The most commonly asked question about housing in Korea is usually about the type of toilet a teacher is going to have. You WILL have an western style toilet.
Bathrooms are also configured differently in Korea- don’t expect a bathtub, and the shower may consist of a showerhead sticking out of the wall. Koreans don’t use shower curtains. This may seem odd at first, but the bathrooms are tiled and the floor is at a slight incline with a drain in it. Thus you can splash as much water as you like all over the bathroom without worrying about getting water on the floor. This also makes cleaning the bathroom a cinch- throw all your shampoo bottles in the living room, hose down your bathroom with the shower head- and presto- a clean bathroom. A word to the wise- also remove the toilet paper before hosing down your bathroom.
Note: The only places where you will experience traditional ‘squat’ style toilets- basically a porcelain covered hole in the floor- is in the countryside and public restrooms. You will not have a squat toilet in your apartment- you will have a normal, western style flush toilet. If faced with using a squat toilet, there are a few tricks to remember. Squat facing the rounded porcelain hood of the toilet as if you were going to play leap-frog- you wouldn’t want to suffer the embarrassment of someone discovering you using the toilet backwards! Make sure your pants and undergarments are out of the way, or you may have a distinctly uncomfortable rest of the day, and try not to splash.
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“I had been teaching ESL in Europe and Asia for four years when I contacted Footprints. Before I found Footprints, I was independently searching for a position in Seoul and I was extremely hesitant to pursue any of the contracts that I was offered. The schools and other recruiting firms that I came into contact with were offering contracts with suspicious clauses and inadequate housing. I knew that Ben and Jeff ran a professional service as soon as I spoke to them on the phone. I have since completed my one year contract in Seoul and can honestly say that everything went well from beginning to end. Although Korea is not always the easiest place to live, Footprints makes the transition so much smoother. Footprints is upfront, honest and dependable. I would highly recommend their service for anyone considering teaching abroad and would not hesitate to re-sign with Footprints in the future.”
