Thursday, August 8, 2013

Thursday, August 08, 2013 - , No comments

A Departing Teacher's Checklist

1. Complete your pension refund paperwork.
2. Get Proof-of-Employment documents
3. Check your severance/bonuses
4. Check remaining vacation time
5. Find out your apartment vacancy day
6. Arrange transportation to your hometown



1. Apply in-person for a pension refund.
Ansan Pension Office: 259 Gwangdeok-daero, Danwon-gu, Ansan-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea

One month before your departure date, Go to the local pension office. 
Bring along:
1. Plane ticket (one-way)
2. ARC
3. Passport
4. Cancelled check or banking information to transfer the $$$ overseas
5. Proof of employment (just in case)

Full spiel: http://english.nps.or.kr/jsppage/english/agreement/agreement_02_03_03.jsp#btn05

NPS will send yearly statements, but don't be complacent.  It's a good idea to check the balance of pension accounts from time to time, ESPECIALLY if you have worked with more than one employer.  A missed payment from a shady hagwon several years ago will delay the entire refund.

02-2176-8703, (ask for an English speaker)


2. Get a Certificate of Employment (재직증명서)

It will look something like this and should include a signature or red stamp


Teachers in Korea are required to prove previous experience in order to climb the pay scale at a different workplace.  This can be nearly impossible to get later, and places are reluctant to accept other types of paperwork like contract copies or paystubs.  Getting a copy (or several) now can really save you a headache later.  It's not a good idea to wait until the last day, but don't expect the staff to post-date an official document to the final day of your contract.

* Other loose ends:
3. Check your severance amount if you have an unusual contract length (a partial year)

4. Check your remaining vacation time 

 5. Find out your expected apartment vacancy date:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELm1TgH8-nY

6. Arrange for any final transportation between the airplane and home.

Monday, August 5, 2013

Monday, August 05, 2013 - ,, No comments

Walk-In for a Ticket at the Ansan Express Bus Terminal

In 20 days, I'll be headed to the airport to go to the USA.  Why not nail down that bus ticket to the airport on a day when I have some free time?


I had a friend at work write me a note.  I gave him this:

"I would like a bus ticket from Ansan to Incheon Airport.
I would like to arrive around 8am on Day, Month, Date."

I got this:

"(month number)월 (day number) 일 (...요일) 오전 8시 도착으를 인천공항 티켓을 예매하고 싶습니다.

7시 쯤 가능한 차가 있으면 예매해 주세요."

The note was clear as a bell to the attendant.  Unfortunately, you can't buy a bus ticket more than a week in advance.  In fact, I saw people buying tickets and RUNNING to the buses.  I guess it's not too chancy to buy them on the spot.

To be continued...

Location: Seongpo-dong, Sangnok-gu, Ansan-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea

Sunday, July 28, 2013

Sunday, July 28, 2013 - , No comments

Fixing a Crushed Heel Plate

Korean life has really shortened the lifespan of my shoes, and being a size 300 makes any shoes I buy really expensive compared to back home in the USA.  I really, really hate the idea of throwing away a perfectly good pair of shoes, but I almost had to.


This isn't my shoe, but it does show the part of the shoe that I recently crushed.  When finishing up at a place that requires the shoes to come off, I usually hold up the show when it comes time to put them back on.  I've never mastered the art of sliding them back on as gracefully as everyone else does.  This has caused me on many occasions to crush the plastic heel plate in the back.  It got to the point where the plastic was so bent that it dug into my ankles when I walked.

I thought about putting a hairdryer on it and heating the plastic up enough to bend it back.  Before doing that, I thought of a new idea while ironing.  I set the back of the shoe on the ironing board so that the toe was pointed straight up in the air.  Then, I put the iron in the foothole and pressed down, going side to side to follow the curve of the heel.  I pressed down hard, held it down, and put the iron on the hottest setting.

To make a short story even shorter, it is 98% fixed.  I don't feel any scraping or gauging when I walk.  Saved $100 by not having to throw them away.  Seems simple, but I guess not everyone has thought of this:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20071011211956AAnL9m4

Friday, July 26, 2013

Friday, July 26, 2013 - ,, No comments

The Ansan Pension Office

I took a half-day of vacation today to visit the Ansan Pension Office to claim my pension refund.  I will be leaving Korea in a month and that makes me eligible to come in and fill out an application.

I found the Ansan location on the Ansan City website:
http://ansan.iansan.net/english/02_sub/body06_3_11.asp

It's listed as the 5th floor of the Ocean Building.  That's outdated.  It is NOT there.

