Hi everyone! Welcome back to another week of Julie in Korea! ❤️
Here’s a list of the different questions I have been commonly asked with my answers! Hope this will be helpful for people wanting to travel to Korea! These are based on my own personal experience so it might be different for others.
How much does it cost to go to Korea?
The TaLK program reimburses the flight ticket by giving an entrance and exit allowance, but we have to pay for the ticket first. I remember I bought my round trip ticket to Korea for $1300, but make sure you are for sure leaving on that exact departure date because I ended up changing my flight ticket departure date 2 times so I had to pay quite a bit extra! Living expenses may vary between people to people. For me, I honestly had a difficult time saving because I loved to go clothes and make-up shopping in Korea that I overspent a lot. I know a lot of my friends were able to save up quite a bit!
Do you need to know Korean to teach English in Korea?
The answer is no, but I think it is a great learning experience to be able to learn and understand Korean there! I highly recommend trying to at least know the basics of the Korean language because it is very respectful to be able to adapt and learn their culture. Plus, it will be easier to travel around the cities and communicate with your students! 🙂
Is Korea safe?
Based on my own experience living there, I thought it was very safe! My neighbourhood was safe to walk in during the night, and I did not feel scared walking alone. It might depend on which area you live though so always try to stay safe and walk with a friend if it is getting dark!
Is food expensive there?
Yes and no. I think eating out is actually cheaper than making food. I found that grocery shopping was very expensive in Korea. Fruits are extremely pricy there. I remember green grapes in a small box being $9 dollars! I did really enjoy cooking dinner every night and often went to the Home Plus supermarket to buy fresh produce and meat.
Are there avocados??
Yes, it does depending on which supermarket you go to! It can be quite pricy as the avocados are imported so it can cost almost $5 for one avocado. I use to love eating avocados so I had to get it no matter what!
Is taxi expensive in Korea?
No! I thought it was inexpensive, and I used the taxi often on a night out!
Squat toilets?
It really depends on which area you are at! Some rural places only have squat toilets so it can be very surprising to some people. I was quite shocked when I saw I had to use one..
Are there toilets at subway stations?
Yes, there are toilets in majority of all the subway stations I’ve been to in Seoul and Busan.
Can you flush toilet paper down the toilet?
This may be another surprising fact to hear for foreigners like me who first came to Korea. But the answer is…No… it is recommended not to flush toilet paper down the toilet and to instead place it in the garbage can next to toilet. I was told this is because the sewage system was not as advanced there and too much paper can easily clog the toilet. But… I still flushed my toilet paper back in my apartment in Korea. Sssh that’s a secret, just don’t put too much paper in!
Was it tough teaching elementary school students?
I think it really depends on the person and their school environment. For me, even though it was my first time teaching, I thought it was wonderful because I had the sweetest kids and they were always so kind and respectful to me! I also had great co-teachers that often taught with me and helped with translating my English to Korean.
I’ll update this list if I continue to receive more questions! 😊
Ask away any questions !!
