After the initial worry about location and salary, the next biggest question is typically, “Where am I going to be living?” This is truly a valid and potential deal maker or breaker, as it can have possibly the greatest effect on the level of comfort you experience while in Korea.
As stated before, in most cases, your school will provide you with your housing. They will make every effort to make sure that you are comfortably situated in a place that is within walking distance from the school. Most times, the apartment provided will be a studio or one bedroom apartment for single teachers. There are schools that offer shared accommodation, which you may request if you are coming with a friend and/or wish to make the transition to living in Korea a little easier. The shared accommodation that you would receive would be larger than a single person studio, obviously!
Below is a semi-comprehensive list of the types of accommodation that may be offered to native English teachers when they arrive in Korea.
Korean apartments are measured in the Korean unit of pyeong (평 “pyawng”). For all measurements, bear in mind that 1 pyeong = 3.3 sq. meters = 35 sq. feet.
Officetels are much like studio apartments. They are intended to be used for work or study during the day, while at night they are used for lodging. They allow tenants to live and work without having to commute, and are popular among people running home businesses. A maintenance and utility fee is usually required, as the apartment is furnished by the building (which, on average, works out to be about $100 USD/month).
Studio Type B - Joo-Taek
(Generally measures between 10-13 pyeong for one person) Also called a villa (빌라 “bil-lah”) or yeon-lip (연립 “yawl-lip”), this type of studio is in a smaller building (usually under 5 stories) and does not come furnished (the school will furnish it for you, not the building manager). Unlike apartments, there is no central management for security or maintenance. Some villas may have underground or designated parking areas. The types of apartments can range from typical studio (one room) apartments to two (2) or three (3) rooms and usually there are no maintenance fees.
High-rise Apartments
Korean families typically live in apartment complexes with several large (more than 5 storeys) apartment buildings, with a centralized management office which controls maintenance and security. The apartments usually contain a kitchen, a living room and multiple bedrooms which are separate from each other. These apartments are not furnished by the apartment complex’s owner, and should be furnished by the school. As these apartments have two (2) to four (4) bedrooms, these types of apartments are usually provided to teachers requesting shared housing. Each teacher will get their own room and will share a common living room, kitchen and bathroom. The monthly maintenance fee and utilities will be divided equally among all the teachers living in the apartment.Serviced Apartments
Serviced apartments are similar to hotels. They are fully furnished spaces that often have a cleaning service and can be very pricey. The buildings which house the apartments will also have convenience stores, gyms and/or restaurants as well. A very small percentage of schools will provide housing of this type.
Home Stays
It is possible to live in the home of a Korean family. It’s truly the best way to totally immerse yourself in the Korean language and culture. You would have you would have your own bedroom and share the other facilities of the home with the family members. Most host families would gladly open their doors to you and try to make you as comfortable as possible, but they may also expect that you teach English to the parents or their children.In any of the above cases, if the school is providing you housing it will be furnished. To make sure that it has exactly what you need, all you need to do is ask! That’s also the best way to find out in advance what things you need to bring and what things can be left behind (or bought upon arrival in Korea).
Renting Your Own Place
There is always the option, depending upon your particular situation, of finding your own housing. If you choose to find your own housing, the school will usually offer a monthly housing allowance (in addition to your monthly paycheck) to take some of the burden off of you. In these cases, the allowance will be around the cost of one month’s rent for a single studio apartment (around 300,000-500,000 won per month).
One thing that you must keep in mind is that, unlike most places in America and Canada, Koreans usually buy their apartments. A large amount of money (considered a key deposit) is paid upfront with no monthly rent. These days, it is becoming more and more common for people to pay a smaller key deposit, and then also pay a smaller monthly rent. And, in some areas (particularly those areas with a high concentration of native English teachers) there are places that rent rooms requiring no key deposit, usually requiring a higher monthly rent. The exact amount of the key deposit and rent depends on the type of housing; larger, more luxurious apartments will naturally require greater amounts. At the end of your contract, the amount of the key money will be refunded. So, it’s all up to you. No matter what, with a little looking, a suitable living space can always be found.
If you are planning on finding your own housing in Korea, there are numerous ways to get information on housing in any of the cities of Korea. There are a few sites that can point you in the right direction of available housing. However, most of the sites that are in English deal with housing in the Seoul area. For other areas, it would be wise to visit local realtor offices (부동산 “boo-dohng-sahn”) that are located in the area where you will be teaching. Below are some sites which offer listings in English.
www.housingfinder.com
www.nicerent.com
www.seoulapartment.net
www.sublet.net/BusanApartmentRentals.html
Also, keep an eye on Facebook and the seoul listing for Craigslist. Apartments are listed in both places, and can be quite reasonable.
Miscellaneous Information and Costs
All of the housing in Korea uses the Ondol (온돌) style heating system. Ondol is an under-the-floor heating system where, traditionally, hot smoke from a wood fire would be passed along chambers built under the floor of the house, which in turn heats thick masonry slabs directly under the living surface. These slabs would retain the heat, taking the nip out of the cold winter days.There were, however, some problems with this type of system, from health hazards (potential carbon monoxide poisoning), to uneven distribution of the heat, to environmental concerns.
with holes in the before you come to Korea!
Today, a more modern system of using circulating hot water or electrical heating is used instead to heat the floors. Even though you may need a humidifier to keep your apartment from drying out, this system is especially nice because it eliminates the stepping out of bed onto a cold floor in the mornings! The cost of running the system isn’t that great, but be careful how much you let it run. The same goes for the air conditioner in the summers!
Also, as it other Asian countries, it is custom to take off you shoes before entering someone’s house. All apartments have a landing in the entryway where guests remove their shoes before stepping into the living area. This custom has been practice for ages and has not been changed by the passing of time. Taking off your shoes is still a sign of respect to the owner of the house and a practical way to keep the floors clean. So, remember to replace your socks
Also, as it other Asian countries, it is custom to take off you shoes before entering someone’s house. All apartments have a landing in the entryway where guests remove their shoes before stepping into the living area. This custom has been practice for ages and has not been changed by the passing of time. Taking off your shoes is still a sign of respect to the owner of the house and a practical way to keep the floors clean. So, remember to replace your socks
