Things to Pack for Korea

Things to Pack

Pack Light!

We recommend you only bring a light load of clothing and essentials with you to Korea. You can pretty much find most of items you will need in Korea.

You will eventually be leaving Korea. The more you bring, the more you’ll have to take with you or get rid of when you leave. And you’ll shop a lot in Korea.

Items to Pack

Digitally Scanned and Printed Copies of important documents as passport, diploma, other photo ID. These copies become invaluable if you ever lose your passport, or misplace your Alien Registration Card (ARC). Storing the scanned copies onto your Cloud storage before departure should be a good backup.

Business Casual Clothes for work. Please refer to Dress Code article for packing idea at Korea ESL School’s Dress Code

Be sure to pack appropriate Clothing for All Four Seasons. Korea has four distinct seasons. Autumn and spring are mild and sunny, so comfortable clothes should be fine. Summer is hot and humid, so bring some cool, summer clothing and a swimsuit. Temperatures below freezing are common in the winter, so you should be prepared to bundle up with winter coat, gloves, hats, scarves, etc. Please note that you can buy necessary clothes that are more suitable for the weather here so pack wisely and lightly.

Bring Your Sized Clothes if you are Extra Larger or Taller than the average person.

Bras and Underwear. you may be difficult to find depending on your size and build. Korean sizing typically looks like young girls, one-size fits all or grandma sizes.

Bring Shoes for all occasions if your shoe size is 8+ (women) and 11+ (men).

Sheets of your preference. Be sure to inquire with your school what size your bed is.

Deodorants! Koreans don’t use deodorants!

Feminine products of your specific preference as Tampons, Hair, Skin products. But you are also going to come across tons of popular Korean beauty products too!

If you are taking Prescribed Medications as Birth Control, Thyroid Medication, Antidepressants, recommend to bring a year’s supply.

Bring a bottle of Tylenol or Advil or Ibuprofen or Zyrtec or Melatonin whatever you need. You can find these (except Melatonin) easily at a local pharmacy but expensive in small quantity units. Melatonin is a prescribed medication in Korea.

Power AC Plug Adapter for your electric appliances and a Power Strip.

Backpack for intermittent trips.

Items to buy in Korea

Bulky Stuffs like Sheets, Comforters, Pillows, Bath Towels

South Korea uses 220 volt outlets. If your electric appliances use different volt outlets, as Power Converters are usually heavy, we recommend you buy good power converters at stores like Home Plus or emart in Korea for about 50,000 won or $50.00 after arrival. Make sure to bring a power strip if you have numerous items.

Hair Dryers, Flat Irons, and Curling Irons might short out power converters and can be easily malfunctioning or broken when used in different counties. You better buy them in Korea locally.

A Mattress Pad that bolsters the softness on top of the Korean bed and that can be used as a extra bed for your guests.

By Gloii Writer|2017-12-07T07:10:15+09:00September 13th, 2017|Korea Living, Settle Down|0 Comments

Living Costs in Korea

and

How Much Can Save?

We have averaged the general figures for the cost of living in South Korea to give you an idea of how much money you can save based on the simple formula of Make – Cost = Save.

Here is a breakdown for your quick reference.

How Much Make Monthly? 2,500,000 KRW

The average starting salary for a 1st year ESL teacher in Korea is around 2.5 million KRW.

How Much Cost Monthly? 1,400,000 KRW

Accommodation: 0 KRW
Free furnished accommodation provided by your school! Big Savings for you!

Tax: 82,500 KRW
3.3% of your monthly income

Pension: 112,500 KRW
You pay 4.5% of your monthly income, and your employer matches the 4.5%. Canadian and American citizens can then get a total of 9% of the pension amount back when they leave Korea. South Africans have the right to opt out of paying the pension, as they are not eligible to receive the pension back. Australian, New Zealand, British and Irish employees are required to pay into the pension plan, but unfortunately won’t be able to get it back.

Insurance: 56,000 KRW
You pay 2.24% of your monthly income, and your employer matches the 2.24%.

Utilities: 200,000 KRW
You will pay utilities between 150,000 KRW and 200,000 KRW per month for utilities such as water, electricity, gas, cell phone and internet.

