We know that moving to a new country can be a daunting task. We want nothing more than to give you all the tips, tricks, hints and info you need to make the transition smooth. Our goal? Remove the hassle + worry, while adding to the adventure + excitement.
Did you know that Hangeul has a phonetic alphabet? In other words, you could learn how to read in a few short hours – with a good tutor, of course. We’d also recommend investing in a Korean phrasebook. Anything you can learn before arriving in Korea will help you immensely.
Have you contacted your bank? Figured out what you need for wiring money home? Set up online payment for student loans? Written down addresses and phone numbers (to input into your Korean phone). It’s easy to let these little details slip your mind when you’re contacting Consulates, arranging flights, and packing for an entire year!
Don’t bring more than you absolutely have to – when you come home, you’ll have to leave it or pack it (see our Packing Guide below). Plus, think about all the things you collect while traveling… (souvenirs, your favorite hand-made chopsticks)… now think about what you might collect after living somewhere for a year. Do you want your suitcase full of bedding or full of memories?
Friends or family will want to know that you’ve arrived safely. Chances are you’ll feel lonely, too. A quick phone call home can help calm your nerves and remind you of all the reasons why you embarked on this adventure in the first place! Also keep in mind that life only becomes more overwhelming after those first 24 hours – at least until you’ve settled in, become familiar with your neighborhood, and found a daily rhythm.
Make your apartment feel like home on DAY ONE. Some of you may be spending the first several days in a hotel room – which makes this tip all the more important when you actually arrive at your apartment. Having a space that is “home” (regardless of what country you’re in) will work wonders for your drained energy level – not to mention how comforting your apartment will be on the days you feel homesick.
Trust us: it’ll take you at least 2 months to figure out your new life. You’ll be dealing with language and culture barriers, finding new friends, wondering if you’ll ever get your classroom under control, and what to eat (get excited to have kimchi with every meal). A few tips? Find your local grocery store. Make sure you know the route from your apartment to the bus/subway station. Getting lost is okay, too. If you need help, just dial the English helpline – 1330! You may need to dial the area code first, 02-1330.
All the time. Exploring is good for the soul. Find some locals to befriend – Koreans are the most welcoming, hospitable people around, and will make the most loyal, lasting friends! Plus, they know what’s hot + what’s not – they’ll undoubtedly take you on some of the most memorable adventures during your time in Korea.
With airlines constantly tightening luggage restrictions and raising extra/overweight baggage fees, smart packing has become absolutely essential! Luckily, packing lists have gotten smaller as those “impossible-to-find” items in Korea are becoming easier to track down.
When packing for a year, the biggest obstacle to consider is the weight limit imposed by airlines. Most airlines allow two 25kg bags (50lbs per bag), one carry-on, and one personal item. Always be sure to double check with your specific airline as some of them have started charging $70 for the second bag. 50 kg (90-100 lbs) might sound like a lot, but most experienced expats will be able to tell you an embarrassing story or two about having to throw things away in the airport check-in line. We know several people who spent close to thirty minutes rearranging baggage in the airport – frustrating the patrons in line behind them. These are the experiences we want to help you avoid with the information below!
Things you’ll need in Korea that you can buy there (versus trying to bring them from home):
You’re probably wondering what an apartment is like in South Korea. Though every living arrangement can differ from one place to another, there are a few things that you can expect when you step into your new home.
It is standard for foreign teachers to be provided with an apartment by their employers as part of their one year contract. Typically, you will be given a studio (one room) or a one bedroom apartment, chosen by your employer.
The rent will be paid for as a part of your contract, but you will be are responsible to pay for your utilities.
Furnishings
This word can often be defined differently from employer to employer. Some furnishings will include your bed and the refrigerator; other teachers might have a TV or toaster oven provided. Whatever the case, our suggestion – don’t count on anything that hasn’t been guaranteed by the school. Previous tenants often pass their stuff on to friends who are staying in Korea longer.
