Are you thinking about living in South Korea? Have you recently applied for a job or accepted a job offer there? Then this post is for you! Here you will find a list of things that I recommend doing before you move to South Korea. Moving to a new country is a big step in life and I hope that with these tips you feel better prepared for the move. So let's start!
1. Learn Hangul
Learning Hangul (the Korean alphabet) will make your life so much easier in many ways!
Although, you will find a lot of signs written in English characters or translations, that is not always the case.
Many things are written in Konglish (English words in Hangul) and if you can read the characters you can figure out familiar menu items or buildings.
Also, you will need to write your address in Korean A LOT for forms especially in the beginning. So practice your stroke order now!
You may even impress the new Korean friends that you will make when you are able to read Korean words correctly!
2. Set up a Bank Account in the U.S. for International Transfers
Whether you are paying bills at home, want to put money away for savings, or want a means for family to send you money then this is important. Talk to your bank about their remittence program and global transfers.
I have found the best bank to be CitiBank and set up an account with them. They have a branch in Korea called CitiBank Korea. I was able to set up both mobile apps on my phone and can instantly transfer money between the two with no fees. You are only allowed to transfer $50,000/year, but we're not making that kind of money teaching in Korea so no worries.
Please make sure that there is a CitiBank in your area to set this up both at home and in Korea. If not you will have to do a little traveling for just the initial set-up and then after that you can use their online system. In Korea, you have to let them know you want to do online banking and set that up at the branch. There is a lot of documentation you will need on hand so make sure you check their website or call their English help line for what you need.
Even if you don't do this, you can still send money back, but it may cost you in fees.
Please make sure you have written down the routing number and account number of your U.S. bank account for your transfers.
3. Save Enough Money
If you are working in South Korea, you will have around 4-6 weeks until your first paycheck arrives (then it will come monthly). You are going to want to have enough money for groceries, basic apartment furnishings, start up expenses, and having fun!
A safe amount is $1000 USD, but if you are frugal you could get by with as little as $700 USD. If you are working for the public school system they give you a stipend to help with this, but not so much the private schools (hagwons).
You may also want to consider a credit card for travelers. I use Capitol One's Quicksilver Card which has helped me greatly in times of emergency (i.e. not working during CoVID-19). There are many other options available, so do your research and be responsible!
4. Have an Unlocked Phone & Check Your Carrier's Travel Plans
Check with your carrier if your phone is unlocked and will work in Korea. You will save yourself a lot of money on a new phone here and then will only need to purchase a phone plan.
Also, Korean phones don't allow you to turn off the shutter sounds for cameras. It is illegal to take people's pictures without their consent in public places (If you do post pictures you need to blur out recognizable faces). So I assume the reason for this is to alert people when someone is taking a picture, but I would hate for people to hear the sound of my camera clicking away as I take a million selfies on the subway and that's where my American phone comes in handy.
Also, it will take awhile before you will be able to set up a phone plan and even though Korea is highly connected when it comes to wifi, there may be times you will need data (i.e. you get lost).
If you plan on keeping your phone plan active in the states, check to see how much it will cost to use your data per day in case of emergencies. When you don't need it, make sure you keep your phone on airplane mode!
Another thing: Do you post on TikTok and have content geared towards an audience in your home country? Well keep your home country sim card handy, because once you switch sim cards your TikTok will appear in Korea unless you have a large enough following to be shown in other countries!
5. Research What is in Your Area
You will want to have some sense of what is around your area as far as grocery stores, shopping, restaurants, etc.
If you know where your apartment will be and your school's location you can see the distance and what forms of transportation you may need. (Scroll down to see the best app for this).
Don't go to a new country blind!
6. Download These Apps
KakaoTalk
This is South Korea's main form of communication. This is more important than a phone number (although you are going to want a phone number as well).
This is how you will communicate with friends, classmates, teachers, coworkers, your boss, the delivery driver... etc.
When you sign up, please make sure you use a respectable username and photo (professionals will be seeing this).
This app is also serves as a form of payment (similar to Venmo) that is very popular in Korea called KakaoPay. You can use it in stores, to order food, to online shop, and to pay your friends back for drinks!
Trust me this is a must have!
Now to stay in touch with your friends and family back home, WhatsApp is going to be your go to. My family is messaging me on it right now and they have gotten used to using it solely for our family group chat.
Do not try to get your parents to sign up for KakaoTalk as there are so many features that is only useful in Korea it could get confusing for them.
KakaoMaps
Google Maps is not your friend in South Korea. Google Maps is missing locations, not updated, and will have you walking down non-existent streets. There is a reason for this, which has to do with Korea liking Korea-made products, but KakaoMaps is great!
You are going to want this app to look up the area you are living in and save any key locations you need (i.e. grocery stores, coffee shops, department stores) and places you want to visit. It will also give you public transportation directions and arrivals in real time.
I did not have this when I first arrived to Korea and I wish I did, because my life would have been a whole lot easier.
8. Make Sure Your Vaccinations are Up to Date and Get a CheckUp
As a condition to your visa you will have a health check up. If you are not in good health, test positive for drugs, or carry certain diseases (including STDs that are curable) your visa could be denied and you will be sent home.
So for all my sexually active readers: GO GET TESTED! (You should be doing that anyways!) How much would it suck to test positive for Chlaymdia that you could have gotten cured with antibiotics back home, but now you're being deported.
Also, make sure your vaccinations are up to date. There are some elective vaccinations that do cost money that you may want to consider such as Typhoid and Malaria. I skipped Malaria and paid for a Typhoid vaccination, but the mosquitos are really bad here. You can get vaccinations here once your health insurance kicks in and it will be a lot cheaper than in the U.S., but it is something to consider doing before arriving.
Please check the CDC website for recommended and required vaccinations for travel in South Korea here.
*Bonus* Get a VPN
Although not necessary, a VPN allows you to change the wifi location of the device your using to a different part of the world. It is extremely helpful if you want to catch up on your Netflix or Hulu shows that are only shown in the U.S. or you can watch Netflix in other countries.
Also keep your Netflix account, as there is a Korean Netflix that you can watch with it. However, some shows that are not Netflix originals or from America will not have English subtitles.
I recommend ExpressVPN as it has worked the best for me here and in other countries.
You should have a VPN anyways to make sure that your information is private when you are using public wifi.
Safe Travels,
Chelle
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