Korean Job Discussion Forums

[hellofaniceguy]

That's the ad posted on Dave's job site! CDI in Seoul offering 3.5 to start!!??!! What do you think!? Geez... I guess I'll have to take a pay cut to teach for CDI!

[just because]

[Ilsanman]

Read the clauses. Possibly there is no free apartment or Visa run. I believe apartments in Seoul are quite pricy.

[Gord]

[Butterfly]

[hellofaniceguy]

I can't find it but I remember reading a post about this school, another site maybe... anyway, the letters were not good. Current and past teachers were being burnt big time. Hell, the low wage teachers could ALL do better if they didn't sign contracts for low wages. Schools have no teachers, what happens? Changes! Maybe bad changes but you don't know unless we try. But the trouble is that someone will always sign a bad contract just to get a job in korea. Hokwon owners know this and that they will always find someone to sign for low wages.

[Skarp]

THE big problem at the root of all of TEFL's ills is student apathy.

If the students set higher standards and demanded they were met - eventually we would have a decent industry.

I avoid teaching kids because they are the least likely to provide honest and meaningful feedback to the school.


There is scope I suppose for a cooperative of good teachers forming their own school - but this doesn't seem to happen so there must be a reason why not.

The place in the advert is after IVY league material. These people have other options for careers, so a high salary is offered.

Skarp

[Derrek]

I took a job with a new institute earlier this year... the owner bragged up and down about how he wanted to pay like an American company, etc.... signed on for 3.0 a month. I trained for free for a week, then took my vacation to the USA before i started the contract. Then while I was in the USA, I learned that I had no job when I returned. The institute had to charge too much, and there weren't enough students.

Beware large salaries -- sometimes they over-promise.

[Pyongshin Sangja]

Shady, shady, shady. And I quote: "Class hours are generally from 5pm-11pm weekdays, and earlier on weekends. " The salary figure is off the hook. But they want you to teach 5-11 pm 5 days a week plus an unstated number of weekend (Sunday even maybe?) hours, no housing. Let's say an additional 5 hours per week on weekends, I'm being generous here for once. Also, remember that when a Korean says "generally" they will never interpret it in your favour. 3.5 million, minus W500,000 for rent is W3 mill, divided by 140 working hours per month (at 11 freakin pm might I add) is W21,428 per hour. Given that you will likely work a little bit more than 140 hours per month because months are longer than 4 weeks and that if you want to rent your own place you will need a huge deposit and/or will pay a lot more than W500,000 (possibly less if you are willing to split a hovel in Haebangchon with someone) this hourly rate ain't that great. Had I paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to go to Harvard (their weasel recruiters kept calling me but I had to put those crackers back in their place ) I wouldn't go anywhere near a job like that. (If U of T gets on that list of top unis, then so can UBC, although I ain't no English major) There is also no mention of holidays at all in the ad. 10 mill, don't count on it. My reasonable salary, better working hours, teacher autonomy, ten weeks vacation and nice, clean, quiet pad on campus working for a University Foreign Language Education Centre beat this on all counts. No scoffing about your 5 months from the uni lecturing crowd. I'll be up there with you in a year, you can count on it. Nonetheless, the list of graduates here is impressive: "At present, we have over 55 teachers on staff, with the majority representing renowned learning institutions such as Harvard, Cornell, Columbia, Princeton, Duke, Michigan, NYU, Berkeley, UCLA, Univ. of Toronto, Northwestern, Cal-Tech and the equivalent." They can't all be morons. Go for it if you like, I am staying right here.



Qualified Gyopo and Foreigner instructors - 3.5~10 Million won per month

Posted By: CDI Institute <[email protected]>
Date: Monday, 29 September 2003, at 8:30 a.m.

Dear applicants,

CDI is one of Korea's most respected private language institutes, headquartered in the prestigious Chungdahm-dong area of Seoul. CDI is the educational arm of a company with interests in online education, multi-media, and publishing. We are currently interviewing talented and motivated instructors to join our elite team at CDI in imparting quality education to the future leaders of Korea. Please read this letter fully and carefully, and follow all requirements as outlined below. Resumes failing to adhere to the instructions below may not be considered.

Please note that due to the influx of resumes, we may not be able to contact you in case your resume has not been successful. Please use e-mail and refrain from calling.

At this time, we are accepting applications from individuals meeting the following requirements to begin training from November 1st, 2003. All potential candidates must be ready to join CDI at this time.

===================================================================
1. Overseas Koreans (Gyopos) - Candidates who have completed Junior high, High school, and Undergraduate studies in the US and Canada. These candidates must have near-perfect English accents. Korean capability and past teaching experiences are an asset, but not necessary. Training will be provided.

2. Native Speakers (foreigners) - At this time, only candidates from Canada and the US will be considered. The applicant must have graduated from a top university in North America in English related majors. Minimum 2-year teaching experience is required.
===================================================================

All successful applicant must have graduated from a top-rated North American university with a minimum undergraduate degree in a 4-year program (At this time, CDI is not accepting applications from outside North America, but please keep posted for future opportunities).

At present, we have over 55 teachers on staff, with the majority representing renowned learning institutions such as Harvard, Cornell, Columbia, Princeton, Duke, Michigan, NYU, Berkeley, UCLA, Univ. of Toronto, Northwestern, Cal-Tech and the equivalent. Due to fraudulent graduation degrees, we also contact the undergraduate services to confirm the degree's authenticity.

Students at CDI are composed of grades 4 through 11, and are in the top 10% of the nation's student body in terms of academics. Class hours are generally from 5pm-11pm weekdays, and earlier on weekends. There are a variety of courses ranging from Basic Language Skills, Multi-leveled Reading and Listening comprehension, Writing, Speaking, and the TOEFL (PBT/CBT). All programs are developed by CDI, and are complete with all materials and trainings provided.

In keeping with our policy of hiring the most qualified and talented instructors, CDI believes in providing these individuals with the highest remunerations. Although the detailed terms of payment will be discussed at the interview, the initial starting salary may range from 3.5 million ~ 5 million Korean Won per month after taxes, and can reach up to 8~10 million won per month depending on course load and incentives (housing may be an optional for exceptional candidates). Diverse career choices are also open to stellar individuals.

Details to apply to CDI: Please follow the instructions carefully.

1. Please make sure that you fit the description of the above requirement.

2. Check the future interview dates and time from below. Choose ALL the time(s) that you are able to attend the interview at CDI. ALL CANDIDATES MUST BE IN SEOUL TO ATTEND AN INTERVIEW IN PERSON. The process will take 2-3 hours and all invited interviewee will receive a fee for his/her valuable time.

Interview Dates/Times

1. September 24th, Wed. 12:30PM (Unavailable)
2. September 27th, Sat. 2:00PM (Unavailable)
3. September 30th, Tues. 12:30PM
4. October 3rd, Fri. 12:30PM (Unavailable)
5. October 5th, Sun. 2:00PM
5. October 8th, Wed. 12:30PM
7. October 14th, Tues. 12:30PM
8. October 18th, Sat. 2:00PM
9. October 29th, Wed. 12:30PM

Note: Exceptional academic background and experiences may be granted an interview outside of the dates and time stated above, but all candidates must be in Seoul at the time of the interview.

3. Send your most recent resume and a brief cover letter of your experiences in MS-WORD format via E-mail to [email protected] Also as a precaution, copy and paste only the resume on the body of the e-mail, in case the attachments cannot be opened. A recent picture would be helpful. Do not send photos of diplomas or reference letters.

4. Clearly state your name, both Korean and English, your birth date, gender, nationality, and marital status in your e-mail.

5. If the resume is successful in the initial screening of applicants, e-mail will be sent to confirm the date/time of the interview, and further directions will be sent. Please make sure to provide a phone number and an E-mail address that is checked frequently.

6. Successful candidates from the interview will be invited to join the training phase, to begin on November 1st, 2003. The candidates will be paid a monthly salary (up to 1.5 million won, depending on the amount of training) during their training periods. After the successful completion of the training phase, the individuals may be offered classes to begin teaching early December 2003.

CDI means more than "just a teaching job" and I am looking forward to offering the best people with the best terms.

Sincerely,

J. Chang

Associate Director, CDI
[email protected]
http://chungdahm.com

[Gord]

[dogbert]

From their website, it appears that all their instructors are either Koreans or kyopos.

[Pyongshin Sangja]

Ok, gordo. So, we're going to go at it like this.

1)I no longer trust privately owned language institutes in Korea. Period. Full stop.
2)Working till 11pm is a pile of horse pucky. I used to do it and made a lot more than 3.5 before rent. Well, not a lot more. But it REALLY sucked. Then again, you could work two jobs. And blow yourself away inside of 6 months.
3)I am no longer here just for the dough, I need time off. My bunions are killing me.
4)There is no mention of a dinner hour. Therefore, this isn't one. Bet you my left nut.
5)Am I qualified to work there? Just checked the site, there are lots of UBC grads like me. Hell, Emily Carr is on there! English related major? That is a lot of leeway. I have a degree in History. In English. I bet if I rub the director's inner thigh during the interview the right way, that is English related.
6) The thing that gets me is the vagueness of the deal: "generally" "weekend hours" "stellar individuals." Gord, you're a stellar individual. Language like this in a private institute means they will ride you like a Subic Bay bargirl. I'll dress up in a little schoolgirls outfit and let them call me a Mick piece of crap for 10 mill. So, maybe I should apply. I love to dance!
6) They are ALL Koreans and Kyopos. Bow as I might, I might not pass the hanminjo test. Unless your last name is Kim, Lim, Park, or Lee my friend, it appears you are barking up the wrong tree. And mine ain't. Serve!

[Pyongshin Sangja]

Then again.........Why am I thinking about this place so much? 10 million reasons I think.............Hmmmm. Do YOU know anything about this place? I do recall seeing bad stuff about CDI on the old board back in the day, I think. You seem to know everything, is this in your ouevre?

[Drakoi]

hey, I had an interview with these guys and it sounded pretty legit. I was wondering if you had any specific gripes or if anyone could dig up some past dirt on them. And yes, it was completely gyopos and koreans.

[Pyongshin Sangja]

Are you Korean or Kyopo? Did they say why there were now interested in hiring foreigners, if not? What about money, did they discuss it with you?