Transportation: 60,000 KRW
Public transportation in Korea is fairly clean/advanced/affordable. A one-way bus or subway ride costs about 1,500 KRW, depending on where you live. A monthly public transportation pass costs about 55,000 KRW on average. Taxis are very expensive compared to other forms of public transportation. The basic fare for a taxi in Seoul is around 5,000 KRW. After the basic fare/distance, the fare increases depending on the distance and time. Since you will be living within walking distance or close to the school, your transportation costs will be very low.

Food: 600,000 KRW
The average monthly cost of food can vary depending on your lifestyle and eating habits. Eating out at everyday restaurants can cost around 50,000 KRW – 10,000 KRW per meal. Korean food is abundant and healthy. Among the famous Korean dishes are Bibimbap (a comforting mix of rice, beef, and vegetables, seasoned with gochujang or soy sauce), Kimchi Jjigae (kimchi stew or kimchi soup made with flavor-packed, aged kimchi), Gimbap (seaweed rice rolls filled with white rice, veggies, and other seasonings), Tteokbokki (chewy rice cakes (tteok) stir-fried or boiled in a spicy, sweet, and savory sauce called gochujang). Most Korean meals also come with free side dishes. If you cook at home, you can expect to spend about 300,000 KRW to 500,000 KRW per month. Cooking will reduce your food costs, especially if your ingredients consist of Korean produce such as rice, spinach, onions, potatoes, cabbage, carrots, pork, beans. Fruits and dairy products are expensive in Korea. Buying in bulk at Costco is a great way to save money on groceries. Costco’s business is booming in South Korea, where the warehouse giant has 18 locations, making it the sixth largest Costco market in the world. And their online shopping mall is at costco.co.kr.

Shopping/Heath/Beauty/Nightlife/Travel: 300,000 KRW
It all depends how much you spend on these extra activities.

How Much Save Monthly? 1,100,000 KRW (13,000,000 KRW Yearly)

The bottom line is that you would be saving about 1,100,000 KRW a month after all the costs/expenses are taken into account!

This means you can have a rewarding and profitable life in Korea in terms of Work, Live, Play and Extra Savings when you get back home!

Free Housing

Free Single Studio Apartment

Schools will provide a free single studio apartment (one room plus a small kitchen and bathroom) with basic household furnishings of bed, blanket, pillow, wardrobe, cooking utensils, kitchen table, chairs, two-burner gas hot plate, refrigerator, washing machine, TV, air conditioner, high speed internet and etc.. Couples will be provided with a 2 bedroom apartment.

The composition of furnishings can be different by employer so you need to check with the school for exact items being provided while reviewing contract.

Korean Style Apartment – Villa

The apartments usually come in the form of a high rise apartment or a “Villa”. Korean villas are actually three or four story apartment buildings that tend to be quieter than the bigger complexes. The apartments are mostly clean, comfortable and furnished with basic needs. And they are usually located near the schools for easy access/commute.

Korean Style Bathroom

The bathrooms are almost universally consist of a toilette, sink, medicine cabinet, and a removable shower head. ‘Western Style’ showers are typically only found in newer apartments. The shower is usually the bathroom area itself – not a bathtub or shower stall with curtains or glass walls. The floor will be angled towards a drainage unit and when the shower is on, you’re essentially using the bathroom itself as a showering stall; meaning, when you take a shower your entire bathroom gets soaked. It’s nothing to worry about though, the floor is completely waterproof and tiled from top to bottom so getting the walls, floor and even the sealing wet is perfectly fine! You’ll even see the benefits to how quickly you are able to clean the bathroom!

Utilities and Hanging Rack, Oven, Coffee Maker, Trash Bag

Teachers will pay for the monthly utilities (electricity, gas, water, internet) and the bills usually amount to about ₩100,000 – ₩200,000 ($90 – $180).

Koreans do not use dryers, so you must hang your clothes to dry near a window (there will be a drying rack that hangs down from the ceiling) or you can set up a clothesline in your bathroom, or get a hanging rack to effectively dry your items, especially during the humid summers.

Most 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.

Coffee makers will not be provided but you can find them for a relatively cheap price at stores like emart or HomePlus.

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.