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What's up with the low salaries???? 1.6!?!?

 
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hellofaniceguy



Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Location: On your computer screen!

PostPosted: Fri Aug 01, 2003 2:00 pm    Post subject: What's up with the low salaries???? 1.6!?!? Reply with quote

Scaning some of the jobs on this site, a few places are offering 1.6 teaching 90 hours a month! One being "The Little School On The Hill."
Another in Seoul is "offering" 1.7 for 100 hours! The same with Jeju. 1.7/1.8. Seems like the owners are banding together. In Jeju they do, hence the low pay. But why would anyone sign for such a low wage?
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kimcheeking
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PostPosted: Fri Aug 01, 2003 2:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

1.7 for 90 hours is the same as 2.2 for 120 hours. it's 75% of the wage for 75% of the hours....
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JackSarang



Joined: 28 Jan 2003

PostPosted: Fri Aug 01, 2003 2:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Jeju has been around 1.7/1.8 for 2-3 years now. They say its because the populace their makes less money yet things are more expensive.

The other schools, especially in Seoul are the ones who have always been pulling that crap, YBM etc, with the bait of 90-100hrs which in reality works out to over 120 because of their creative math.

The people who sign for those wages are the ones who don't read ESL boards like this one. They're the people that answer an ad in their local paper or stumble across a recruiter's website. They have no idea what competitve wages are, good working conditions etc. They just see the "No experience neccessary, free ticket, free housing, adventure!!!" and sign right up.
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Broccoli



Joined: 28 Jul 2003
Location: Right foot in Limbo, left foot sliding somewhere darker.

PostPosted: Fri Aug 01, 2003 4:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hey, that "Little School on the Hill" is advertising at ESLJunction for 1.3-1.45 million won/ month for 70-80 hours of teaching. Maybe you can just pick your own schedule there. Cool! Very Happy Very Happy Very Happy

......of course, they only subsidize your rent by half (up to a max of 250,000) and they don't mention key money at all. What's rent in Seoul? Pretty hefty, isn't it? Confused I think I read somewhere that 500,000 won't get you a cardboard box. (I'm going to hit the search engine.)
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waterbaby



Joined: 01 Feb 2003
Location: Baking Gord a Cheescake pie

PostPosted: Fri Aug 01, 2003 7:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Broccoli, make sure you do hit the search buttons! That school is always advertising. During my job hunt earlier this year I came across them and the job sounded quite exciting, but when I started digging, I came across a lot of VERY disgruntled ex employees who vented about them. Needless to say, I didn't puruse a job there...

You could try sending Lost Seoul a PM as he has a huge archive of information posted about school. Or check out his website... Hagwon Report
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itaewonguy



Joined: 25 Mar 2003

PostPosted: Fri Aug 01, 2003 8:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

try and remember,, that is asking price..
OF COURSE YOU MUST counter offer!!!
so they asking 1.5 for 90 hours.. you say 1.8.. then they will say 1.6 and bang you have 1.7 take it or leave it!!!
1.7 for 90 hours is not bad..
anyway NEVER , NEVER take the first offer!!!
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JackSarang



Joined: 28 Jan 2003

PostPosted: Fri Aug 01, 2003 8:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Dude, schools hardly ever truly negotiate salary. Its a joke. If they offer 1.6 million thats what they're going to pay. If you "negotiate" for 1.8, don't be surprised on payday when you only get 1.6.

Negotiating with hogwon Director's is pointless, they will say something to make you happy, then do something to make them happy.
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TheUrbanMyth



Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Location: Retired

PostPosted: Fri Aug 01, 2003 11:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

kimcheeking wrote:
1.7 for 90 hours is the same as 2.2 for 120 hours. it's 75% of the wage for 75% of the hours....



Good point kimcheeking. However quite a few of these schools (YBM for example) who offer less define hour as 60 minutes of actual teaching time (rather than the standard of fifty minutes teaching and 10 minute break.) 90 hours this way tends to be 5400 minutes a month as opposed to 6000 minutes a month. 75% of 6000 is 4500, a lot less than 5400 minutes.

Of course not all schools who offer less define hour this way. But it seems like a majority of them do. And again not all schools that offer 2.2 for 120 hours define hour as 50 minutes and 10 minute break. But it seems like a majority of them do. I haven't heard of too many people complaining that they have to work 7200 minutes a month.
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hellofaniceguy



Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Location: On your computer screen!

PostPosted: Sat Aug 02, 2003 4:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Even if the school "subsidizes" the rent, it is still a low salary. Another point; ALL businesses who sponsor foreigners are required by LAW to pay for housing and transportation. If the school does not sign the sponsor form with immigration, no visa. Most people don't know this and schools are hoping that "we" are not aware of the law. Immigration always requires the sponsor form. But then again, we don't have to sign the contract. As for the "Little school on the hill," I know three teachers who split a few years back and one who left early eariler this year. They can't keep teachers. The owner, a woman who I spoke with in person is a real jerk. Her nose is way up in the air and her rearend. She talks a con game and is only thinking about herself. If the school was great, she would not need to advertise for employees. Her current teachers would recommend their friends. They don't. Even McDonalds does not need to advertise for employees!
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Broccoli



Joined: 28 Jul 2003
Location: Right foot in Limbo, left foot sliding somewhere darker.

PostPosted: Sat Aug 02, 2003 6:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for the heads-up on the Little School waterbaby and hellofancieguy.

Itaewonguy, I did try to negotiate with one school and they never got back to me... I said I was open to further negotiation too, but they just dropped me like a hot potato.

Of course, that was Pagoda and they probably have a more structured salary system than your average mom-and-pop hogwan. Still, they didn't even get back to me, and they were very interested until that point. Confused I would have pursued them more aggressively, but that split shift was starting to look just way too brutal.

That job was for 4800 minutes (80 hours) a month, which worked out as 120 classes of 40 minutes each.

I'm also working under the assumption that whatever the school advertises is the best case scenario, and that, like JackSarang suggests, even if I negotiate a better contract on paper, this would just be pillow talk. Nope, no more negotiation for me, just clarification.

Hellofancieguy, I'm pretty much stuck replying to adds, being a newbie and all (a prebie, reallly). If that means I'm getting the hogwan crumbs, then so be it. Rolling Eyes ...whatchagonnado? I'm surprised to learn that they have to supply housing by law, but I still don't think I'll negotiate. I'll be satisfied if I can get all the relevant details of the original offer...which seems to be no mean feat.

TheUrbanMyth, I have been working under the assumption that when a school advertises 100 or 120 hours a month, that this always means actual contact time. I didn't realize that this some include breaks in the that time as well. Thanks for that info.
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