Showers
‘Western Style’ showers are typically only found in newer apartments. It is very common for Koreans to not have a designated showering section in their bathroom. Instead there is just a showerhead and the whole bathroom becomes the shower when it is time to get clean! A strange adjustment if this is the case for you, but you’ll get used to it soon enough, and even see the benefits to how quickly you are able to clean the bathroom!
No Ovens
A heartbreaker for aspiring Betty Crocker’s, 99.9% of apartments that teachers live in do not have an oven to bake in. If this is something that is important to you, we highly recommend purchasing a toaster oven through.
Appliances
Koreans hang-dry all of their clothing. Some washers have a dry setting on them, but it may be difficult to navigate and is often harsh on clothing because of the method in which items are dried. For a simple solution: set up a clothesline in your bathroom. For a convenient solution: get a hanging rack to effectively dry your items, especially during the very humid summers.
As far as laundry goes, a washing machine will typically be included with your apartment, though most Koreans hang-dry their clothing. You can set up a clothesline in your bathroom, or get a hanging rack to effectively dry your items, especially during the humid summers.
Trash Disposal
The Korean trash disposal system is incredibly particular, and it is very important that you abide by it. You will need to purchase particular government trash bags to use, which are usually found at convenience stores (this is how people pay for trash disposal). Often there are video cameras with surveillance as to who is disposing what and where, so make sure to do your best here.
Moving In and Out
Korean apartments are not cleaned prior to new tenants moving in. It’s strange, as we’re used to cleaning our apartments spotless when we leave so we get our deposit back, but expect to be moving into someone else’s left over dirt and hope a clean person lived there before you! We know it sounds depressing, but it is the highly likely reality that you will soon be facing.
Getting a phone in South Korea used to be an impossible task. Now, there’s a ton (and a lot of random, if you ask us) information on the Internet and we’re sure you’ve gotten some good (and probably even bad) advice on what to expect. We’re always trying our best to find the most up-to-date information on cell phones, plans and providers in South Korea.
Use this guide as a start to understand how cell phone services and plans work in South Korea. We hope you can bear with us that everything here isn’t always 100% up-to-date due to the sheer amount of info and changes that happen. We’re trying our best!
Convenient to have on day one , expensive to keep for very long. A good short term solution if you’re looking to visit or wait for your Alien Resident Card (ARC), which takes anywhere from 4 to 6 weeks.
At some of the cheapest monthly rates, if you’re going to be in Korea for at least 2 years than this is the option you’ll want to go with. You’ll have to have your ARC and bank account before you can make a contract, but that’s why they have Rental Phones or Prepaid SIM cards. Remember, though, if you leave the contract early, you’ll get dinged (usually between $400 to $600!).
Korean SIM Cards and the ability to use them is on the rise. You’ll want to make sure your phone is international and has the ability to use SIM Cards. The usage rates are only reasonable for a shorter period of time while you’re waiting for your ARC and bank account to get on a 2 year contract.
Daily Rate:
Incoming Calls/SMS Texts:
Outgoing Domestic:
Outgoing International: Outgoing Domestic SMS Texts Phone Activation / Registration Fee / Shipping 100% Refundable Cell Phone DepositAdditional Information
3,000 KRW/day ($2.86 USD) FREE
100 KRW / 10 Seconds (9.5 Cents USD)
100 KRW / 10 Seconds + LD Rates (3.5 Cents USD) FREESK Telecom
None
None
In addition, often one must navigate the language barrier AND bring a Korean “sponsor” or co-signer with them, as a form of credit. Cell phone bills that are written in Korean can add to the hassle.
It usually does not take much time to realize that getting a phone in Korea on your own typically requires a long wait and also requires a teacher to be incredibly organized, as well as fortunate. Waiting more than a month (sometimes more!) to get a phone creates difficulty for most teachers who would like to network, use maps, language translators and other apps, call home whenever necessary, and have general peace of mind in the case of an emergency.
Prepaid phone plans are available at certain phone shops in Korea, but still require an ARC card (4 to 6 week wait to get one after you arrive). When using a pre-paid phone it is typically necessary to find a used phone instead of paying off-the-shelf, new prices ($150+). These phones are typically more inconvenient as minutes must be purchased at a cell phone store and lack many of the common features you’re used to like caller ID, missed call alerts, etc.
