I would really like to move to korea when I graduate high school. What things do I need to know? Can I work there? Is it expensive to live there?
2006-09-02 03:58:29 · 9 answers · asked by World of Suffering 3 in Travel ➔ Asia Pacific ➔ Korea
I currently live in Thailand. I want to get to know a new culture. I like korean people. I already wrote down some questions to start with and I'm asking now exactly because I don't know that much. I need to know about stuff foreigners need to know before moving to a new place.
2006-09-02 04:04:26 · update #1
North Korea is a communist regime and they probably won't let you in, even if you wanted to go there.
You're talking about the Republic of Korea, also known as South Korea. It's a little country compared to Thailand, where you're coming from. South Korea is very different from Thailand.
The four seasons there are distinct. Cold spring, hot and humid monsoons before a hot dry heat in the summer, autumn foliage, and a bitter cold winter. You should plan on buying different seasonal wardrobe to keep you properly clothed for each of the seasons.
Koreans are one of the most technologically savvy and well educated people, so if you plan to go there, as a foreigner, you should have a difficult time finding a job. It also depends hugely on your country of citizenship and I don't know how you're going to get around getting a working visa. They place a lot of value in education, so with only a high school diploma, you
should either resign to one of the menial manual labor(dishwashing, farming, etc.). Those are the easiest kinds of jobs available. On the other hand, if you have a college degree in almost any field, you can at least get an English teaching job at numerous ESL schools. The chances are better if you speak and understand a little Korean.
As for the prices, if I were to go to Korea and live there for a few months or years, I would save up at least US $6000 to last me for about three months because the cost of living in cities are very expensive and you have to up-front to the landlord a good chunk of money before you move in to an apartment. But there are a lot of different types of renting, so you will be better off researching for roommates before you go.
Korea is a well connected society and your overall travel experience will depend on who you know. There are a lot of foreign workers in Korea, so look them up on the internet. I think
couchsurfing.com has a good deal of people offering free couches for travelers for a few nights who can also offer you friendship and better work information in Korea.
And...owing to the huge popularity of those Korean soap operas that have been widely distributed throughout Asia, there is a good chance that you will be incredibly disillusioned by what you believe the Korean society will be. Unless you are caucasian or of European descent and speak fluent and proper English, or very wealthy, you will face frequent discrimination (which is not illegal) and shabby treatment, because Koreans are ethnocentric in their own culture and their five thousand year of feudal history is still evident in the way they treat foreigners and immigrants, espcially if you are of Southeast Asian descent.
I felt this way when I went there...and I speak fluent Korean!
Finally, good luck and never fear. If you need help in the Korean language, feel free to email me at jeanettewinterson@yahoo.com I will help you as much as I can.
2006-09-02 04:44:05 · answer #1 · answered by Siddy 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
North or South Korea?
Do you know Korean?
It is not expensive to live there but you will earn almost nothing. When I was stationed there in the Army in 2000 most people living on the economy earned about 15 to 25 cents per hour. Unless you work for the US or a foreign company you will not earn much. If you don't speak fluent Korean you will starve.
2006-09-02 11:03:37 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I wouldn't move there right away. You should go there for a visit, ask around, and find a place you want to live in. The thing you need to know most, is the language. If you don't know the language, you'll get a low paying, labor job. You don't earn as much money as you do in America, well...that doesn't really affect you because you don't live in America. The living costs are kind of high.
2006-09-02 12:07:24 · answer #3 · answered by Light 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Korea really funnn but it is sorta expensive the clothes is anyway. U should definitely learn to SPEAK Korean before u actually go there. If I were u I'd go down there for the summer or something and then reconsider moving for good.
2006-09-02 18:42:38 · answer #4 · answered by SuJuBlue 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I am not going to ask...North, or South?, because that is just silly. South Korea is kind of expensive to live. The average income is approx. 2000 us dollars a month. It is best you have a high level of education. To buy a home in the skyrises they have there is approx. 400,000 us dollars. They are approx 1500 sq ft., maybe a little more. That is in Taegu, where my grandparents, and uncle live. Osan is more of where soldiers, and americans hang out. Maybe if you live in that area it might be cheaper. I don't know.
2006-09-05 02:23:50 · answer #5 · answered by stix 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This is a kinda wierd question.
You are saying that you want to move there, yet you seem to know nothing about the country.
Why would you want to move there, if you know nothing about it?
2006-09-02 11:00:23 · answer #6 · answered by shoby_shoby2003 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yeah, Korean chicks are HAWT!! And so is the food.
2006-09-03 21:47:00 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You should know Korean.
2006-09-02 11:00:06 · answer #8 · answered by Bad Kitty! 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
join the army u will get sent there lol
2006-09-03 12:33:10 · answer #9 · answered by thesunnshynne 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