The TRUE location is here on the NPS website:
http://english.nps.or.kr/jsppage/app/english/contact/contact_01.jsp 


From an east-west perspective, it is directly north of the Gojan Homeplus.

I arrived around 1:30pm and the door was locked!  Crap!

Actually, there was a sign next to the door saying to use another entrance.  I was really paranoid about my visit due to a paperwork issue at my school and I was expecting it to be a difficult trip.  I can happily say that walking to the other door was the hardest part of my visit.

I walked in, found the NPS sign that led me to the second floor.

Outside the office, I saw this:
 
This is a good sign - implying that someone there speaks English.  

When I walked in, I noticed one member of the staff energetically gesturing to someone across the room.  She was motioning to that person to take care of me.  She took me to the desk and I was speaking to a representative within 10 seconds.  I was literally the only visitor there.  No line, no take-a-number, and no waiting.

I brought my passport, ARC, a voided check from my USA checking account, and my plane ticket.  I read on other sites that proof-of-employment might be necessary, but it wasn't for me.  I think this might be due to only working a single job that is funded by the city.  If my work history was more complicated, I suspect they may have asked me more questions.

I was given a simple English application form, my documents were all copied, and I got an official printout of my account balance.  She told me the date that the transfer would be made and how much the total would be.  

I was in and out in 10-15 minutes and there wasn't any confusion or awkward moments.  It's comparable to applying for a Homeplus point card, except there is a lot more English and you need to bring a few extra documents.

I was totally impressed by the experience and I made sure to tell the representative about it.

Piece of cake?  Umm... yeah!



Location: 259 Gwangdeok-daero, Danwon-gu, Ansan-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Tuesday, July 16, 2013 - , No comments

KB Bank Extended Hours

Since I wont be allowed to take a holiday during the entire final month of my employment (despite having 3 days of vacation time available), I've had to do some legwork to ensure that I can handle a "worst case scenario".  Working until Friday at 6pm and departing on a Sunday doesn't allow me to have any time at a post office or bank during normal hours.

The KB Bank website has changed since I last looked.  In 2011, I do remember there being a bit more English information.  These days, I can't even find an English Call Center number.  However, the certificate and online banking stuff now appears to be in English, which could be really awesome!

Anyway, although I couldn't directly find hours and locations listed on their website, I found some info on the Western Union page that lists participating bank locations and hours.  This is some good news:


Open Fridays until 7:30 and Sundays as well!

Location: 792 Wongok-dong, Danwon-gu, Ansan-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea

Sunday, July 14, 2013

Sunday, July 14, 2013 - ,, No comments

Nearby KB ATM

Update: Visited the ATM the following week and it worked 100%. ^^

Sadly, most of us teachers that live in our building have been walking about twice as far as we need to.  The two nearest KB ATMs are the KB branch near Homeplus (open 'til 22:00) and E-Mart (open 'til 24:00).  We just discovered one much closer.

This booth is at the entrance of the 13 단지 apartments near the park.






Bad news: the first time I went to try it, it was down.  Not sure what the sign says, but I am hopeful that it will be up and running soon.

I found out later that there is a second KB atm, between this one and the one at E-Mart.  They are hiding in plain site.

 

It's not easy to see, but there are several different bank ATMs outside the entrance of Hosu Maeul apartments near building 129.  In this picture, KB is on the left side.


This is the secondary location.

Location: Gwangdeok 2-ro, Danwon-gu, Ansan-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea

Sunday, July 7, 2013

Sunday, July 07, 2013 - ,, No comments

New Bike Borrowing in Ansan

 

In a nutshell: not ready for prime time.

I was happy to see the English options on the screen and relatively simple instructions.

Tried to go online to register.  Wouldn't take my name and ARC number.  Went to the booth near Gojan and spoke to the people there about it.  They had nothing to offer me, but they did take me in the office and help me try on the computer.  They told me to bring back a Korean speaking friend.  I asked them the best I could to write the issue on paper.  They wrote down in Korean "bring a Korean speaking friend".  Facepalm.

A friend in the office of my school made a phone call.  We were told that foreigners weren't added to the system yet.  They would do a work-around if I filled out a special form and send a copy of my ARC.  Done.

A few hours later, another call.  The ARC copy wasn't faxed clearly enough.  Send again - lighter.  Done.

A few hours later, yet another call.  Foreigners aren't yet eligible for the program yet due to a computer issue.

Three or four weeks later, no clear solution yet.

Location: Gojan, 453-53 Gojan-dong, Danwon-gu, Ansan-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
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