Few Month Stay In Korea

[adreniline]

Hello, I've only been listening to the podcasts for about a month and a half, but it is one of my goals to learn Korean completely (I see KoreanClass101 as the first step in this journey).

Basically, this is my last year of highschool (I'm in the US), and I plan to, at sometime before I am 25, travel to Korea to stay there for a few months (at least three).

I will use KoreanClass101 to get as far as I believe I can in Korean before moving temporarily to Korea. It is my opinion that a language is best learned in it's entirety by staying in the country of origin (whether from the start, or in this case, to solidify my learning here).

Part of preparation for the trip starts now, as I should begin to estimate the costs (start saving now, and by the time I feel I am ready to go, I will be able to).

Things like flights to Korea change to often to figure the exact amount now, but I am more curious about things like places to stay. What equivalents are there to apartments (whether big or small), and about how much do they cost?

Alongside that, what jobs in Korea would be available to someone who is not fluent in Korean?

Just wondering if anyone has any advice for a trip like this (whether you have done this or have been there, or simply have done some research into the matter).

Thanks for your time,

-Adreniline

[matthew254]

adreniline~ nice to see another adventurous spirit on the forums! welcome!

wow - so you have officially opened a can of worms. I will lay out some of my personal opinions to help you but there are some other KC101 students who are higher up the ladder than me that might be able to help more.

Flights to Korea are somewhat standard in price from America - they all are terrible I paid 1600 USD for a round trip from Dallas to Seoul in early August - but now that I check again, the price hasn't changed. So there's part one of your budget.

Part two - Korean food is insanely cheap while foreign food is insanely expensive. Pizza prices will floor you. Eat the local food - no one comes to Korea to eat at McDonald's anyways

As far as places to stay, it depends on what you'll do exactly in Korea. There's several places for students including dorms (기숙사) study rooms (고시원) and dorm-like boarding houses (민박). But coming over is a question altogether.

For a quick breakdown, an American can come to Korea with a valid passport and no special visa so long as they stay only less than 30 days. For up to 90 days, said American can apply for a tourist visa (C-3). For full-time Korean university students, you would grab a (D-2). For prospective English teachers, you would (among countless other things like tell Immigration who was your best friend in 3rd grade) apply for a (E-2). However, I should point out that these are just generalizations - the korean consulate/embassy website for your area has the most up-to-date information.

Having said that, I came over once visa free and recently on a tourist (90-day) visa to do some traveling and attend a Korean university's Korean language program for one month. It was by the book as my consulate had to have the university's permission to grant me the visa status. I stayed in the dorm at Ewha.

For more on housing, check out a blog article I submitted a while back http://blogs.koreanclass101.com/blog/20 ... s-a-bunch/ if nothing else, it'll make you laugh.

You mention what jobs are available to non-Korean speakers. The most prominent jobs available are English teachers (영어 선생님). These are foreigners from various English-speaking countries who have special diplomatic relations with South Korea (U.S. is one of them) that allows four-your college graduates eligible to be full-time teachers at various positions across the country. That is a whole nother story though as pay, working conditions, and experiences vary greatly, but you should know that the majority of 외국인 (foreigners) in Korea are English teachers.

As far as your particular situation, there are short-term summer programs available at all major Korean universities - Ewha, Sogang, Seoul National, Korea Uni, Yonsei - that all offer a specific intensive-language course. Find one that fits your schedule. As far as price, I'll say this - the plane ticket was more than the tuition.

Now, as far as KC101 goes, if you do indeed plan on visiting and/or studying in Korea, welcome to the varsity team! KC101 has the potential to learn you some Korean real good-like (sorry, from Texas). Use the .pdfs, read the blogs, participate in the comments, post questions - and you'll be gold.

Hope this helps!

[adreniline]

Thank you, that is quite helpful!

Though, on the blog, most of the places described sounded more like hotels than apartments (assuming of course, that there is some sort of equivalent).

Are there any apartment type lodging areas? Or did I misunderstand what some of the stuff on the blog link was?

[matthew254]

Are there any apartment type lodging areas? Or did I misunderstand what some of the stuff on the blog link was?

No not at all - the blog is primarily aimed at travelers. However, for short term stays (couple of months) it is quite possible to negotiate a long-term stay (beyond the normal one night) for a very reasonable price.

Boarding houses and 민박 are probably best at for these needs. Can anyone else think of anything?

[adreniline]

Are there any apartment type lodging areas? Or did I misunderstand what some of the stuff on the blog link was?

No not at all - the blog is primarily aimed at travelers. However, for short term stays (couple of months) it is quite possible to negotiate a long-term stay (beyond the normal one night) for a very reasonable price.

Boarding houses and 민박 are probably best at for these needs. Can anyone else think of anything?

Any ballpark idea on the rates that those run (Monthly?).

Thanks again for your help!

-Adreniline