Korean Job Discussion Forums

[shantaram]

I looked at two threads in here and asked myself, what the hell am I thinking...

But I am thinking about coming over to Korea to teach summer camp. I'm thinking of getting in contact with the POE I worked for, who I was on good terms with, and asking if they need people for summer camps in the province.

Has anybody done that, or knows somebody who has done that? Did you/they have their air-fare paid for?

If I read another thread, I might just change my mind.

But after spending 12 months wanting to leap out the window of my top-floor classroom, and having had a lengthy and rejuvenating break, I think I want to come back for a month to give Korea some closure, sample reach kimchichigae once again and redeem the mistakes (honest mistakes) I made in my time teaching there by teaching a little bit better, if just for a short time! (And then come back to my country and go into an ESL job.)

Edit: I think I meant real kimchichigae, must have been planning the ch's before writing the name of the recipe.

[itpaul]

wow. thats the first time ive seen an avatar thats bigger than the message.

as far as flying out for a camp is concerned, personally i would say no simply for environmental reasons.

i do fly myself sometimes, but generally try to avoid it. if i do use it, then i have to have a good reason.

i'm actually planning to get to korea overland through russia. cheaper, cleaner and much more interesting. i'm already in europe though.

[itpaul]

actually i'm wrong


the message is actually 1.5cm larger than the avatar


still pretty impresssive though


(yes i put a ruler to the screen, and yes, i need to get out more)

[teachergirltoo]

I have a friend that only does camps. She comes twice a year (winter and summer camps) and always has to pay for the airfare herself.

[shantaram]

Thanks teachergirl. Is it worth her while, do you think? How does she get accommodation?

[itpaul]

camps?

[shantaram]

ITPaul, did you read the thread before responding to it, or did you just get your ruler out and measure the icon?

[itpaul]

sorry

no offence

just mucking about

admittedly i was more drawn to the size of your avatar than the post content.

i just read it again. i do find it a little hard to follow and i don't know what POE stands for. i'm a bit thick sometimes. sorry.

if you really want to go to korea then you should. in fact, i've done kids camps in germany. i would like to do it in korea aswell but i heard they don't give E2 visa's so thats no good for me. any chance you could let me know if your contact can arrange an E2? I would be interested in coming myself then.

[itpaul]

[teachergirltoo]

She only does camps - back to back over the summer and winter. Her housing is provided at each place. Even with paying for her airfare herself, it seems to be worthwhile because she has done it for a few years in a row now.

[shantaram]

Thanks teachergirl. Seems it might be worth it. I'll contact the poe and take it from there

[bassexpander]

I wouldn't do this. Every year, far too many camps end up screwing over teachers and paying a lot less than the promised (some of them disappear without any payment). If you're here short-term, you have almost zero way of getting your pay, and the government basically kicks you out after your visa is up.

There have been yearly issues with HUFS camps (that's a university name associated with a camp) imposing a massive tax at the end of the pay period -- the teachers had no idea it was coming.

Just a warning! See here:

http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?t=51328&highlight=HUFS+camp

http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?t=55012&highlight=HUFS+camp

[shantaram]

Thanks for the warning and I will read those threads, but I'm going to go through the poe I worked for as an EPIK contractor and I know they won't screw me over. (The poe won't. EPIK might out of sheer disorganisation.) I'll check those threads out right now. Still not 100% sure I want to do it.

Edit: When are the summer camps run exactly? I did them last year as part of my contract, but I can't remember the exact time they happened- that part of the year was a big blur of Age of Empires and pacing up and down the corridors.

[Suwon23]

I know several people who flew to Korea just to go to Camp Stanley