Moving to Korea for a while...

[Alexis]

Hi guys. You guys are so helpful and nice here, that I thought I'd just ask:

Can someone give me a general run down of what it takes to move to Korea? Not permanently, just for about 6-12 months?

I'm not totally serious about this, but for a while now, I've been feeling like I need a HUGE life change. I have a yearning for Korea and I'm going mad sitting around in Australia. I want something different and I want to find out more about... me and where I was born etc etc. I currently live in Australia (God it's boring here), so moving from here to Korea is probably a bit similar to those of you in the US (legally speaking and stuff).

For work, well... I'm a teacher, so I'd probably just look into teaching English or something.

But I know absolutely nothing about moving to another country for a while. Where would I start? Is there somewhere online I could start researching? How would I go about getting/finding a place to live?

Thanks for any help you can give...

[matthew254]

not sure if you've read it already or not but this blog entry is a decent starting place: http://blogs.koreanclass101.com/blog/20 ... checklist/

typically contracts are 12 months - but hiring is essentially year-round (demand is higher than supply). You also have one thing in your favor - you're a traditional teacher and qualifications are quite helpful: http://bug254.livejournal.com/10713.html

and as far as a place to live - it's free by your employer. good thing too - the Korean real estate market is tricky.

oh and it is not at all uncommon for you to get a work visa and your husband to pick up and move with.

[Alexis]

Hey Matthew! Thankyou so much! You've given me a good amount of reading to do! ^_^

You're on LJ?! Me too! LOL.

So it doesn't matter where you work... they still give you a place to live?! About how much is rent every week in the places they provide? Are living conditions any good?

[matthew254]

whether you live out in the sticks, in the city, or on 제주, you still get a free place to call home. and seeing as how the rent is free no matter what (99% always true) i couldn't tell you the price per week. if I were to guess, I believe the housing allowance is $300/month if you opt out and find your own place to live. I'm not entirely sure on that one though - I imagine it varies by company and school district.

not all places are made equal and some people live in 8 평 apartments while others live in something closer to 6 평 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyeong

from what I hear and have seen, living conditions are good but just smaller than Western standards.

ㅋㅋㅋ man and I thought I was the last of the mohicans with LJ

[Alexis]

Hello! I'm really seriously considering doing this...

How does one go about getting a job? Does that all get sorted out before you go live in Korea? What's the process for the job-getting?

[javiskefka]

The venerable Galbijim wiki has some good info on this, but some of the specifics might be out of date wrt specific visa requirements.