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  • Kyndo
  • Moderator LVL 1

    • I am a geek!!

    • March 02, 2027, 11:00:00 pm
    • 🇰🇷
Increase in EPIK housing subsidy?
« on: March 09, 2023, 02:17:23 pm »
   As of this month, EPIK will be increasing the housing subsidy in my province (Gyeongbuk, although I believe that this wil also apply to other provinces) from 400,000 won to 500,000 won.
This seems like a sensible thing to do, considering that rent has increased pretty dramatically over the last few years!

However, there's a caveat: this only applies to school provided housing, not to the payouts EPIK teachers get in liue of school provided housing.

This sucks for obvious reasons (I get the payout and I want the 500,000 won!), but I really wonder what the rational behind having two different subsidies would be. Wouldn't it make a lot more sense to offer the higher subsidy to the payout and thereby encourage teachers to not be reliant on the schools for rent? This would decrease book-keeping etc and make everybody's life a lot easier.  :undecided:

Thoughts?


Re: Increase in EPIK housing subsidy?
« Reply #1 on: March 09, 2023, 02:26:15 pm »
If it doesn't apply to the handouts, what's the point?

"That thing you never see, never think about and which we don't discuss with you has gone up!"
I am a story without an equal;
The echoing void of a disaster
I am a smile drowning in tears
I am the silence at the end of your journey


  • D.L.Orean
  • Hero of Waygookistan

    • 1343

    • February 25, 2020, 09:34:41 am
Re: Increase in EPIK housing subsidy?
« Reply #2 on: March 09, 2023, 02:43:50 pm »
this only applies to school provided housing, not to the payouts EPIK teachers get in liue of school provided housing.

 :laugh: What a load of bullshit  :laugh:

I have heard there are other provinces that will be giving the extra 100k to those who have their own housing.


  • Augustiner
  • Hero of Waygookistan

    • 1008

    • December 06, 2021, 01:18:06 pm
    • Anyang
Re: Increase in EPIK housing subsidy?
« Reply #3 on: March 09, 2023, 02:47:49 pm »
I would think schools would not want to be in the housing business at all.  Most teachers that have been in the same vicinity for several years have their own housing, don't they?  Makes it much easier for the school to just give a stipend.  It used to be 600K a month in the city of Gunpo in Gyeonggi.  My current school has never had housing and wouldn't even interview a teacher that needed housing.  They don't want that headache.  Up the stipend and get any stragglers into their own accommodation. 

I understand of course, that some people with difficult financial situations or that are just here for a year or two would not want to get their own housing.  Not knocking anyone for taking school housing. 


  • Bakeacake
  • Expert Waygook

    • 795

    • July 12, 2010, 01:35:40 pm
    • Pohang South Korea
Re: Increase in EPIK housing subsidy?
« Reply #4 on: March 10, 2023, 01:12:29 pm »
haha  ints entirely so the school can pocket the extra money.  which they were doing all along anyway.   find housing with a landlord that had connections to the principal (or whomever) pay 250,000 won for it.  make the lease say 500,000 and pocket the rest.  as simple a grift as there has ever been.  why would the ever increase the stipend for the teacher to do the same? quid pro quo?


Re: Increase in EPIK housing subsidy?
« Reply #5 on: March 10, 2023, 03:26:32 pm »
   As of this month, EPIK will be increasing the housing subsidy in my province (Gyeongbuk, although I believe that this wil also apply to other provinces) from 400,000 won to 500,000 won.
This seems like a sensible thing to do, considering that rent has increased pretty dramatically over the last few years!

However, there's a caveat: this only applies to school provided housing, not to the payouts EPIK teachers get in liue of school provided housing.

This sucks for obvious reasons (I get the payout and I want the 500,000 won!), but I really wonder what the rational behind having two different subsidies would be. Wouldn't it make a lot more sense to offer the higher subsidy to the payout and thereby encourage teachers to not be reliant on the schools for rent? This would decrease book-keeping etc and make everybody's life a lot easier.  :undecided:

Thoughts?

I live in a Jeonse apartment and I got the 500,000 won payout. I'm in Gyeongsang-Buk do, but I'm I'm in the big city under the DMOE. They just told us at the renewal meeting that the rent subsidy will be 500,000 won for everyone regardless of whether or not they're in the school housing or renting their own place. But maybe it's because the city is more expensive? I don't know...


Re: Increase in EPIK housing subsidy?
« Reply #6 on: March 11, 2023, 03:10:50 pm »
They just told us at the renewal meeting that the rent subsidy will be 500,000 won for everyone regardless of whether or not they're in the school housing or renting their own place.
Am I dumb? Can someone explain this? If it's school provided then they'll have had the apartment for years for whomever is teaching, no? And they don't show you the bills every month, you just pay utilities. And even of they spend more money, are they gonna kick you out and move you to a nicer place? I don't understand what this means.

