virtue, and the more open you are to experiencing Korea, the fuller and more enriching your visit will be.
By general consensus, Koreans are viewed to be quite rushed and always in a hurry. While this may be an over generalization, people in larger metropolis do tend to be more in a hurry when seen on subways and busy streets. People in smaller cities and neighborhoods tend to be more relaxed and leisurely in their daily activities. We recommend that you take the time to get familiar with your new surroundings and to appreciate the different cultures within the country.
Punctuality is quite important to Koreans and to CDI. Making that extra effort to arrive at an appointment a little early will leave a lasting impression about you on your host country. Although taxis are quite inexpensive and abundant in most Korean cities, the subway and bus systems are the most reliable as they are less subjected to traffic congestions and will usually get you to where you want to be on time.
So, that’s it for our general guide to “living in Korea” — we’ll try to update this regularly & add more information over time that you find helpful. If you find anything that would help you live in Korea more comfortably or enjoyably, please feel free to leave a comment below. Thanks for reading our “Living in Korea” Guide. Cheers.
This will be brief, but I thought I’d make a quick comment on the emoticons used in Korea in terms of the Internet and also on the cell phones.
In the United States, we would use this for a happy face: 
– a sideways happy face, but the Koreans use other symbols like this: ^^
Here’s some more to increase your “social capabilities” in Korea:
happy or smiles: ^^, ^-^, ^__^, ^ㅡ^-_- ← an expressionless face
shy: *-_-*
crying: ㅠ_ㅠ
stressed: -_-;;
dizzy: @.@
wanting something: +_+
So, I found the following to help people conduct the above while living in Korea.
Dial 00799 (with no prefix) if you would like the help of an operator from Korea Telecom in making an international call. You can do this from anywhere in the country, and there are a diverse range of services available. First dial 00799, and an operator will answer. Ask for the desired service, and you will be connected. Continue Reading »
Just saw this in the Herald…
“A charity garage sale to be held this Saturday will have ’everything you want for the home,
‘according to the organizers….
The sale will take place at Duksung High School, Anguk Station, Line 3, Exit 6, from noon to 4p.m.
There is also unlimited free parking on the school grounds.
Email edith@adaptablehs.com for more information.”
Korea is the 108th largest country in the world…making it pretty small. However, it still produces more than $1 trillion dollars in gross domestic product — making it the 11th largest economy in the world. Wow…
It’s true it’s 25th in the world as far as population occurs, but it’s still at least performing twice as good as it’s population numbers. It also can boast as being the #2 country in the world in terms of science & math according to the Trends in Int’l Mathematics and Science Study at the Institute of Education Sciences in 2003.
Sometimes I wondered how the kids could handle the enormous load of after school classes at the “hagwons” or “cram schools” as it’s labeled elsewhere. I don’t always feel great about the kids studying so much, but when it shows that such a small country has gained so much on the International stage, it is no wonder.
Koreans make life “so cheap” that people can work here for years and just save and save and save. I know many people who have paid of college loans, built up a little bit of savings so they can take it home to create a business or start a new life, people who have paid back debts they’ve accumulated in other countries, etc. We have to thank all those Ajumas who work for pennies on the dollar or should I say “ship wons” on the “chun won” bills. We have to thank all those Ajushis who will work for what we equate to pennies to just make enough to eat on a daily basis. Koreans haven’t escalated the prices of most consumer goods…so there haven’t been greedy people making it impossible to make a living. Simply, Koreans have created a society that makes it so much easier to save.
For example, many people come to teach in Korea vs. Japan or elsewhere in Asia because they can’t save elsewhere. However, due to the really low cost of living, people are truly exporting lots of money out the country because Koreans have made it so cheap for them to live in their country. It’s something a lot of foreigners truly don’t think about, nor care…
Nevertheless, I wanted to say “thank you” to all those people who make literally nothing while we, as English teaching professionals make 2X’s, 3X’s or sometimes as much as 10X’s or more than most Koreans and honestly don’t give a rip about the country we spend only a few years in. People should literally be more thankful while living here in Korea.
Announced today, Universal Studios says it is going to open up a theme park in Korea. The only downside is that it will be by 2012…which is a good 5 years away. Then again, it did say “by 2012″ and given the speed at which Koreans build things, it should be done in about 2 years…just kidding, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was done by 2010.
They said the park could be larger than the one in Hollywood or the one in Japan.
Life could be more “entertaining” for us living in Korea after 2010…then again, Koreans build things faster than I’ve seen any country build anything…so it may be here before then or something even better before then. Well, it is only 3 years away, if it turns out to be 2010 anyway. I know I’m planning on living in Korea until then.
For more details, click here for the link to the CNN reported story.
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