Korean Job Discussion Forums

[omegamongoose]

If you've read any of my other posts, you know I've been having a hell of a time trying to pick a job and a location, BUT . . . We've got the location decided.

And when I say we, I mean my friend and me. He decided he wants to be in (or very near) Seoul, so we're going to work and live in Seoul or one of the surrounding suburbs (Ilsan, Bundang, etc.).

However, which job we'll be working is still up for contention. I've made up an Excel spreadsheet with our options, between CDI and Poly basically, with a public school job as a theoretical option for comparison. If anyone wants a copy of the spreadsheet to put in their own numbers, PM me. After you read over the spreadsheet and consider the options, please let me know what you think. Thanks.

And yes, I know, I'm a nerd for making a spreadsheet.

[Areut]

I would say public! This is by going off your spreadsheet Public would be better because you get 14 paid vacation and in Seoul 21 paid vacation days. A lot of people make a lot of money doing public school camps so if you look at it in the long run you will make more in the public school. Wouldn't do CDI ever because you have to pay for your own housing and so on so that drops that pay down even more so it is not worth it. Also worrying that you will make enough to pay your bills isn't worth it. Poly seems good and I thought about it myself but you work long hours and if you plan on being here for long you need to find something that will not stress you out and make you want to leave the next day. (Not saying Poly will do this) Plus at public you get all the benefits and I believe you get 14 sick days so I would for all the reasons go public. But you need to review you spreadsheet because it doesn't show the housing payments in CDI and so forth. You also get a tax break working for public for the first two years so that�s even more money in your pocket.

[omegamongoose]

[Masta_Don]

I responded to your other thread but I can add some here too, also about CDI.

- If you're actually paying 600k/month for housing, your hakwon is screwing you, unless it's an actual house. Who pays 600k/month? I live in an expensive part of town and my place is 500k/month.

- You have no idea if you will be working 5 days a week, 6 hours a day. Could be 6 days a week, 3 hours a day or 4 days a week, 6 hours a day or any other combination. I didn't have to work Wednesdays which was nice. I know someone who works 6 days a week at a CDI hakwon too.

[Areut]

[omegamongoose]

Hey Masta_Don,

I estimated 600,000 KRW to be conservative. That way if we actually only pay 500,000 / month (since we have to find our own housing), I'll actually be saving 1.2 million KRW more for the year. But I didn't want to estimate 400,000 and then get over there and actually be paying more, you know?

Do you work at CDI? I'm really curious to know how people feel about the 4-10 shift. I'm typically a morning person, but it's tempting to only have to be at work/work for 6 hours a day and have the whole rest of the day off.

Anybody?

[omegamongoose]

[Masta_Don]

[willneverteachagain]

i went for an interview at poly and walked out

[omegamongoose]

[icicle]

[quote="omegamongoose"]

[Areut]

[quote="icicle"]

[Freaka]

Omegamongoose, when do you have to make your decision by? And if you choose CDI, when do you start?

[xCustomx]

Another thing to consider with public schools is that an hour equates to 40, 45 or 50 minutes (elementary, middle, high school). CDI counts 1 hour as either 55 or 60 minutes. You may also get lucky at a public school and teach less than the required 22 classes. I teach 18 classes a week, which equates to only 13.5 hours


If you're looking to come over now, why not wait about a month and find a camp to work at. I saw a couple of them last year paying 4million for 4 weeks of work. You had to pay for your own airfare to Jeju, but you would still pocket about 2.5-3.0, depending on how much your plane ticket is.

If you can get on with SMOE then go for it. 1 month of paid vacation a year, numerous days off where you're not teaching due to tests, field trips, sports days, etc..The two downsides of public schools are the large classes and the fact you don't know where you will be placed. However you're gonna have to take some risk no matter what job you end up choosing.

[DCJames]