"Renting your own" makes sense because they cut you a check. It's quite evident that 400 would go to 500..........

Am I dumb?
I am a story without an equal;
The echoing void of a disaster
I am a smile drowning in tears
I am the silence at the end of your journey


  • Kyndo
  • Moderator LVL 1

    • I am a geek!!

    • March 02, 2027, 11:00:00 pm
    • 🇰🇷
Re: Increase in EPIK housing subsidy?
« Reply #7 on: March 13, 2023, 07:26:53 am »
Am I dumb? Can someone explain this? If it's school provided then they'll have had the apartment for years for whomever is teaching, no? And they don't show you the bills every month, you just pay utilities. And even of they spend more money, are they gonna kick you out and move you to a nicer place? I don't understand what this means.

"Renting your own" makes sense because they cut you a check. It's quite evident that 400 would go to 500..........

Am I dumb?
The only reason I can think of is that in some areas, rent has increased o much that schools are having trouble finding even one rooms for less than 400, so the gov is allocating an extra 500 to make it easeir for schools to find accommodations closer to the school for their teacher.

But HiddeninKorea has said that they will be getting the 500,000 payout, which is interesting. I need to talk to somebody in my MOE for a definitive answer and post an update, I think.


  • L I
  • Waygook Lord

    • 8096

    • October 03, 2011, 01:50:58 pm
Re: Increase in EPIK housing subsidy?
« Reply #8 on: March 13, 2023, 08:12:40 am »
Maybe rents have gone up in a way that the same one rooms once charging 400k are now charging 500k, so schools get that extra 100k as money to cover the increase in housing fee? Finding different housing that is cheaper, further away from the school, and more substandard would be a pain for the administration to do. Easier to continue the same housing as before. Landlords raise rent when housing values go up. Switching contracts to a different place would be more work.


  • vicarious
  • Super Waygook

    • 250

    • August 22, 2015, 04:48:38 pm
    • Busan
Re: Increase in EPIK housing subsidy?
« Reply #9 on: March 13, 2023, 12:37:29 pm »
I'm in Busan, and my contract says I will be getting a 500,000 won subsidy in lieu of school provided housing.


  • Kyndo
  • Moderator LVL 1

    • I am a geek!!

    • March 02, 2027, 11:00:00 pm
    • 🇰🇷
Re: Increase in EPIK housing subsidy?
« Reply #10 on: March 13, 2023, 01:04:50 pm »
Talked to the Gyeongbuk POE rep and they said over here, it's for the schools *only*, and meant as a last resort if no cheaper rents are available in the are. NETs here will still be receiving the 400k.  :sad:

I pointed out that I knew of teachers who were receiving 500k, and they told me in no uncertain terms that that was a mistake, and if they knew who it was, they would talk to the school.

So, uh, just saying, if you're getting 500k from a gyeongbuk school, don't make any noise about it!


  • D.L.Orean
  • Hero of Waygookistan

    • 1343

    • February 25, 2020, 09:34:41 am
Re: Increase in EPIK housing subsidy?
« Reply #11 on: March 13, 2023, 01:07:06 pm »
Talked to the Gyeongbuk POE rep and they said over here, it's for the schools *only*, and meant as a last resort if no cheaper rents are available in the are. NETs here will still be receiving the 400k.  :sad:

I pointed out that I knew of teachers who were receiving 500k, and they told me in no uncertain terms that that was a mistake, and if they knew who it was, they would talk to the school.

So, uh, just saying, if you're getting 500k from a gyeongbuk school, don't make any noise about it!

A ridiculous policy. Why would they even let the teachers know about it?


  • Kyndo
  • Moderator LVL 1

    • I am a geek!!

    • March 02, 2027, 11:00:00 pm
    • 🇰🇷
Re: Increase in EPIK housing subsidy?
« Reply #12 on: March 13, 2023, 01:14:09 pm »
Maybe they hadn't planned on it and it was "leaked"?
I first heard of it from a friend who's coworker mentioned it to her during lunch conversation. Probably assumed we already knew about it.
Got an amazingly memorable "wtf" rant text about it though, which was nice!

But hey, at least EPIK is being consistent!
- This year we will give you a raise! (but only for those of you who would otherwise be making less than minimum wage, which happens to be almost none of you, as we're not hiring the lowest pay tiers anymore)
- Look out for the all new EPIK+ opportunity! (which is basically the same as EPIK and EPIK-, except with an extra long, mandatory winter orientation in Jeju)
- The housing subsidy is going to increase (but only for those of you who don't see any of it anyway).

