Medical Insurance For English Teachers In South Korea
About Teacher medical coverage in Korea
Korean law states that all western teachers are to receive 50/50 medical coverage from their sponsor (your school). Your school essentially pays into a Korean medical plan and covers 50% of the monthly rate; the remaining 50% is covered by the teacher which is usually deducted from his or her monthly salary. The 50% usually amounts to 1.8 – 2.2% of your monthly income, it’s quite minimal.
What will my medical plan include?
As a teacher your medical plan will include doctors visits, hospital visits and any emergency care you would require. The plan does not include: Eye care, dental, prescriptions or any medical treatment that are considered to be cosmetic.
When will my Korean medical insurance take affect?
IMPORTANT: Your medical coverage will not take affect until you receive your resident card. Getting your card can take up to 6 weeks and during that time you will NOT have medical coverage.
IMPORTANT: Gone2Korea strongly advises all teachers to look into temporary health insurance BEFORE they depart for Korea. Hopefully nothing will happen to you during your stay, however, having a medical plan at ALL TIMES when you are living and/or traveling overseas in highly advised. Hospital bills for a major accident can easily translate into hundreds of thousands of dollars!
How can I find a doctor that speaks English?
Most highly educated Koreans will have a decent grasps of the English language, therefore you can expect most doctors to have decent English speaking abilities. If you are unable to find an English speaking doctor then you will need to contact your embassy in Korea, most foreign embassies keep a list of English speaking doctors and professionals that they are able to provide.
Where can I find temporary travel and medical insurance?
There are literally hundreds of credible travel insurance providers. Just ask your family and friends if they are aware of any companies that they’ve used previously or go online and google “travel insurance”, “temporary travel insurance”, “overseas health coverage”, etc.
Student Guard
Medical Insurance for overseas teachers
