Korean Job Discussion Forums

[wire]

If making (saving) money is your reason for coming to Korea, you shouldn't obsess over salary.

A salary keeps you legal. Privates make you money.

I would look for the least demanding job I could find.

Four classes a day is just right.

The average teacher's fuse is about 4 classes long.

[Areut]

[Saxiif]

[wire]

[KWellsDear]

My first job in Korea paid 2.4 + 350,000 housing allowance. I taught 3-5 middle school classes a day.

I have BA and some kindergarten experience in the US.

[Saxiif]

Also keep in mind that qualifications are often aren't imporant as:

-what country you come from
-age
-gender
-not being fat
-race
-attractiveness
etc.

If you're a young, white, blonde, attractive girl from the states with a 4-year degree in Communications and no relevant qualifications you can probably do a hell of a lot better than if you're a 50 year-old obese male black guy from South Africa with qualifications coming out of your ass.

[poet13]

One of the posters mentioned legal opportunities to make extra dosh from a public school.

I will give you my situation as an example.
I make 2.1 base (includes 100k rural bonus). That's a level 2 EPIK. Next contract, if I'm renewed, I will move to level 1 (2.3 base) cause this summer I will do a TEFL. The following year, with 2 years in my POE (level=1+), 2.5 base.

All the standard stuff applies. Housing, airfare, bonus, pension, health, return tickets.

Now the extras, and this applies to A LOT of schools. I don't know about ALL, but I think I can safely say a lot.

After School Program. 4 days a week....during school hours. You're there anyways, but it's extra money. I think standard is 30K per 45 minute class. I get a little more, but that's something else (See the, "big fat envelope" thread.). That's 120 a week, 480 a month. It's only for 100 classes during the school year, and the first 20 are free, so 80 X 30 = 2.4 million. They're not taxing those earnings.

Camps. I'm in a rural area. Few foreigners. Every school gets an allowance to do camps. In my POE, it was 1.4 million. From Nov through Jan I do camps on the weekends. Minimum 4 hours. Max 16 hours (8 hours sat and sun). 30K per hour. Last Nov-Jan I pulled in just shy of 5 million for those (but I worked my butt off). This summer I expect 3 million. They're not taxing this either.

So, over a school year, my salary averaged over the months works out to a little more than 2.96 million won a month. That's not including pension and bonus. If Idid it that way, it would out to about 3.3 per month.

Time off. Lots. In the past six weeks, I have had ONE full work week. This week I have a five day holiday. Last week was a four day work week. Well, it was supposed to be. My alternate school was doing midterms so they didn't need me. I asked to pick up some extra classes at my regular school because a few classes were falling behind (I had only seen them three times instead of the five with everyone else.) My co-workers were shocked. Think of currency. By spending my day at my regular school working as I would normally instead of goofing off, I gained cred and currency far beyond the effort I put in. At least at my school, I get out of it what I put in.

I hope that helps.

[Masta_Don]

I don't understand you guys telling the OP to settle for less.

My first job was with CDI, which sucked for every reason except the pay. That was 2.7/month, although I paid for my own housing, and worked 24 hours a week, only 4 days. Picked up a couple privates and was up to 4.0/month for around 35 hours a week. That burnt me out along with having to deal with CDI.

After that I shopped around while in Korea (best bet really) but with some experience and CDI training certification (woohoo!), I did more than fine.

[KWellsDear]

My fiance works for CDI and makes pretty good money.

[goodgood]

[Donkey Beer]

There are a lot of crap jobs and a lot of recruiters trying really hard to push these lemons.

My advice is use as many recruiters as possible. Talk to them as if they're you're only recruiter but just lay down what you'll settle for. Some of the crappy recruiters will try to force you to take a crap job. Just don't talk to them anymore and continue on your merry way with your other 15 recruiters.

[Homer]

[icicle]

[insam]

[wylies99]

OP- These schools NEED you- and you have many options available. If any school treats you like crap during the interview, then just move on. It's their loss.