Korean Job Discussion Forums

[marktoronto]

Any info at all will be very helpful. I told the school that I would decide if I would take the job in 2 days (today is September 3rd)
I used a Korean based recruiting agency called ESL Spectrum. I haven't seen them on any blacklists, does anyone know them?
The school is called Toto Academy based in Mok-Dong. They have just started an English program there and my girlfriend and I will be the only english teachers, therefore I am not able to contact any english teachers at the school to find out more.
They have offered us 2.2 million won per month, no split shifts, and supposedly a nice apartment 2 subway stops from the school.
Yes...No....Maybe so?
Any, and I mean ANY advice will help.

Thanks
Mark

[BTM]

Not enough info - post a copy of the contract....

[Gord]

Use a coin. The coin knows all.

[mack the knife]

Ever hear of the word "crapshoot"?

[RedRob]

I got told by this bloke once that how he judged a school was by the quality of the appt. That is if it's lovely and clean and they have gone to the effort to put a few tins of tuna in the cupboards and some cleaning products in the kitchen for you to start off with, they really care about your wellbeing and therefore should be good employers.
It's just a theory, but I kinda like it.
Have you seen the accom.?
Luck.

[em]

With no other foreign teachers there to advise you, it really will be a bit of a crap shoot.

One thing you CAN consider are how well your potential employer has communicated with you throughout the hiring/interviewing process. Have they been upfront and cooperative? Have they been open to discussing your needs? Are they rushing you or do they seem relatively well-prepared for the process?

And I would definitely ask for some pics of the accomodation. I am in a great situation and the accomodations are correspondingly great - I would guess that bad digs means bad gig in the majority of cases.

Good luck!

And don't forget, it's not the end of the world if you pick a dud. Just bring enough cash to get yourself off to Japan and you will still have your head above water.

[ulsanchris]

redrob might have something there with the apartment thing. When I came here my apartment was filthy. It had spiderwebs dust, dirt, rotting food in the cupboards and fridge. The bathroom was filthy. I could go on for some length. It took my nine hours of cleaning to get the place mostly clean.
So far I have been treated with complete indifference at my job. It could be worse i suppose. I could be treated with hostility.

[TECO]

[VanIslander]

The apartment theory is quaint, and the crapshoot hypothesis is popular, but the greatest indicator of your happiness with your job will be your attitude when everything seems tipsy turvy instead of head over heels. That's when large 'breaks' are disguised split shifts and payday is, well, at best payweek. Expect your employer to do nothing more than what is expected to keep you working, and you'll soon develop the backbone to express your basic needs.

Forget the reputation of any recruiting agency. I went through one I KNEW was lousy, got stranded for an hour at the airport and was shullted last minute to my new employer. LIke me, soon you'll be in the school and the only thing that'll matter is the quality of the hogwan director you have. I won at craps and have a good director. You may throw snake eyes too, or maybe cross eyes. Use the recruiter for connections and expect little more. They're disposable middlemen worth their weight in pies-in-the-sky promises. Contracts are negotiable instruments, and I don't mean they're bankable. Quite the opposite. BUILD a relationship with your employer in the face of everything negative, and you may have a foundation that'll pay dividends later. You really have to go with the flow at first. Everything will seem whacky and offkilter. It may seem obvious, but you will have to be reminded: You are not in Kansas anymore.

[marktoronto]

Thanks for the advice. Have any of you been to the Mok-dong area? What's it like?

M

[mack the knife]

A buddy of mine lived in Mok-dong for 2 years. I would venture to say it's THE NICEST area of Seoul. You usually hear those words associated with the Gangnam area, but I lived there for a year and frankly, it was not much better than any other area of Seoul in which I've lived. The skyscrapers in Mok-dong are SO FRESH AND SO CLEAN, you'll have easy access to Costco (YEAH), and immigration is RIGHT THERE, so you don't have to travel 1+ hours to take care of your visa/resident card needs (THEY WILL ARISE). Did I mention that Mok-dong is very, very, almost dangerously close, to Hong-dae, the hippest area of Seoul (all the best clubs are there).

[marktoronto]

Ok, the school looks good and the area sounds good. I have one problem now. The school has asked me to pay for my flight there and reimburse me the minute I arrive. From the many posts I've read on this site I think this isn't the best idea. My recruiter says a lot of schools are doing this now because of teachers getting a free ride to Korea and then bailing on the school. I have a feeling I'll never see a dime of my flight money. Did the school pay for your flights?

[Saxiif]

Being told no split shifts means NOTHING. Get your exact schedule written down to the minute in your contract or you'll have no idea what you're getting (not that you'll know then). Also, Koreans don't like counting the few minutes between classes so you can be told you'll be teaching X hours and end up being forced to hang around the school for quite a bit longer...

also try to figure out how well the school is doing financially if possible. if all the classes are tiny then they won't have enough money to pay you (my boss appears to be raking thankfully...).