Some schools ask for a housing deposit of 200,000 won, or more, or less. What is this for, and will I get that deposit back before I leave Korea?
Some schools ask for one, some schools don’t. Similar to if you were moving into an apartment in the USA, where you would have to pay first and last months’ rent, plus a damage deposit or some other type of security bond, the school has to pay quite a bit to get you an apartment. Because the school is the party leasing the apartment, paying the rest, and supplying the large damage deposit to the owner (sometimes up to $5000 “key money”), the school is responsible for anything that happens to the apartment. Therefore, the school simply asks that the teacher leave a deposit with the school in case the teacher damages the apartment wilfully or negligently. The deposit could also cover huge phone bills racked up in the last month of employment. This deposit, if required is usually gathered in a couple of small instalments over the first few months of working, so you would not pay anything from your own money up front. Although I have heard of employees ducking out on an electricity bill or
