Korean Job Discussion Forums

[CdnTeacher]

I've been reading the job offer board, and some of these offers sound too good to be true. They sound like advertisements. One recruiter sent me a sample apartment pic, no bed, no couch, very small. Small table, fridge, washer and shower in the same room. It looked very old. I could almost see a roach waving at the camera.

I'm trying to figure out what's too good to be true, or what seems like a total scam. I read one story about a guy who's apartment was over a karaoke bar.

Has anyone heard of CIS - Canadian International School. They claim to be assoiciated with the North Vancouver School Board. Just curious if anyone heard of them.

Thanks..

[Derrek]

You need to be here to see a place first.

Otherwise, you can be told about anything. Especially by a recruiter. I came to Korea on my own dime to find a job. In my opinion, anyone who signs up for a job in Korea without seeing the place first is just nuts. And for those who say, "I can't afford it....", then maybe teaching in Korea is not a financially viable option for you.

It's up to you if you want to take that chance.

[princess]

Like I said before,Koreans don't know the first thing about comfort. They think you should be happy just to have a roof over your head. What Koreans call furnished,westerners call unfurnished. I say some dumb Koreans need to get a life where housing is concerned. If they came to the US or Canada,would they want to live in such squalid housing? I don't think so. Many people think offictels are so nice just because they look fancy downstairs and have bakeries and restaurants downstairs. Who cares? I want a bathtub,a real shower,etc. Even Mexicans in the US live better than we do in Korea. I know of some who live in double-wide trailers with jacuzzis and bathtubs. Trailers might be a worldwide joke,but they sure beat Korean housing.

[Zyzyfer]

[Captain Obvious 2.0]

You've never seen my officetel, the greatest officetel the world has ever seen.

[canukteacher]

In an ideal world you would come here and find a job/housing after you arrive. But, you may many reasons for not doing that. Here are a few pointers that might help you out:

1. Talk to as many existing/former teachers as you can. In fact, I have always found that former teachers are much more honest than teachers still in the "fold".

2. When you talk to them have a list of very specific questions. I would divide it into school questions and accom. questions.

School Questions.........1. What resources will you have? Book/computer/internet/photocopier? 2. How many students/age? 3. Who cleans the school? 4. Does the school pay on time? 5. Do you work with a Korean teacher? 6. Split shifts/overtime?

Accomodation Questions.........1. Size of the apartment? 2. Share or private? 3. Who pays the utilities?.....(if it is the teacher get an idea of the monthly charges)? 4. Does the director respect your privacy? 5. How far from the school? 2. Heat/hot water.......available 24 hours a day (believe me I have had heat and hot water problems in every place I have lived in Korea.)

You should also find out if the Director speaks English. I would think long and hard about working for a school where the Director does not.

This is probably just the beginning of the questions you want to ask. Write down all your questions, be organized. Ask different teachers different questions. (It's unlikely that anyone will want to answer 40+ questions.....so divide them over several teachers).

I don't know what your qualifications are, or why you want to teach, but before applying to any school you may want to give some seriouc thought to the age level you want to teach. If you don't like kids then kindy probably isn't for you.

I would recommend living in one of the bigger cities......Seoul, Daegu, Busan. I have lived in the boonies of Korea, and belive me it is the boonies.

Hope this helps. You can pm me if I can answer any other questions.

Good Luck

CT

[J.B. Clamence]

[Derrek]

[Ralph]

[Derrek]

[Crazy Oz]

Life's a gamble, so be adventurous......
The worst you could end up with is a crappy job, in a hellhole school, living in a cardboard box on the subway stairs, and not get paid.
No matter what the ad says, no matter what recruiters say, no matter what ex-teachers at your prospective school may say....remember we all see things differently. The value of any information can only be truely assessed by your observation. Sure it's hard to ignore the "never paid" and "no power/water" horror stories, because some are in fact true.
Truth of the matter is, you'll never know for sure until you give it a whirl.
Don't expect the world and maybe all will be well for you. Too many "teachers" expect the very same living and working conditions in a foreign country as they used to, and demand big money as well.
Personally I prefer to work for less money, less hours, and in a comfortable room rather than go for the big bucks, high hours and constant bickering of some schools.
Any job offering over 2.0 mil (hogwan) and they expect the world from you, keep you overworked, and tend to be very inflexible. Their way or no way. Besides, with the lower wages, it's less tax, less pension, less medical, and at least you have a better chance of actually getting your money in tough times.
Should things really be totally crud, you can always quit, get a release letter, and go home or elsewhere. Why let fear and commonsense stop you?

Still crazy, still here.

[J.B. Clamence]

[em]

Cheers to you, Crazy Oz, for that post! It's really easy to get freaked out by all the blacklists, etc. but you've knocked the not-so-common sense back into me! It's aaallllll about the adventure....which is exactly what I am NOT having here at home. Thanks for the pep talk.