Recruiter promised "single apartment" — I got an officetel with a curtain wall. Normal?

So I landed in Korea on Sunday and started at my hagwon yesterday. The recruiter promised a "fully furnished studio apartment" but what I actually got is a tiny officetel I'm sharing with another teacher who's been here 8 months — no warning, no choice. Two desks, one closet, one fridge. There's a curtain "wall" between us.

Is this normal? My contract just says "single accommodation" which I assumed meant a single apartment. I'm 24 and not really ready to live with a stranger I just met, especially when I was told I'd have my own place.

What do I actually do here? Push back at the hagwon? Eat the loss because I can't break the visa? Move out and find my own place (I can probably afford 500k/month)?

2 replies

u/MarieUni10yr

Verified · 10-year resident · Uni teacher·2d ago

Welcome to year one of Korea, and sorry — this is unfortunately a classic move. "Single accommodation" in recruiter speak is whatever the hagwon can get away with. The contract language matters more than the recruiter's words, and "single" can technically mean "for one person to sleep in" rather than "your own apartment."

Three things you can do right now, in order:

Get it in writing what you actually have, in detail. Photos of the room, the curtain, the shared fridge. Email yourself + screenshot the original recruiter messages. If it gets ugly later you'll need this.

Talk to the hagwon director, not the recruiter. The recruiter has already done their part — they got paid for placing you. Director has authority. Be calm but clear: this isn't what was described, can it be changed. Sometimes there's another room available, sometimes they'll let you move out and just give you the housing stipend (usually 500-700k/mo).

If they refuse and you want to stay, ask if you can break the housing portion of the contract and take the stipend. Many hagwons will agree because they want to keep you teaching, not fight about an officetel.

What you should NOT do: break your contract entirely over this. Visa would be voided and you'd have 30 days to find a new sponsor or leave. The housing fight is fixable; visa restart isn't easy mid-year.

u/DanielF27Content

Verified · 5-year resident·2d ago

Adding one practical thing — even if the hagwon refuses to budge, you can usually find a 원룸 (one-room) within your budget if you commit to a 6-12 month lease.

500k/month gets you a decent place in most non-Gangnam neighborhoods. You'll need:
- Key money (보증금): 5-10M KRW typical. This is your money — you get it back at lease end. Some hagwons will lend it interest-free as part of housing stipend.
- 부동산 (real estate agent) fee: ~0.4% of total contract value, paid at signing
- Move-in fees: usually small (1-2 weeks pro-rated rent)

The other teacher in your officetel might actually have advice too — they've been through this and know the local 부동산 agents. Could be a useful ally even if the situation is awkward.

Also: don't be ashamed to ask the hagwon to cover at least the agent fee if you're moving out because they failed to deliver what was promised. They often will, just to avoid the conflict escalating.

Year 1 in Korea is mostly about figuring out which battles are worth picking. This one is.