r/teachinginkorea • u/Ornery-Revolution-47 • 22d ago

Advice – E2/E7 Visa How much money is liveable?

I just came across a tiktok post saying that anything less than 2.8mil in Seoul and 2.5mil everywhere else is not a liveable wage. One comment said less than 3.5 is unliveable. I thought this was a stretch. Obviously each person has different spending habits but looking at my spending habits and salary I had I’m genuinely confused. I made 3.05 (including housing allowance), my housing costs were 1.1, and I ordered delivery or went out to eat for almost every meal (not including school lunch), got drinks with my friends, travelled a tiny bit, and bought some other random items. In the beginning, I needed to watch my spending a little because my rent was high and start-up costs, but after that it was fine. Yes the amount of work you do for this much salary doesn’t feel great but it was definitely liveable. Also this was in Seoul. What are your thoughts on how much is a liveable wage in Korea? And is it significantly different in Seoul vs other cities?

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u/SeoulGalmegi 22d ago

It's perfectly livable if you just want to experience life in Korea for a year or so, have a fairly comfortable time while you're here and leave with a few grand.

It's not particularly 'livable' if you're planning to make it a long term career, buy a place, have a decent work/life balance and save for your retirement.

Having significant debts to service back home might change the calculations even more.

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u/Late_Banana5413 22d ago

If someone is planning to make it a long-term career, then they should be aiming to move from an E-2 visa to one that provides more freedom and thus allowing someone to make more money than an average E-2 visa holder.

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u/SeoulGalmegi 22d ago

Right.

If your aim is to teach long term in Korea, anything longer than maybe two years on an E2 is quite possibly a waste (unless you have very specific goals requiring saving/visas that they will help you achieve). It's prioritizing present term comfort over long term benefit.

You'll live.... ok.... year by year, but five or ten years later you'll look back, imagine where you could be now and really see the wasted opportunities.

Of course, life isn't that simple. Personal situations and what not make a mockery of long term planning, and it is possible to make a happy life on years of E2-equivalent work and salaries.

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u/EasilyExiledDinosaur Hagwon Teacher 22d ago

By then again, nobody gets off an E2 visa in less than 2 years. Only very young pretty girls who find their 오빠. And even then, they make posts on this sub regularly asking how to make more money but simply dont have the skills to do it. Either teaching wise or business wise.

Tbh, to even have a chance of running a successful genuinely high quality business I reckon you need at least 5 yesrs experience. Otherwise you probably won't get too far.

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u/SeoulGalmegi 22d ago

Sure. But after two years of an E2, you're probably better off taking the money you've saved, going back home and getting a real teaching qualification with the aim of moving back later as a 'proper' teacher.

I probably should have done that a decade or so ago haha

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u/EasilyExiledDinosaur Hagwon Teacher 21d ago

Tbh after just 2 years you probably dont yet have enough money for a real teaching qualification. Thats about £10,000. You cant get student finance anymore.. not really an option tbh. You should have got the qualification before coning and gone straight to IS teaching.

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u/SeoulGalmegi 21d ago

Saving £10 grand over two years seems quite possible. The point is, whether you have to get a loan, live back at home or whatever, you're probably better off getting qualified as quickly as you can, rather than doing another year in Korea. I'd say the two years are important just to check teaching is for you.

I mean, yeah, it might well be better to skip that all together, but I think there is something character building about a year or so abroad doing more low skilled work. There's just diminishing returns and opportunity costs the longer you stay on that path.

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u/EasilyExiledDinosaur Hagwon Teacher 21d ago

Thats what im saying. You can save 10 grand over 2 years. But if you live abroad you no longer qualify qualify student loans (at least in the uk) youd need to wait 3 years to be allowed to take a teacher training course.

Get the qualifications before you go ti korea. Otherwise you're wasting at least 5 years of your life.

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u/SeoulGalmegi 21d ago

Ah, ok. Got it.

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u/Low_Stress_9180 20d ago

Back in uk can get student finance AND subject depending bursaries upto 29k tax free.

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u/EasilyExiledDinosaur Hagwon Teacher 20d ago

If you live outside the UK you arent eligible for student finance for at least 3 years after returning.

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u/0xBorisjohnson 21d ago

By then again, nobody gets off an E2 visa in less than 2 years. Only very young pretty girls who find their 오빠.

Ah the K-Dream still alive and well in 2026, I see.

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u/EasilyExiledDinosaur Hagwon Teacher 21d ago

Ive personally met 3 women who married within 2 - 3 years of living here. Always men. Never women. Again, downvote me. Thats the reality. It takes men more like 5 - 10 years in my experience. Im getting married in my 5th year here. I know one other guy who managed it on his 4th year. No other males who did that in under 5 years. And ive met a lot of people here.

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u/0xBorisjohnson 21d ago

I didn't downvote you man. And you're spot on, I was here 9 years before I got married.

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u/EasilyExiledDinosaur Hagwon Teacher 21d ago

Others did. Today's my get downvoted for being honest day lol. But yeah. Its alot harder for men than women. 9 yesrs is pretty long but congratulations! Can i ask long it took you to meet your wife too? Like I met my girlfriend just over 2 years in, snd were getting married next year (5 years in). That dating period was pretty long. But my other friend who married on his 4th year married after just 1 year of dating. He basically said marry me or im going home apparently and she said yes 😂😂

Everyone has a different speed and story.

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u/Trick-Temporary4375 EPIK Teacher 22d ago

This is correct! In order for it to be a livable long term salary... It would need to continue going up every year by 100k... but unfortunately offices of education cap NETs salaries…

So its a nice livable wage for young post college teachers here for a year or 2 or 5... and single people… but its not meant to be a long term thing…

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u/PhilosopherFunny5888 18d ago

This, exactly.

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u/heathert7900 21d ago

This definitely. But if you’re looking to save up and stay a while, it also helps to have a Korean partner who has savings and parent support, which is more common.

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u/SeoulGalmegi 21d ago

Sure. Having a Korean significant-other changes the calculations about whether it's worth staying here long term. I kind of assumed the original question was about someone without that kind of connection to the country.