Colors Vary
*You can ask for a preference, but we cannot guarentee you will receive your choice color.

Temporary cell phones are set up with the pre-paid system and when the credit on the cell phone runs out, it must be re-filled at a local cell phone shop. People tend to use 10,000-20,000 won worth of credit each month depending on how often they use their phone. Incoming texts and calls are free.

Calls are based on 65 won for 10 seconds on all pre-paid systems.

 

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!