  :sad:


  • D.L.Orean
  • Hero of Waygookistan

    • 1343

    • February 25, 2020, 09:34:41 am
Re: Increase in EPIK housing subsidy?
« Reply #13 on: March 13, 2023, 01:28:41 pm »
Maybe they hadn't planned on it and it was "leaked"?
I first heard of it from a friend who's coworker mentioned it to her during lunch conversation. Probably assumed we already knew about it.
Got an amazingly memorable "wtf" rant text about it though, which was nice!

But hey, at least EPIK is being consistent!
- This year we will give you a raise! (but only for those of you who would otherwise be making less than minimum wage, which happens to be almost none of you, as we're not hiring the lowest pay tiers anymore)
- Look out for the all new EPIK+ opportunity! (which is basically the same as EPIK and EPIK-, except with an extra long, mandatory winter orientation in Jeju)
- The housing subsidy is going to increase (but only for those of you who don't see any of it anyway).

  :sad:

Where I am, every level got a raise and those receiving the housing allowance will be getting 500k. I understand why they allow different P/MOEs to set their own policies but when the EPIK program runs in such a way that teachers are not able to choose their location, they really should keep it the same across the entire country.


  • Kyndo
  • Moderator LVL 1

    • I am a geek!!

    • March 02, 2027, 11:00:00 pm
    • 🇰🇷
Re: Increase in EPIK housing subsidy?
« Reply #14 on: March 13, 2023, 01:42:53 pm »
Lucky!
I know that other provinces like Gangwon-do have some significant differences in their contracts.

Personally, it's not so much that EPIK pay is low, but rather that they say that they're doing things to improve our lot when in reality nothing changes (except, of course, the inexorable upward creep of inflation and cost-of-living).

Soon a bit of good ol' fashioned hustle will be a *requirement* when working an EPIK job, which is a bit depressing, considering that it's a government position, and one that used to be considered very cushy.


  • plan b
  • Super Waygook

    • 389

    • March 22, 2013, 11:53:06 am
    • Korea
Re: Increase in EPIK housing subsidy?
« Reply #15 on: March 14, 2023, 08:04:16 am »
My school paid rent went up from 330,000 to 500,000 a month this year.  I was puzzled that the school admin didn't so much as bat an eye about it. They must be getting more money this year.
I would have been screwed if I had taken the housing stipend of 400,000. Rents are skyrocketing.


  • D.L.Orean
  • Hero of Waygookistan

    • 1343

    • February 25, 2020, 09:34:41 am
Re: Increase in EPIK housing subsidy?
« Reply #16 on: March 14, 2023, 08:40:41 am »
My school paid rent went up from 330,000 to 500,000 a month this year.  I was puzzled that the school admin didn't so much as bat an eye about it. They must be getting more money this year.
I would have been screwed if I had taken the housing stipend of 400,000. Rents are skyrocketing.

Aren't there laws to prevent landlords raising the rent this much? The tenant has the right to refuse an increase of any more than 5%.



  • hangook77
  • Waygook Lord

    • 6036

    • September 14, 2017, 09:10:12 am
    • Near Busan
Re: Increase in EPIK housing subsidy?
« Reply #17 on: March 14, 2023, 10:44:10 am »
Where I am, every level got a raise and those receiving the housing allowance will be getting 500k. I understand why they allow different P/MOEs to set their own policies but when the EPIK program runs in such a way that teachers are not able to choose their location, they really should keep it the same across the entire country.

You must be Busan.  To my knowledge, it is the only city and or place that raised the pay.  It is almost catching up to rural pay.  Almost. 


  • D.L.Orean
  • Hero of Waygookistan

    • 1343

    • February 25, 2020, 09:34:41 am
Re: Increase in EPIK housing subsidy?
« Reply #18 on: March 14, 2023, 10:51:24 am »
To my knowledge

Accurate as ever. I'm not in Busan.


  • hangook77
  • Waygook Lord

    • 6036

    • September 14, 2017, 09:10:12 am
    • Near Busan
Re: Increase in EPIK housing subsidy?
« Reply #19 on: March 14, 2023, 10:58:51 am »
Accurate as ever. I'm not in Busan.

It is the only place that I saw the pay raised for all levels.  Most other places raised the lowest rate to match Korean minimum wage.  IE  Level one there became 2.6 from 2.4, while rural is 2.7 plus some rural allowances. 

Oh?  It looks like they included a couple of other underpaid metro cities, as well, but they still never raised the pay for rural EPIK?  Dickwads!

I thought the payhike promise was a lie.  Looks like they did raise it for a few but not others.  Gyeonggi, Seoul, and the rural provinces didn't get anything.  But Gyeonggi and even more so Seoul is the biggest rip off due to the lowest pay and the highest living costs.  I hope they have severe teacher shortages by next year.  So, most the country still didn't get a pay raise.