Teach English in South Korea, World English Service Ltd. - Living & Surviving in Korea

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Living & Surviving in Korea :
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Living and Surviving in Korea

First, we have stories from teacher's in Korea and also slideshows of Korea which will help you understand what living in Korea is like.

For any Westerner, this country is pretty much the opposite of what you think makes sense, or what you're used to, so brace yourself for a whole culture of surprises.

Our aim in this part of the site is to provide you with the information that will be useful to your adventures in Korea, and help make your time there more enjoyable. Some of it was written by two teaching recruitees, who lived and worked at a hogwan (aka school) in Seoul, so a lot of tips here are from first hand experience (sometimes from doing the wrong thing). It's easier if you know a little beforehand and can come prepared knowing what to expect.

Korea in General

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In the past 20 years, Korea has experienced some of the most rapid economic and industrial growth in the world. It is now considered a newly developed nation. (Hyundai, Samsung, Daewoo, and Gold Star/LG are all well-known Korean companies very successful in the international marketplace.) The prominence of Korea in the world market and politics has also caused changes in the social realm. While still holding to basic core beliefs such as honoring and dedicating oneself to family and country, Western individualism and thoughts are making inroads.

There is a pages of general information links and map links that may be of interest.

To better understand the Korea of today, one must learn about Korean people, Korean geography, Korean culture, Korean history, and the recent economic and political transitions. And, keep in mind, the country continues rapid development and other changes. In my experience, it is somewhat difficult for one to give an accurate assessment of Korea to another. This is not only because of the rapid changes, but because each person views things differently based on their experiences, attitude and personality.

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In general the capacity to save money is very high with your average costs being about 25-30% of your income, for daily living, eating, utilities and transport! All contracts include a fully paid one-way ticket for travel to Korea, with the return price being reimbursed to you with the completion of your 12-month contract in the majority of contracts, although some do not provide your return airfare. The Korean law states that a severance bonus of 1 month extra pay must be paid at the end of your 12-month contract.

Even thought the cost of living in Korea is much lower than in Japan, housing is still the biggest cost for Koreans, but for teacher's housing is free (general utility charges such as electricity and phone are your only costs). Transport by subway, taxi or bus is very cheap. Seoul has one of the most modern and largest underground subway systems in the world with the average cost of travel right across Seoul only about $2NZ. Extensive and inexpensive rail, air and road services mean that any travel around Korea is easily undertaken. The average time to travel from the top of Korea to the bottom is 5 hours by car. Generally the train and express bus systems are extremely reliable, regular, cheap and comfortable.

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Design & development by Karere.

Red pepper stalls

Red pepper stalls

City street