The secondhand phones can also be aggravating, as one never knows the condition of the phone until you start using it and repairs are tough to come by. Still, they are often the least expensive option out there.
Are you reluctant to part ways with your current phone? Bring it along with you to Korea!
Until very recently, it was not possible to get a SIM card the day you landed in Korea, and not all cell phones were able to be hooked up to the Korean networks. Now, all of that is changing. You can get your phone set up with a SIM card with if it meets the minimum requirements!
Korean providers like KT/Olleh or SK Telecom will take approximately 2 to 4 business days to get set up. It’s important to note that your service is never guaranteed to be comparable to what your device was experiencing back in your home country.
Please note: for SIM Cards to work, you will need:
Basic Usage Rates with SIM Cards:
If you’re interested in getting one through a local provider, here is some more info:
KT has set up a pretty informative expat services blog here: http://www.ktexpatblog.com
You can see everything that you’ll need to register a phone line here, and you can see all the FAQs explaining things further here. However, it’s important to note that with a local provider, it will take approximately 2 to 4 business days to get a SIM Card set up with them.
Local Korean cell phone providers can be great if you’re planning on staying in Korea for at least 2 years. All local Korean cell phone providers require a minimum 2 year contract to get a phone with them. You’ll get a reasonable per-month usage cost and a great phone on a 2 year plan with a local provider. However, we want to warn you again that to buy out a contract before the 2 years is up can cost between $400 and $600.
You can avoid the 2 year contract and get a pay-as-you-go or rental phone with them, but we recommend against it because the usage fees can be quite large. It’s a great short-term solution, but if you’re in Korea longer than 6 months and less than 2 years, you’ll want to get on a plan to save money.
“same-same” : saying this in Korea is the equivalent to saying ‘same’ in English. You can point to something you want to eat that someone else is eating and say ‘same-same’. Although this may not be the best of manners, you will get your point across.
“o.k.” : Koreans use this word too, so if you aren’t sure how to agree with someone, just say “o.k.”!
“take-out” : When you want food or coffee to go, this is understood in Korea, as it is in western cultures.
“copy” : (This means COFFEE! Also, when you need to make a ‘copy’ of something at school, it will be called a ‘puh-lint-uh’… a.k.a, a ‘print’.
Hello: an-young-ha-say-yo
Thank you: come-sahm-nee-dah
Stop here: yogi-yo – say this to a waitress to get her assistance and to a taxi driver to get him to stop the taxi at that location.
Water: Mool
Where is the bathroom?: hwa-jan-shil o-dee sah-yo?
How much is this?: alma ay-yo?
Please: joo-say-yo – this is used not just ‘please’, but more like when you order to say ‘give me please’. So if you wanted to order water you would say: “mool joo-say-yo.”
Pop-Quiz! Using your Konglish knowledge of coffee, how would you order coffee?
Answer: “copy joo-say-yo”. You could always throw in a ‘take out’ at the end as well.
Once you get to Korea, you will find out two things:
However, if you are not well organized and disciplined, or you have no clue where to begin with your Korean language learning, the plethora of free resources will probably be overwhelming and potentially only discourage you.
Likewise, though there are many Korean classes to choose from, they are typically on the weekends, on a Saturday morning or afternoon. This means that you have to commit your weekends to studying Korean, when you could be resting or traveling.
Enter Korean Digital Academy
Korean Digital Academy (KDA) knows that you need “simple video explanations and live practice of the Korean language.” Instead of piling on resources, KDA works directly with you and your level. You are assigned a class of no more than five students at your same skill level. This class meets twice a week, and the kicker is it’s all online. KDA takes advantage of video conferencing software and allows you to study Korean under a native speaker, with others, without ever leaving your home!
If you are outside of a major city, don’t know where to start, or don’t want to meet for Korean class on the weekends, Korean Digital Academy might be the best solution for you.
Your first month is only $10!
Click here to go to their webpage and sign up.