Home Sweet Home

As a Public School Native English Speaking Teacher you will be provided with a modern, clean, single, apartment - rent free. The day of your arrival you will be met at the airport by a personal driver and driven directly to your new home where you will be be met by your co-teacher who will introduce you to your new surroundings and help you get adjusted and settled in.

The apartment provided by your school is clean, modern, and just for you unless you are hired as a couple position and requested shared accommodation. Your apartment is located within a 5~10 minutes walking distance from your school (GEPIK program only). Though housing is provided to you rent free, you are responsible for your utility bills which include electricity, water, gas, and Internet service if you choose to have service at home (highly recommended as it is high speed and quite cheap). All total you can expect to spend around 50,000- 70, 000 won ($50-$70) per month on utility bills. Korean apartments are efficient and do not require a lot of money to keep comfortable, warm or cool.

Public school teacher house in Bucheon

Most likely your apartment will include an "ondol" heating system which warms the floor throughout the apartment regulated by a thermostat which you control using steamed water as opposed to central heating as in the west. It is an efficient heating system and your air conditioner will be a small unit attached to the wall on the inside of your apartment. Running the A/C for just a few minutes can easily cool off an apartment. Running your A/C unchecked for several hours could result in fairly high electricity bills.

While the apartments sizes can vary depending on location and school they generally fall into a couple of styles. These include studio, one bedroom, villa, or newer "officetels". Apartments blocks are very common in Korea (especially in larger cities with denser populations). Your apartment most likely will be in a block of apartments which will have several shops on the ground level and several floors of apartments on the upper floors. These are designed for the convenience of the tenants of such apartments to have easy access to shopping and other services.

Each apartment comes furnished with some basic necessities including a bed, refrigerator, A/C, stove, TV, desk, closet, washing machine, small living room furniture, and a few kitchen utensils. Your contract should have a checklist of items that are provided to you and which must remain in the apartment once you leave. Your housing is provided for you, however you are responsible for providing a security deposit of 900,000 Korean won which will be subtracted from your first three pay periods of 300,00 won each. This will be returned to you at the end of your contract assuming no damage has been done to the apartment outside of usual wear and tear. Up keep and general maintenance is the responsibility of the teacher but If you need a major repair the school will contact the building manager to get it sorted out.

If you choose to provide your own housing you will receive 400,000 Korean won per month on top of your salary as a stipend. It is recommended to take the free apartment for first year teachers as Korean real estate can be quite confusing and quite expensive due to the large deposit required to rent your own apartment.

Korea has many types of residences such as individual houses, villas, tenement houses, and apartments. Most housing complexes in Korea do not come furnished, and damages to the residence during the lease period must be compensated by the tenant.

Individual house

This is a house built on selected land for a single family. Each house has its own private gate and garden. Many foreign workers in Korea choose to rent a house and live together. The house owner receives.

Villa

This is a type of common housing where many individual living quarters exist in a single building. Each living quarter has its own bedroom, kitchen, and bathroom, and separate heating as well. Tenants can pay in the form of monthly rent or Jeonse (long-term rent).

Tenement house

This type of housing is similar to individual house in that it is built on private property, but the purpose is to create a tenancy. These houses cannot have more then 4 stories and at least one side of individual tenements within the complex will meet another tenement. In a strict sense, it is different from apartments in that each household has its own private yard. Tenants can pay in the form of monthly rent or Jeonse (long-term rent).

Apartment

Apartments have become the most common type of housing in Korea because it efficiently utilizes the country's limited land space. The whole complex (including playground and park) is shared and jointly managed by occupants except for individual flats. Apartments are usually bought by occupants, but Jeonse (long-term rent) is possible and there are apartments for rent as well.

Taking life's hardest decision, to work and live abroad should not be treated lightly. Many people today migrate to another country searching for jobs. If you are looking for an ESL job abroad or ESL teaching jobs in Korea, we at KorVia consultancy assure you to deliver our best support for each and everything you require to settle down as an ESL teacher in Korea.

Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites