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The Grass is really greener at universities?
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Pateach



Joined: 11 May 2006

PostPosted: Tue Apr 24, 2007 4:14 pm    Post subject: The Grass is really greener at universities? Reply with quote

Best things about university teaching? (I am hoping to stay with my current school and just change shifts. But if I need a plan B to get a sane lifestyle...) what are the best day to day things about the university work environment besides the time off?
In your opinion, which is the best university to work at within 1 hour of Seoul?
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Zark



Joined: 12 May 2003
Location: Phuket, Thailand: Look into my eyes . . .

PostPosted: Tue Apr 24, 2007 4:25 pm    Post subject: Re: The Grass is really greener at universities? Reply with quote

Pateach wrote:
Best things about university teaching? (I am hoping to stay with my current school and just change shifts. But if I need a plan B to get a sane lifestyle...) what are the best day to day things about the university work environment besides the time off?
In your opinion, which is the best university to work at within 1 hour of Seoul?


The better university gigs are certainly FAR better.

My last two university gigs (spent about 5.5 years in total).

20 weeks paid vacation
four-day work week
11- to 12-hour work week
No meetings EVER
private office, phone and Internet
semi-decent apartment
good wages and able to save about US$12-15000 a year without really trying

One of those was on the edge of Pusan, the other about a 90-minute drive from Seoul.

Hard to beat pretty much anywhere in the world.
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SuperHero



Joined: 10 Dec 2003
Location: Superhero Hideout

PostPosted: Tue Apr 24, 2007 4:29 pm    Post subject: Re: The Grass is really greener at universities? Reply with quote

Zark wrote:
My last two university gigs (spent about 5.5 years in total).

20 weeks paid vacation
four-day work week
11- to 12-hour work week
No meetings EVER
private office, phone and Internet
semi-decent apartment
good wages and able to save about US$12-15000 a year without really trying

One of those was on the edge of Pusan, the other about a 90-minute drive from Seoul.

Hard to beat pretty much anywhere in the world.

ditto

except my current job has a pre-semester and a post-semester meeting.

the one before that had bi-weekly meetings at a time most inconvenient for teachers, plus annual MT (which I skipped and almost got fired for)
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Pak Yu Man



Joined: 02 Jun 2005
Location: The Ida galaxy

PostPosted: Tue Apr 24, 2007 6:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Almost ditto.

The problem the OP is going to have is the "1 hour from Seoul" thing.
Every hakwon monkey is looking to move on up in the world. Most of them are also going to be looking for a place close to Seoul.
Get a nice job smack dab(something my mom would have said) in the middle of nowhere. Cost of living will be so much cheaper, so you can save even more $$$. This is a bad idea if you need to talk to 20 foreigners everyday.
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Pateach



Joined: 11 May 2006

PostPosted: Sun Apr 29, 2007 4:24 am    Post subject: Thanks Reply with quote

Thanks to the first two posters.
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kurva anjad



Joined: 19 Apr 2007

PostPosted: Sun Apr 29, 2007 4:31 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Pak Yu Man wrote:
Almost ditto.

The problem the OP is going to have is the "1 hour from Seoul" thing.
Every hakwon monkey is looking to move on up in the world. Most of them are also going to be looking for a place close to Seoul.
Get a nice job smack dab(something my mom would have said) in the middle of nowhere. Cost of living will be so much cheaper, so you can save even more $$$. This is a bad idea if you need to talk to 20 foreigners everyday.


I guess you are not appreciated. Good post though.
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Harpeau



Joined: 01 Feb 2003
Location: Coquitlam, BC

PostPosted: Sun Apr 29, 2007 4:40 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Almost ditto. Don't forget that there maybe 5 to 8 office hours. Paying for your own VISA run might be another issue. Housing too~ depending.

One thing to remember if coming from a hogwan: It might be easier to get a job outside of Seoul. Trying to get into a university in Seoul can be very competitive. After working a year or two in a uni. outside of Seoul, it might be much easier to land a job in the killbox~ especially if you only have a BA.
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ajuma



Joined: 18 Feb 2003
Location: Anywere but Seoul!!

PostPosted: Sun Apr 29, 2007 5:19 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The best thing about teaching at a uni are the intangibles. You get a LOT more respect from your students (they call you "professor" even if you're not!) AND you have the power of grades. You don't have little Min Su's mom on the phone asking why he got an "F"!

Ok...the "grade power" isn't true everywhere, but a student is a WHOLE lot less likely to f*** up if you hold up the "stick" of a low grade!
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mrsquirrel



Joined: 13 Dec 2006

PostPosted: Sun Apr 29, 2007 5:23 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
You don't have little Min Su's mom on the phone asking why he got an "F"!


Cause he got hooked into that bloody awful middle school english book and didn't study properly therefore getting an F.
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poet13



Joined: 22 Jan 2006
Location: Just over there....throwing lemons.

PostPosted: Sun Apr 29, 2007 5:30 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

So speaking of intangibles. I have a friend (uni guy) who gets asked to do things like edit textbooks. He also gets to demand a higher per hour (40K) for camps. I only get 30k per hour.
In terms of resume building, is textbook editing a strong positive, or just something every uni person does at some point, and it doesn't mean much?
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PRagic



Joined: 24 Feb 2006

PostPosted: Sun Apr 29, 2007 6:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Fewer contact hours
Higher pay
More paid vacation

No brainer
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pkang0202



Joined: 09 Mar 2007

PostPosted: Sun Apr 29, 2007 6:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

What do you teach at the University level? Do you get into complex sentence structure and grammar?

Creative writing, poetry, etc...? I'm interested in teaching at University, but I have no idea what you actually teach.
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jinks



Joined: 27 Oct 2004
Location: Formerly: Lower North Island

PostPosted: Sun Apr 29, 2007 6:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

pkang0202 wrote:
What do you teach at the University level? Do you get into complex sentence structure and grammar?Creative writing, poetry, etc...? I'm interested in teaching at University, but I have no idea what you actually teach.

Most of your classes will be 'freshman English'; this means teaching the language of introductions, hobbies, transportation, directions etc. There are some 'advanced' classes, but many of the students struggle to form good, coherent sentences. You will have a few English stars in your classes, but for every stellar performer there will also be a few rocks to weigh your lessons down.
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HapKi



Joined: 10 Dec 2004
Location: TALL BUILDING-SEOUL

PostPosted: Sun Apr 29, 2007 6:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
What do you teach at the University level?


Subjects that my co-workers and I have taught through the years include-

-first and second year English conversation (English majors)
-composition
-listening lab
-required English conversation (non-English majors)
-pronunciation
-public speaking skills
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the_beaver



Joined: 15 Jan 2003

PostPosted: Sun Apr 29, 2007 6:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

pkang0202 wrote:
What do you teach at the University level? Do you get into complex sentence structure and grammar?

Creative writing, poetry, etc...? I'm interested in teaching at University, but I have no idea what you actually teach.


- Freshman English
- Introductory Computers
- Multimedia English Speaking
- Multimedia English Listening
- Introduction to English Literature
- Creative and Critical Thinking
- Informal Debate
- Academic Writing
- Presentation Skills
- English Conversation 1, 2, and 3
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