Korean schools are divided into public and private schools. Public elementary schools are free (except for school lunches, for which you must pay). Private elementary schools tend to be much more expensive than their public counterparts, but at the middle and high-school level, prices are comparable.
Tuition fees
Costs will depend on the subject you choose as well as whether your institution is a private or public university. On average, tuition fees at a public university in South Korea cost about ₩4,000,000 (£3,000) per semester for both undergraduate and postgraduate courses.
Primary and Secondary Schools
Expats are able to send their children to public school, but they will need to have some knowledge of Korean as this is the language of instruction for all classes except the foreign language ones. The school cost to attend a public institution is free except for school lunches.
Students can study for free because the government pays everything from tuition fees, airplane tickets, resettlement allowance, health insurance, stipend, living allowance, medical insurance, and Korean language courses.
High schools in South Korea teach students for three years, from first grade (age 15–16) to third grade (age 17–18), and students commonly graduate at age 17 or 18.
The Korean education is a single-track system, which operates on 6-3-3-4 basis, with six years of elementary school, three years of middle school, three years of high school, and four years at the undergraduate university level .
The average cost of living in South Korea is reasonable. It is not as cheap as living in some Asian countries like Laos or China, but it is also not as expensive as Japan or Singapore. In general, the most expensive living costs in the country will be found in the capital, Seoul.
Foreigners are free to send their children to Korean school. This is an option, especially for those children with sufficient Korean language skills. Children lacking fluency in Korean might find it difficult to adjust to Korean school.
Family of four estimated monthly costs are 3,685.9$ (4,586,491.2₩) without rent. A single person estimated monthly costs are 1,009.3$ (1,255,860.0₩) without rent. Cost of living in South Korea is, on average, 1.2% lower than in United States. Rent in South Korea is, on average, 62.2% lower than in United States.
All kindergarteners and elementary, middle and high school students are subject to free school lunch in the city of Seoul. The city launched its free lunch program for students in 2011 and has since expanded it.
In Korea, mothers do not need to prepare children's lunch boxes since every school has its own kitchen to provide students' fresh and healthy meals to ensure balanced diet (The fees are generally minimum and in Seoul, most of the schools provide free lunch to students.).
As of 2022, the average salary of a person working in South Korea is 3,890,000 KRW per month, while the average salary in the country is 2,818,500 KRW. The minimum wage rate is set under the country's Minimum Wage Act of 1986.
Students are required to pay admission fees and tuition since high school is not considered compulsory education in Korea.
Generally, for your child's education in South Korea, you can expect to spend between $50 to $400 per month for kindergarten (public and private, respectively), and $15,000 to $30,000 per year at international schools for primary, middle, and secondary school education.
The school day sTST are 8.15±1.12 hours for 5-6th graders, 8.17±1.20 hours for 7-9th graders, and 6.87±1.40 hours for 10-12th graders, thus making sleep deprivation less severe. Nonetheless, 9 hours of sleep is considered necessary for adolescents, and all students were thus sleep-deprived10, 24).
The school's students are allowed to possess cell phones on campus but are completely prohibited from using them, according to the NHRCK. If students want to use a mobile phone during breaks or lunch time, they have to ask for a teachers' permission.
But if you attend co-schools, you'll need to be extra careful not to get caught. 81% of middle and high schools don't allow students to date anyone in South Korea. Unfortunately, dating in school is perceived as unethical behavior. Schools even reward students who report other students dating their schoolmate secretly.
How expensive is Australia compared to other countries? While life in Australia comes with a price tag, Mercer's most recent survey shows that Australian cities are not in the top 50 when it comes to cost of living, which is good news for companies relocating employees to the Asia-Pacific area.
In general, moving to South Korea is easy as long as you are prepared before your arrival. Although the country has a long history of not preferring foreign migration, those sentiments have changed as Korea has started to welcome more and more international companies through its borders.
Westerners may find living in South Korea challenging. The culture is different, and the language barrier can be significant, particularly with older Koreans. Foreign residents tend to socialize largely with other foreigners. Seoul is crowded, and living quarters are small compared to Western accommodations.
There are summer and winter breaks, but 10 optional half days at the beginning and end of each break (which are attended by practically all students) reduce each of these biennial vacations to the remaining 10 days. South Korea has 11 official holidays a year.
Korean children have only about 6 weeks of summer vacation, usually from mid-July to late August, but university students keep trains and buses busy throughout the season.
On March 7, Wang Hao-yu, a young councilor of Zhongli District, Taoyuan City, posted on his Facebook page saying that teenagers in Taiwan spend the longest time at school in the world, which is “abnormal.” The average high school hours in Taiwan is 9.5 hours, starting from 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., which is even longer ...