Coming to South Korea... as an English teacher

I wanted to revamp an old entry I did about coming to South Korea.


There are many factors that affect what one should bring to SoKo when coming over to live for an extended period of time.

If you are working for a private academy (hagwon), it is pretty safe to say that you will not be in the deep in the countryside.

If you are headed to Seoul you will be able to find just about everything you need to live comfortably. The same is true with any of the other big cities: Busan, Daegu, Daejeon, etc.

With that being said, it is important to bring anything that you are brand/ingredient sensitive about. The same product here will be made different. Bread, cheese cake, even potato chips taste different. Many famous brands that exist in the U.S. exist in South Korea. A popular one among foreigners here is COSTCO. People swarm for their bulk items.

South Korea is a tech savvy nation with most Western conveniences available for the masses. Umbrellas, tooth paste, socks, tooth brushes, batteries, eggs, milk, bread, etc. are readily available here.

Koreans do not use bed sheets. If you like your fitted sheet, pillow case, or sham, then bring it because you will be hard pressed to find it here. Here they have what people in the US would consider two comforters. One is thick and has one side that has little plastic dots on it to prevent it from sliding around. That one goes on the bed as a bed sheet. The second will be softer and is used as a comforter. There is a matching pillow that usually goes with it.

If you are in any way not short/average in size than bring pants. I am 5’10” and an average build. It is impossible for me to find pants that are long enough, Also, if you have an ass then bring pants. There are shops near military bases that have clothes that will fit, but you may have to sacrifice you personal style for whatever is available.

Bring a Korea phrase book. Just do it. You will benefit as well as any Korean people you will inevitably interact with. If you can learn the basic greeting and ‘thank you’ phrases they will be endlessly appreciated.

Deodorant is very hard to come by. If you want to keep wearing it for the duration of your time here, bring your own. It is as simple as that. Body odor is not an issue here. It may be hygiene, diet, or other factors, but people here for the most part don’t smell. Now, you will get those post-drunk old guys sitting next to you on a bus or subway that smell like old alcohol and sweat, but that is another issue entirely.

Tampons are becoming more popular, but pads are available at almost all convenience stores.

Once you are in Korea, keep toilet paper with you, if you are a girl. It never fails that almost all bathrooms here have soap, but they never seem to have TP. Also, before you fret make sure to look outside of the stall of the TP. Often a toilet paper is located on a random bathroom wall. Also, squat toilets still exist. They take a bit of getting used to, but they are super sanitary and depending how comfortable you get with them, they can be speedy too.

Pharmacies operate differently here. If you have a cold you can’t just run to your local Target or pharmacy and pick up some Dayquil or Nyquil. You go to the pharmacy and explain to the pharmacist your sickness and they will give you what you need. Also, it is very common to go to the hospital or Dr. office when you don’t feel well if you would like medicine. They will prescribe you medicine good for about 3 days and then invite you back for another consultation. A doctor’s visit is less than 5,000won ($5 US) and medicine is usually about 4,000won ($4 US). You can usually go to the doctor and get medicine for about 7,000won ($7 US). That is if you use meds at all. If you want any medicine that is specific to your country of origin, bring it. Advil, Dayquil, Vitamin-C, Therma-Flu, Multi-vitamins, Pepto-Bismol, etc. are not easy to come by. Korea has it’s own meds that it prescribes for different illnesses. Also, if you are sick and you go to the hospital do not be surprised if you receive a shot in the butt. It is a common method for giving antibiotic and cold boosters.

Try to bring an open mind. I think that is truly the est way to thrive here. If you can vibe with the Korean style of comsumer goods and revel in what does exist here than everything will be gravy. If not, make sure you have a good friend back home that will send you things ;)

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