Korean Job Discussion Forums

[omegamongoose]

You had to choose between:

CDI in Bundang for, let's say, 2.5 mil KRW/month

OR

A public school in Busan for 2.0 mil KRW/month

OR

Work a summer camp for a month, do a visa run, and come back and work at a public school near/in Seoul for 2.1 mil KRW/month

? ? ?

Thanks.

[yingwenlaoshi]

All three sound pretty crappy to me.

If CDI's includes rent then that would be the obvious choice. No rent and that would be my last choice.

Those public school salaries are a joke, but if you're not conerned about the cash then you could slide through your days just posing and get more bang for your buck. Long days and early mornings if you like that. Could easily save 1 million a month, but you might have to deal with co-teachers, large classes, and BS office-type headaches.

[omegamongoose]

Thanks for the input. The public school salaries are pretty pathetic (and that 2 mil/2.1 mil estimates included me getting my TEFL cert, which I'm in the process of doing right now), but it sounds like less responsibility and more days off, which sounds like a good idea for my first job in Korea. Maybe after a year of that I'd feel comfortable enough with the country to take on a more demanding job, but on the other hand . . . At CDI, I'd be able to spend all day (till about 3) doing whatever I wanted. Anyway, some things to consider.

Thanks again.

[VanIslander]

Jobs in Busan and on Jeju Island often pay a bit less but offer better quality of life.

An extra hundred or two a month is not worth quibbling over, because often all other factors are not equal.

Look at where you want to work, in terms of city, neighbourhood, living and working conditions, specifics of housing and workplace.

[insam]

Location is mostly all I care about, but this isn't important for everyone. I will only live in Seoul proper and actually gave up an excellent job (sweet international school gig) last year after two years because the school built a new campus in Bundang (e.g. I would work in a hagwon in Seoul before working at a university in Daegu). Money falls out of trees in korea (if you're effective and people like you); you can make as much as you want in most of the major cities. In my opinion, far too much is made here about the contract details. A few pots and pans and thousand bucks here and there isn't significant by Korean monetary standards. There is a general expectation that an employee is a part of the whole, not just someone who clocks in and out. Flexibility over details will lead to much more opportunity down the road and ultimately more freedom. I'm not saying to bend over and take in the arse, just don't come across as selfish in negotiations. Perceived generosity (if merely strategic) up front will lead to greater opportunity and ultimately more freedom down the road. Learn the art of Korean negotiation and view it in their terms. They want to know if you will fit in more they they want to hear about your qualifiations, but this is mostly true in any collaborative work environment. Good luck, all three sound like feasible opportunities. If geography is a factor, then it should be a simple decision.

[omegamongoose]

Have you ever done a summer camp before? Are they terrible? Is it worth it to do the visa run after a month and then start at a public school in Seoul?

[icicle]

[xCustomx]

[sadsac]

Summer camp and options, other things may pop up.

[omegamongoose]

It seems like such a hassle to do a summer camp/visa run, etc., but I guess if the summer camp is willing to pay to fly me out there, it might be worth it. I do like kids, so hopefully it would be fun. And I would be in Korea already for interviews and whatnot when the Sept. public school jobs open up. I dunno, it just seems riskier and more hassle; I kind of want to just sign a 1-year contract right now and be done with all of this preliminary stage (I've been perusing through and trying to pick a job for over a month now), but obviously this is an important decision. I don't want to break a contract I sign, but I also don't want to be miserable for a year.

Anyway, thanks to everyone for their input.