Korean Job Discussion Forums

[steve902]

Is there any meaningful difference between the compensation, housing, or working conditions for any of those (or other similar acronym using groups)? They seem like basically the same thing, but for different areas.

They're all public school organizations, right? It seems like there's a little (not a lot) more pay if someone works in a rural area, takes a lot more hours, or works in multiple schools (or has other hardships).

Basically, it seems like all the jobs in Korea (except international schools) hover around the same salary, with the same benefits, and the same number of days off. Some are slightly better than others in one area or worse in another, but the difference isn't substantial.

Stripping away any kind of rural or hardship bump in pay, does it make any difference for a person's quality of life if he/ she takes one over the other?

[schwa]

Housing tends to be substantially larger in smaller communities, with all the usual mod cons.

Classes in the countryside are typically smaller & rural kids tend to be sweet-natured.

[steve902]

I appreciate the info, but I'm wondering if you strip away the fact that they represent different areas (so each area would be different), is there any really meaningful difference between the approaches the organizations use to treat their teachers?

From the outside, it seems like the differences are far less substantial than US urban district A vs. US urban district B or US urban district A vs. US rural district.

Separate from a small rural bump in pay, are there differences in how the organizations treat employees? For example, does one organization make sure to give top of the line housing (as compared to the local housing market, rather than the national housing market)? Or does another organization give relatively bigger salary bumps for experienced teachers (beyond the base salary advertised)? I'm thinking about distinctions along those lines.

[schwa]

Base salaries throughout all the programs are standardized to national epik criteria & non-negotiable. Extra potential earnings are on a school-by-school basis. Official vacation time also follows the basic contract.

Some provinces have district coordinators that help look after teacher interests. Others pretty much leave you to sink or swim on your own.

Individual schools sort out your housing. Some make the effort to find the nicest affordable option, some dont.

I dont think any of the programs you list stand out as particularly superior. They all basically follow MOE directives. Some district supervisors are more kindly disposed towards native english teachers, then they transfer out & things can go south. Or vice versa.

English has taken a big budget hit this year. A lot of belt-tightening going on.

[ttompatz]

GEPIK, EPIK, SMOE, GOE, MOE, POE

They are not all programs.

GEPIK = program. Gyeonggi English Program In Korea.
EPIK = program. English Program in Korea.
SMOE is NOT a program and no is no longer responsible for recruitment. Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education.
GOE = no clue. Perhaps GPOE: Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education.
MOE = Ministry of Education (national)
POE = Provincial Office of Education (every province has one).

.

[Weigookin74]

[wanderkind]