Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Sadebugo1]

Wait till the market stabilizes in Japan. I've worked in both Japan and Korea and there's no comparison. Those teachers who've spent time in Japan will return as soon as possible once they've experienced Korea. Can anyone say 'RUNNER?'

Sadebugo
Djibouti, Horn of Africa
http://travldawrld.blogspot.com/


Korea mops up Nova refugees



JOHN SCOTT MARCHANT
Reports from South Korea



LONG RENOWNED for its mixed treatment of foreign English teachers, Korea has suddenly become a �sexy� destination following the collapse of the Nova Group, one of the largest private language school chains in Japan. This has led to the international EFL job market being flooded with some 4,000 teachers looking for work, mainly in Asia and in South Korea in particular.
The English Program in Korea (EPIK) stands to benefit most from the labour influx. Under EPIK, teachers who hold an MA and have two years� experience are eligible for a monthly salary of 2.65 million won (�1,400) plus a generous benefits package including free housing, return airfare and a relocation allowance.
�It works for me,� said Jason Schuter, a Canadian EPIK applicant and self-confessed �Nova refugee�. Schuter said he had never wanted to work in South Korea, describing reports of teacher treatment as �horrific� and citing what he felt was the country�s lack of culture as reasons to steer clear.
�But money changes everything,� he explained. �I�ll try it for a year and see if I can get back to Japan.�
EPIK says its latest recruitment drive, which kicked off in December last year, has attracted a record number of applications, with former Nova employees forming the bulk of jobseekers.
�We�ve been swamped,� an EPIK spokesperson said. �In the past it has been difficult to attract acceptable teachers but there seem to be more than enough qualified and experienced ex-Nova English teachers hungry to come to Korea.�
A spokesperson for the Korea Foreign Teacher Recruiting Association noted that former Nova employees seem to be of a �higher calibre� than many foreigners currently teaching English in South Korea. �We welcome skilled foreign English teachers to Korea and hope they will lift competition for jobs and help improve the education of our students,� he said.
Meanwhile, Japanese school chain G.communication had hired fewer than half of Nova�s former employees as of mid-December, after taking over some Nova schools. Business analysts quoted in the Japan Times predicted that the Nova crash would depress foreign teachers� wages in Japan and lead to a decline in foreign recruitment across the industry.

[DrunkenMaster]

That number of 4,000 has already been debunked on another thread, whereever it may be. Either way, with this army of NOVA mercenaries descending upon Korea, it's a wonder that EPIK, GEPIK, and SMOE job ads are still going up almost everyday. I hope they don't eat all our food and women.

[dmbfan]

[blade]

[moosehead]

a recruiter I stay in touch with (he's actually one of the good ones) told me for every 20 teachers he attracted to an EPIK school, virtually 18 of them backed out upon reading the contract

we both agreed the contracts are recipes for disaster when attracting good teachers but no one cares to listen, so typical

[roybetis1]

I'm a former Nova teacher. Seriously, Nova teachers are of a higher caliber than most EPIK teachers? Are you kidding me? Most Nova teachers I met, myself included, were just out of college twits who couldn't teach themselves out of a paper bag.
I"m not saying EPIK is great, but we are certainly a step above Nova.

[ESL Milk "Everyday]

I'm just amazed that they would actually print someone's comments about Koreans lacking culture and being in it only for the money, or that someone would publicly make such comments in the first place like it was no big deal.

[Paddycakes]

[Dragonfly]

There does seem to be this notion amoung hagwon owners that teachers from Japan are of a higher calibre than teachers in Korea.

I was hired along with a few ex-NOVA teachers at Win Education. During orientation, I seemed to be singled out for petty ridicule in the typically embarrassing manner Koreans have. It was as if because I had been teaching in Korea for a few years, I was less than human, particularly in relation to a few kids who had just come from Tokyo. More self-loathing Korean mentality at work? Probably, but I'm not sure how the people at Win Education could get passed the fact that their favored teachers just came from their most feared and hated enemy, Japan.

[garykasparov]

I know for a fact that this is a lie. If this was true then every public school position in Korea would be filled. GEPIK and EPIK can't fill even half of their open positions. GEPIK has schools that have never had a foreign teacher. Everyone knows this but pretends it's not true.

[Young FRANKenstein]

[mysteriousdeltarays]

NOVA , they'd hire anybody under the age of 25. That seemed to be the only requirement.

That and a pair of dockers and some shined black shoes.
Helped to have a working holiday visa.

Nice to know the "cute" are coming over here en masse.
Well they kind of booted all the Canadians out of Taiwan.

You know what we really need?

More Canadian theology students who like little boys.

Perhaps they can post more "poetry" here.

Incidentally I liked the idea of Get counseling.

The Novoids well they have shined shoes. Usually cool tats as well.

[ESL Milk "Everyday]

I worked at NOVA, and I consider the average hagwon a big step up-- less stress, more freedom, actual classrooms and more interaction with your higher-ups. But my Japan experience was really hyped by my boss when I applied for my first job in Korea... it was actually enough to get me in without even having an interview. I just sent them a picture and then I was hired without having spoken to the director.

Luckily, I really don't think there's anything a foreigner could do to convince them that your average NOVA lesson is just a foreigner in a filthy, well-worn suit sitting in a glass box with three four bored housewives reading extremely easy-to-follow directions out of a teacher's guide.

[bassexpander]