Korean Job Discussion Forums

[mrsquirrel]

My current contract in Thailand is coming up for the end of it's third year. I'm pretty happy that I've been here for that time as it has been a good position.

Reading this forum though reminds me of what Korea was like when I was there with stories of people hating their jobs.

So some positivity is needed.

How long have you been at your current school. Have you stayed for more than one year?

[ashke516]

I'll be signing on for a third year in March!

[sheba]

I might extend into a 3rd year in May, but it wont be for a year... maybe 6 months.

[Ya-ta Boy]

I stayed at one school 4 years and 3 months. Another school, I stayed exactly 4 years. But my record is 20 years (back home). [/quote]

[nautilus]

I have a policy now of not staying more than 1 year at any school.

Because you look stupid if you do.

On the surface Koreans will plead with you to stay another year. Deep down, (if you renew), they think "what a fool. Has he got no real job to go to?".

[VanIslander]

I stayed at my last job for 3.5 years on Geoje Island.

I'm finishing off my first year at my new place and contemplating re-signing.

And I beg to differ with nautilus: it's better to work at a single place longer than to hop from place to place to place, at least in terms of one's resume. Nothing seems lamer than hoping around laterally careerwise five or six times. Don't they want to re-sign you? Is your bag of tricks empty and teaching too hard after the lustre of being the new teacher wears off? There's the issue of stability. New employers like to entertain the idea of hiring someone who might stick around longer than a year.

Further, I did my best teaching in the third year at the same hagwon (but perhaps some teachers just get lazy and bored, especially if it's not an ideal job for them). One can get really connected to the students and their progress then becomes one's own. I'm proud of them and miss them.

[jinju]

On my 3rd contract now. Will stay a 4th if they want, 5th would be my limit. I want this to be my last teaching job, period.

[babtangee]

I gotta agree with Vanshemale. I'm finishing up my second year with the same school. Will probably stay for a 3rd (assuming I don't beat my boss to death over bonuses), primarily because I want to see my students continue to improve. Or maybe it's because I have my students well trained and am to lazy to re-train someone elses... Probably a little bit of both.

[Captain Corea]

3 years. But by that time I saw far too many faults seeping through the cracks to sigh on for anything more.

[HapKi]

I've been at the same college since 99.

[spliff]

My record is 4yrs at Rahgie Sakon Nakon. What up, squirrel?

[PRagic]

Kind of a moot question, isn't it? Even the best hakwon isn't worth staying at past one contract, and now most of the universities are enforcing an idiotic maximim 3 year residency rule. Public schools? Yikes. No thanks. The market in this country is by-and-large been geared toward moving people out and getting the fresh (cheap) meat in.

[mrsquirrel]

Good reading.

Not up to much Spliff planning on jumping ship this year and getting out of the land of nothing ever happens.

[Homer]

4th year at my current place of employement. Going to go for 5 next year.

Did 3 years at the school before that.

[mrsquirrel]

You didn't work two years before the three years and one year before the two years did you?