Domestic Helper to Seoul



ORIGINAL POST
Posted by JPJP 19 yrs ago
Does anyone here have an experience or knowledge of bringing filipina helper from HK to Seoul ?

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COMMENTS
Claire 19 yrs ago
Perhaps try posting this on the Seoul Practical forum. There may be people in Seoul who have TAKEn their FDHs to Seoul. Whereas people based in HK might have BROUGHt their FDHs the other way.

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Babette 19 yrs ago
She already tried that (3 days ago) but most of the other cities do not have such an active group of posters as this one. I have been trying to get feedback on possible moves to Tokyo (Seoul is another possibility)and no one has posted on these sites in weeks or even months in some cases. There hadn't been a posting in practical in 50 days before JPJP's question. (Shanghai is a bit better)

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hkchoichoi 19 yrs ago
JPJP -


i'm in seoul now, after being in HK. I haven't personally done it, but it can be done as I've heard of a few cases where DH have come from HK to Seoul. You may have to visit the Korean Embassy or KorCham to find out more details. There is a pretty active Filipino community here.


As a warning however, the salary for DH's in Seoul is far higher than HK. (we pay ours around $8300 HKD/month.)


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Babette 19 yrs ago
HKchoichoi,

How do you like living is Seoul, as compared to HK? I have heard it is even more expensive than HK...How is the pollution there?

Babette

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hkchoichoi 19 yrs ago
I'm korean-american, so I would say living in Seoul is nominally better for me than a non Korean expat. However, living the expat life here is more expensive than HK. Western ingredients and comforts are at a significant premium here, but things may change with the new FTA. I'm not sure.


Tax is similar to HK as an expat (18%), but there is around an 8% national health insurance that is mandatory. you cannot opt out of it. Even if you get private insurance, you still have to pay this 8% as well.


Housing is much nicer here though - flats in general are bigger, although flats with full amenities and facilities are harder to come by. Electricity is very expensive and gasoline -well - its expensive too.


Pollution is much better than HK - although in the spring you have to worry about Yellow Dust. I do find it more pleasant to walk around with my kids in a stroller - far more convenient than HK in that regard. It's a bit more kid friendly in a lot of ways than HK as well.


Depending on where you live, there are lots of expat communities and plenty of places to meet expats. The expat community is also steadily growing here which means an improvement in the overall quality of life for an expat. Of course since the US military still occupies Korea, there are quite a few very "americanized" areas as well.



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Babette 19 yrs ago
How interesting! I had no idea...good to hear that pollution is much better, but depressing to hear that it is more expensive than HK (but I had heard that and also that domestic help was double or triple the cost of HK!) As US citizens, we pay US tax plus HK tax so it wouldn't be terribly different, I would guess-except for those additional national health insurance cost.

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hkchoichoi 19 yrs ago
Babette


you are also from the US? You can get an AmCHAM pass (actually available to anyone) for around $500 for the year - and it will give you access to the US base - where you can eat a lot of US style food (mexican, ribs, US fast food) at US prices, unlike the rest of Seoul. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask.

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throbbing 19 yrs ago
I have lived in various cities in Asia and sorry to say that I, and nearly everyone I know, dislikes Seoul especially compared to HK! I disagree with what is said above there are few expats (mostly English teachers or military) and language is a barrier. Seoul is BIG & there are no beaches or little fishing type villages (like Cheung Chau or Sai Kung) nearby. Society is real confucion, you will soon understand what this means, however if you ever manage to make friends with a Korean you have a real friend. Koreans are known for being stubborn and very nationalistic (you should have been in Korea during the world cup); most have not travelled much and often think all foreigners are American. Fresh food is expensive and a rip off (because the farmers are looked after so prices are high) and often depends on the time of year as imports are not commonly used (too expensive for most locals). Most apartments have no swimming pools or gyms, air pollution is not bad but the weather gets very cold in winter and forget about hiking in solitude, think more of a few thousand people with you at the same time (everything is done in groups). Oh, and traffic is bad, on a holiday weekend it can take 3-4 hours just getting out of town & accident rates are very high (ignoring the motorcycles on the pedestrian pavements...). And there are few clubs (with facilities) to join and most government facilities are swamped with people. Violent crime is rare. If you are going to Korea on a really big expat package you will find it easier and you may well like Seoul as some people do, mainly US citizens due to its US slant.

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Oceanview 19 yrs ago
I assume you are moving because of your husband's job? You can take your helper only if your husband gets an "investor visa", not "intercompany transfer". You can probably get more info. through whoever is helping you with your visa process. You will have to pay your helper higher wages than in HK if you want her to stay working for you. There is fairly a large number of Filipino maids in Seoul and they mostly live out. Besides, not many homes in Korea have separate maid's quarter and washroom. As for comparing living between HK and Seoul, there are pros and cons. It's very different. I think it all depends on your mind set. If you are open to new/different culture, you will do fine. If you insist on eating food from your own country, expect everyone to speak English and understand your English, you will find it challenging.

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