|
|
|
|
|
General Frequently Asked Questions About Living in Korea
|
This FAQs section contains questions about general living in Korea and also about the program.
How much money should I take with me to Korea?
| Top of Page
|
Take as much as possible, it never hurts to have extra money. After travelling to Korea you should be refunded your air-ticket costs within 2 weeks of your arrival, and usually this does cover all your living and food expenses for the first month. Make sure you will have about $1000 NZ either due from your ticket or in cash when you arrive. Having a visa credit card is always a good idea for 'back-up finance'.
Take as many personal items as you think you will need. You will not need to take things such as crockery etc. as that is provided with any teacher's housing. It might be a good idea to take 2 sheets (small double size) as sheets are not commonly used in Korea. You may like to consider taking a favourite soft pillow, as the Korean pillows can be rather hard. If possible take a good supply of reading material and be prepared to swap these with other teachers. There are a few big stores in the larger cities that have English books for sale, but they are not always cheap. Many people take a lightweight iron with them as this is usually not provided at your apartment and is needed soon after arrival.
Generally all clothing items available are of good quality and are very reasonably priced BUT if you are tall or bigger than a size 10-12 NZ female size, or a 6 foot something, NZ built rugby player, you may struggle to get anything to fit you! Some of the shops in the tourist area of Itaewon, located in the centre of Seoul (Seoul links), have some larger sizes, but don't expect a good supply. The big worry is footwear, as the Korean shoes are not made to fit foot sizes greater than about a size 5 NZ female! Also if your feet are wide and not thin, you will have difficulty with fitting them comfortably. You can arrange to get clothes and shoes made to fit in the Iteawon shopping areas. Consider going on a shopping binge prior to leaving NZ to stock up on a lot of basic items such as shoes that will last you for a long time, and cover the extreme climatic changes between summer and winter.
Contrary to what you would expect from a country that exports many famous electrical brands worldwide, the prices of all goods such as CD players, computers can be a lot higher than in NZ. Consider taking your own electronic items such as CD players and buying adapters! CD's and tapes are freely available and not too expensive. The power adapter needed for Korea is mostly labeled as the European adapter. It is easily recognizable as two large round points.
Korea's climate allows you to not have to wear a jacket from about April to the end of November. As soon as the last week in November arrives, be prepared for a dramatic drop of the temperatures in a short period of time. You will be wearing only very very light clothes in the months from June to August as it can be extremely hot and humid. When winter hits from December to February you will need a supply of very warm clothing for outside wearing as it can get to -15 degrees Celcius (and it feels like you could be in Siberia!). Inside all buildings you will be extremely warm because of the ondol heating in the floors. You will not need extra bedding in winter, and will most likely need to humidify your house because of the dry warmth.
The cost of living in Korea is generally relative to the income you are earning. It is certainly a lot less than if you were living in Japan! General costs such as transport are low. The big costs for Koreans are housing and education. The cost of living varies from larger cities to smaller cities (Seoul links, city/province links). Your monthly expenses will largely depend on your discretion and how you choose to spend your money. Korean food is a lot cheaper than eating at the Western restaurants such as 'Tony Romas', 'T.G.I.F.', 'The Outback' or 'Skylarks'. There are plenty of McDonalds, Burger King, KFC and pizza outlets all around Korea.
Can I exchange my Korean won to US dollars?
| Top of Page
|
Yes. You can exchange to US dollars if you wish. But during your stay in Korea there will be no need for you to convert Korean Won to US dollars or any other foreign currency. All vendors prefer Korean Won. If you are intending to travel for a short holiday however, it is a good idea to always convert your money to American dollars to take with you.
How can I organize for loan payments in New Zealand?
| Top of Page
|
There are different ways that you can organize your affairs. World English Service Ltd is not able to offer any official advice in any area of finance or tax areas and you must seek advice in this area prior to leaving NZ. Through your bank account in Korea, you may wire 75% of your salary out of Korea. Korea and New Zealand do have a reciprocal tax agreement which means you can only be taxed once in either country if you are away for 325 days or more.
There is no need to suddenly learn the Korean language (language links) just because you are intending to work there. A good idea is make yourself familiar with the general structure of the language and to understand a few basic expressions, such as thank you (kam-sa-hum-nee-da). Once you are in Korea you will quickly pick up many more useful phrases and words.
A NZ citizen has a 90 day tourist entry status at any time. An E2 visa is for a period of 12 months and is to one sponsored employer only. When it expires you have 14 days only to leave the country, to arrange an extension to this visa, to re-enter as a tourist or to re-enter under another visa sponsorship. Please note that overstaying a visa of any kind can result in heavy fines. Even one day may cost you $200NZ.
Design & development by Karere. |
|
Totem poles in Korean folk village
|
|
