Minimum wage is now almost equal to am EPIK starting salary.

If some of you think 2.1 is an awesome salary, you're a retard.  If you stay in and eat ramien every day and sit on your thumb, perhaps, you can save more.  The reality is you could save a lot more and still be able to go out and have a life ten years ago.  Being apologists and making excuses is great for you, but for most normal people who realize what inflation is and that employers haven't kept up is bs. 

I can send home 1.5 million or more a month because I am up near 3 mil.  But if I were on 2.1, no way.  Also, to the dudes who claimed they save 1 million a month, you subtract 100,000 a month to pay the return flight.  (They use to be paid and now aren't.)  I had said it was possible to have 800 or 900 after everything was said and done.  My projections are correct.  This is with living frugally.  Current US Dolalr exchange rate is shit.  850,000 won as an average to send home gets you 720 dollars.  It's not much to both save and repay student loans.  Eleven or 12 years ago with the same salary and a much cheaper living cost meant sending home more.  At least 1.4 million won.  You got near 1500 bucks in your bank account as opposed to 720 now.  See where I'm going with this? 

As for some of you other folks where the government only makes you pay a per centage of your income while in country towards your loans, the fact you aren't or haven't paid them off while here is really dumb on your part.  You will have an extra 10 to 20 per cent tax on your income to pay for years to come.  You will have to pay income taxes fed and state, property taxes, fuel taxes, sales taxes, water and sewer, other government levies.  You then have this loan tax because you never paid it off.  Good luck with that.  (I notice many from those countries act like they have no loans because of this.)  To each their own. 

In spite of being an apologist or having stockholm syndrom, 2.1 to 2.3 is something that should be turned down in 2019.  Calling out hakwon owners and recruiters is the only way to affect change.  But stupid is as stupid does. 

Just want to be clear...When you say 2.1 to 2.3, are you not including housing?  And when you say you are up near 3, are you also not including housing?  You're with EPIK right?

f some of you think 2.1 is an awesome salary, you're a retard.  If you stay in and eat ramien every day and sit on your thumb, perhaps, you can save more.  The reality is you could save a lot more and still be able to go out and have a life ten years ago.  Being apologists and making excuses is great for you, but for most normal people who realize what inflation is and that employers haven't kept up is bs.

I can send home 1.5 million or more a month because I am up near 3 mil.  But if I were on 2.1, no way.  Also, to the dudes who claimed they save 1 million a month, you subtract 100,000 a month to pay the return flight.  (They use to be paid and now aren't.)  I had said it was possible to have 800 or 900 after everything was said and done.  My projections are correct.  This is with living frugally.  Current US Dolalr exchange rate is shit.  850,000 won as an average to send home gets you 720 dollars.  It's not much to both save and repay student loans.  Eleven or 12 years ago with the same salary and a much cheaper living cost meant sending home more.  At least 1.4 million won.  You got near 1500 bucks in your bank account as opposed to 720 now.  See where I'm going with this?

As for some of you other folks where the government only makes you pay a per centage of your income while in country towards your loans, the fact you aren't or haven't paid them off while here is really dumb on your part.  You will have an extra 10 to 20 per cent tax on your income to pay for years to come.  You will have to pay income taxes fed and state, property taxes, fuel taxes, sales taxes, water and sewer, other government levies.  You then have this loan tax because you never paid it off.  Good luck with that.  (I notice many from those countries act like they have no loans because of this.)  To each their own.

In spite of being an apologist or having stockholm syndrom, 2.1 to 2.3 is something that should be turned down in 2019.  Calling out hakwon owners and recruiters is the only way to affect change.  But stupid is as stupid does. 

...bingo.

If some of you think 2.1 is an awesome salary, you're a retard.

sick argument bro, i feel totally destroyed by this logic (funny that northstar didn't post his whiny "ad hominem" picture here)

If you stay in and eat ramien every day and sit on your thumb, perhaps, you can save more.  The reality is you could save a lot more and still be able to go out and have a life ten years ago.

i agree that it was better 10 years ago, but that doesn't mean it's unacceptable today. and you can save around a million a month without eating ramen every day.

  Also, to the dudes who claimed they save 1 million a month, you subtract 100,000 a month to pay the return flight.

i don't subtract anything, because i'll get an exit allowance

My projections are correct.  [blah blah blahhh] See where I'm going with this? 

except you refuse to include the housing allowance as a part of your "projections" despite the fact that most american jobs aren't gonna give me housing. and there is no mention of the pension money i'll collect

Calling out hakwon owners and recruiters is the only way to affect change.

good luck "calling out" people who have nothing to do with you. you remind me of the people from all over america who called in to complain to my congressman about his voting. they were just wasting their breath because they weren't his constituents. similarly, the hagwon people won't care because you're just some angry rando

i've only re-signed once and i only plan to re-sign one more time (at the most).

Famous last words. 
___________________ ___________________ __

"Welcome to the Hotel South Korea..."

Exit allowance...sounds like public school.

In the past, you got free flights home or an exit allowance EVERY YEAR regardless of whether you wanted to leave or not. If you planned on staying, you got that plus a renewal bonus. I know a guy from 2011 who used to clear around 7.6million in end of the academic year bonuses alone (salary plus severance plus exit allowance plus renewal bonus), and then he'd be back in march at the same school. Adjusted for inflation that would be 8.4 million won today.

Now, you only get an exit allowance after proving you've bought your ticket home, or a renewal bonus if you're staying.

