Q. Can’t I just bring my phone from home and change the SIM card?
A. Although your phone may work in other countries and on other continents, you will not want it to be you main communication device while living in Korea. Cell phones in Korea operate on a closed network, linked to Korean providers. They do not use the same SIM Card system that we are familiar with, where you can change your phone’s region by changing the card. Even if your phone is a Korean brand such as LG, Samsung, Cyon, etc. it will not work in Korea because of the SIM card difference. Although you may be able to get roaming service on your phone, it will be extremely expensive in Korea. Because teachers stay in Korea for a significant period of time, almost all of them purchase a cell phone to use during their stay.
Q. Why we offer phones:
A. When teachers arrive in Korea, they undoubtedly want to communicate with their friends and family back home right away. This is a difficult when they arrive in an apartment that has no communication device in tact. Also, cell phones are a part of Korean culture. It can be challenging to arrange plans or meet people without them. If you are without a cell phone for much time after your arrival, you will probably be frustrated. We have seen several teachers and friends go for a couple weeks, or even a couple months without a cell phone. We are constantly getting requests to help teachers know where to buy phones and to help them get the phones set up. This is a very time consuming process for both us and the teachers. We have also seen experienced teachers “rip off” new teachers by selling them their old and practically unusable phones.
We have decided to face the cell phone challenge and offer our teachers something that no other recruiter offers. We want to provide our teachers with great phones at the right price before they even leave home. We avoid all the frustration and confusion by having the phone waiting for the teacher at their school before they even arrive (pending on when orders are made, of course)! When the phone is delivered, it is set up and ready to use immediately.
Q. How do teachers usually get cell phones?
A. Getting a phone seems to be a major problem for many new teachers. We have found that most school owners or teacher representatives have trouble finding enough extra time to assist their teachers in getting their phones set up. It seems to be a low priority for them. Many of the school reps have never helped a foreigner get a phone before, so it takes them a long time to complete the process. Also, because most Koreans only buy new phones (and arrange monthly plans), many Korean people do not even know where to buy used phones. If you are looking into getting a phone on your own, here are some things to expect:
* Finding a cell phone vendor that speaks English seems almost impossible. Confusion and frustration will be inevitable when trying to communicate about your phone and plan.
*Unless you have help from a Korean or a previous teacher, you will have no idea what quality to expect or what price to pay.
*You will have a limited selection of affordable phones at each shop you visit.
*Most vendors require you to have your ARC card (alien resident card) before they will offer you a cell phone. Depending on when your health check and paper work is filed for the card, it will take a couple weeks or up to 90 days to have the card issued.
*You will most likely pay between 90,000-160,000 won to purchase and set up your phone through a typical vendor. Here is a typical price break down:
a. 50,000 – 120,000 won price of phone
b. 10,000 won connection fee
c. 10,000 won charger
d. 20,000 won for pre-paid minutes (you can purchase any amount equal to or greater than 10,000 won) We have chosen 20,000 won because it seems to be the amount that an average teachers spends per month on prepaid minutes.
*Even more important than the money, it will take a lot of time and effort to get your phone set up!
Tip: Spend the extra 5,000-20,000 won, you might save by going through this process by yourself. It’s worth it if only for the sake of convenience. You could easily spend that much in transportation trying to accomplish the task. Plus, if you buy a cell phone, you don’t need to bring an alarm clock; cell phones have them built in. If you choose carefully, you may even get a phone with a Korean-English dictionary!
Q.Why do I have to give a deposit?
A.Because the phones are under Adventure Teaching's name, AT has full responsibility of the phones. Just like contracts in North America, if a phone is lost or stolen, the rest of the contract must be bought out. If we don't take a deposit and a teacher loses or damages their phone, AT will be held financially responsible. The deposit guarentees that AT won't have to pay the penalty. The penalty will be taken from the deposit. When the phone is returned, the deposit will be returned.
Q. What can I expect to pay each month?
A. A contract phone through a business is one of the best ways to get a phone in Korea. First of all, as foreigners, it is almost impossible to set up a phone yourself within the first year of being in Korea. Here is a breakdown of the contract that AT has signed.
| Plan |
Monthly Minimum |
Fee/10sec. |
What the plan includes |
| Basic Plan |
16,000 KRW |
18KRW (12am-7pm)
15KRW (7pm-12am) |
The monthly minimum includes: Caller ID, Voice Mail, Unlimited Incoming calls and text messages, 100 outgoing texts. |
You can expect to pay between 20,000-40,000 KRW each month depending on how much you use your phone. Compared to rates with Pay-As-You-Go phones (65KRW/10sec), the contract phones are by and large the most common and reputable phones for foreign teachers.
*During the first 3 months of your usage, 10,000 won will be added to each bill. This fee is the registration fee that each user must pay. It will be added directly to your bill.
Q. Can I cancel my phone plan?
A.If you choose to cancel your phone plan, only 20,000 won of your deposit will be returned to you. The reason is because there is a fee that Adventure Teaching must pay if a contract is cancelled. You just need to inform us that you are not going to be using your phone anymore, then send the phone back to us in order to receive 20,000 won. If you use the phone the full 12 month period of your contract, you will be returned 100% of your deposit as long as the phone is in working condition.
Q. What’s the process?
Step 1: Go to www.adventureteaching.com/addons and choose which items you would like to purchase.
Step 2: As soon as you pay, AT AddOns will receive a confirmation email.
Step 3: AT AddOns will send you an email of confirmation as well.
Step 4: If you are did not come through Adventure Teaching, you must provide us with an address to send the items.
Step 5: You phone will be set up and delivered to you upon your arrival to Korea.
Step 6: If you are already in Korea, you will receive your phone withing 2-3 days of your order!
Step 7: You phone bills will arrive via email each month around the 20th-25th. Payments are due at the end of the month.
Step 8: If you purchased a contract phone, it must be returned by the end of the year to receive your full deposit back.
Additional Cell Phone Information
1. What we need from you in order to set up a contract phone:
An order form and payment.
2. Price
We have decided to lower the price of the phone and service to $120.00 USD. We decided to lower the price so that it was the price of the average pre-pay phone. Above all, it’s a service we want to provide to our teachers because we realize the usefulness of a phone as soon as you arrive.
3. Deposit
We require a $100.00 USD won refundable deposit for each phone. In the case that a teacher loses, damages (normal wear and tear is expected), or fails to return their phone, the deposit will not be returned.
4. Phone Bill Payments
AddOns will send your phone bills to your email address that was used with your order. You can expect to receive the bills around the 20th-25th of each month with the due date being at the end of each month. For late payments, there is a 5,000 KRW late fee. The payments can be made with a simple back transfer at any ATM in Korea.
5. End of Contract
When your time in Korea has come to an end, you will be required to return your cell phone to the AddOns’ office (by mail or in person). AddOns will refund the $100.00 USD deposit after examining the phone.
6. Extension
If the teacher chooses to extend their contract or remain in Korea for a second year, the phone can be renewed for $25.00 USD.
7. Failure to Pay
If a teacher fails to pay 2 consecutive phone bills, their phone use will be temporarily suspended until the unpaid balance is cleared.
8. Conclusion
This is a service we are excited about providing our teachers.
As previous teachers, we know how important communication is. We know that getting a cell phone set up can very frustrating for both teachers and employers. Many teachers end up waiting 1-2 months into their contracts before they have a telephone. We are proud to offer our teachers an opportunity to get a contract phone as well. You are among the few teachers who will get to use new phones under contract instead of PPS.
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