That guy clearing 7.6million won in 2011 (8.4mil in today's adjustment) would now be getting around 6.3 million in today's money, which would equate to around 5. 7 million won in 2011 money.

https://www.in2013dollars.com/south-korea/inflation/2020?endYear=2011&amount=5500000

Exit allowance...sounds like public school.
<snip>

Now, you only get an exit allowance after proving you've bought your ticket home,

SMOE at least has changed that in new contracts to a 1.3 M  exit allowance with no strings.

That's at least one good thing for SMOE teachers. GEPIK on the other hand are notorious for their penny pinching on this particular topic.

I am from Vancouver.

$750-$1000 a month rent is CONSERVATIVE as a rent budget in any of the seven mtro Van cities.

Taxes? 30+%

...

I made $45,000 as a newspaper editor in the year 2000 but could BARELY afford living expenses.

In 18 years in Korea, every won over 1,000,000 is GRAVY! (It's virtually impossible to spend a paycheque unless you collect things, buy whiskey, hit the clubs or nightlife multiple times a week or travel incessantly. I have done all three and still have broken even.)

Of course, I don't live in Seoul. People pay for parking there, and coffee for 6000 won? GTFO!

i'm happy that you're happy.

Now I'm happy, that you're happy that he is happy.   

I'm happy that you're happy that they're happy that he's happy .

W2.2 won?

You can make more by simply claiming unemployment benefit.

I'm happy that you're happy that they're happy that he's happy .

W2.2 won?

You can make more by simply claiming unemployment benefit.

The average unemployment benefit in the US is $333 per week.  So, in most states, you can't. 

$333 + $600 = $933 per week = $4,059 per month.

NorthStar spoke about getting a lot of money in unemployment benefits.

But yeah, congress is fighting over how long to extend the $600 portion.

How much it will become / how long it will reinstated we don’t know. But I doubt it will drop to zero even though it expired today. Might be reduced to 500 then 400 over time.

You have the uncanny ability to brag in nearly every post about things that are more embarrassing than actually brag-worthy. Wild guess here, but I'm going to assume that you are single. I simply cannot imagine any woman putting up with such nonsense.

this is what i basically said a while ago and then my post mysteriously disappeared

Apart from convenience store workers, which group's salary is in the range of the average hagwon pay?

Even 3D workers have surpassed EFL teachers. Funny enough I was seeing more and more of those guys with nicer cars than your average E2 waygook before I left.

Apart from convenience store workers, which group's salary is in the range of the average hagwon pay?

Even 3D workers have surpassed EFL teachers. Funny enough I was seeing more and more of those guys with nicer cars than your average E2 waygook before I left.

Use to feel bad for those guys.  They use to work harder and make way less than us.  For now, they are near my salary.  But have surpassed the average English teacher.

Exit allowance...sounds like public school.

In the past, you got free flights home or an exit allowance EVERY YEAR regardless of whether you wanted to leave or not. If you planned on staying, you got that plus a renewal bonus. I know a guy from 2011 who used to clear around 7.6million in end of the academic year bonuses alone (salary plus severance plus exit allowance plus renewal bonus), and then he'd be back in march at the same school. Adjusted for inflation that would be 8.4 million won today.

Now, you only get an exit allowance after proving you've bought your ticket home, or a renewal bonus if you're staying.

That guy clearing 7.6million won in 2011 (8.4mil in today's adjustment) would now be getting around 6.3 million in today's money, which would equate to around 5. 7 million won in 2011 money.

https://www.in2013dollars.com/south-korea/inflation/2020?endYear=2011&amount=5500000

Out in the provinces you still get 2 million renewal allowance each year and 1.3 million if you finish and leave.  No strings attached.  So far as I know, SMOE cut the 2 million renewal allowance a few years ago just because they could.  I think they still give the 1.3 million exit allowance.  (For public schools.)

Most hakwons give you no return flight nowadays.  They did pay round trip ticket a few years ago.

Out in the provinces you still get 2 million renewal allowance each year and 1.3 million if you finish and leave.  No strings attached.  So far as I know, SMOE cut the 2 million renewal allowance a few years ago just because they could.  I think they still give the 1.3 million exit allowance.  (For public schools.)

Most hakwons give you no return flight nowadays.  They did pay round trip ticket a few years ago.

Is it if you finish and leave the school? Provincial Office of Education? Country?

this is what i basically said a while ago and then my post mysteriously disappeared

LOL and Orkblut's post also disappeared. Perhaps yours will too.

$333 + $600 = $933 per week = $4,059 per month.

NorthStar spoke about getting the equivalent of 5 million won per month in unemployment benefits.

But yeah, congress is fighting over how long to extend the $600 portion.

How much it will become / how long it will reinstated we don’t know. But I doubt it will drop to zero even though it expired today. Might be reduced to 500 then 400 over time.

So you included an extra $600 per week in your calculations even though you knew that benefit no longer existed?  McConnell sent the Senate home without doing anything, and it will take weeks for states to ramp back up to paying that extra amount, even assuming there is something forthcoming.

Besides, was this about unemployment benefits related to Covid, or just in general?   NorthStar's last post in this thread was in July, 2019...

The extra $600 temporarily disappearing is like a government shutdown. It won’t last long. Because an election is coming up both parties will throw tons of money at the unemployed. $4k a month for not working is a hell of a lot. So’s $3k. So’s $2k. If it does get reduced to that.

As my employment in Korea fell through due to the virus, I qualified for the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance AND the $600 a week (including back pay)

I have socked away that money, every week. 

I can see how folks would rather collect the money while on the public doll, rather than go back to work.