Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Firearcher]

Is this a good job?

1. 2.5 million per month
2. 4 weeks vacation (Determined by Employer)
3. No return Airfaire paid!
4. Key Money on Apartment not included. (Employee pays)
5. Unfurnished Apartment. Employee pays 50,000 won monthly (Apartment is otherwise large and VERY nice and in beautiful location.
6. No Severance at end of contract
7. Pension & Health Plan included
8. 20 Hours per week Max teaching a blend of Adults & children
9. OT 40,000 per hour


As you can see the specks of this job are at opposing ends. Some very bad and very appealing aspects of it.


Would you accept a job like this?

[jadarite]

Don't assume that you will get a good ratio of adult classes to children classes. If this is big factor for you, then get it in writing how many adult classes you will be given to teach.

[OculisOrbis]

3, 4 and 6 means that you're not making anymore than a rookie hagwon instructor who has no negotiation skills. Severance bonus is law - why would you opt out of that. You have to pay the key money, but the employer chooses the apartment!?!?! WTF. Probably cause he or a relative owns it. That key money is also good insurance that you wont take off when he screws you over. Employer determines vacation - thats never good.

Pass.

Go to a public school, you'll end up with the same teaching hours and possibly more vacation time, you wont have to front any key money, and you'll make more cash in the long run with nowhere near the risks.

EDIT: haha didnt even notice the UNFURNISHEDness of the apartment. Dont be a tool, run fast.

[jadarite]

1. 2.5 million per month

Good, 1 point

2. 4 weeks vacation (Determined by Employer)

Reasonable, 1 point

3. No return Airfare paid!

Ridiculous, no points

4. Key Money on Apartment not included. (Employee pays)

Ridiculous, no points

5. Unfurnished Apartment. Employee pays 50,000 won monthly (Apartment is otherwise large and VERY nice and in beautiful location.

Ridiculous, no points

6. No Severance at end of contract

Ridiculous, no points

7. Pension & Health Plan included

This is the law, no points on this issue

8. 20 Hours per week Max teaching a blend of Adults & children

Looks more like a part-time job, hope you are ready to convince the school and immigration to let you work at a second location. Half a point.

9. OT 40,000 per hour

There is no guarantee you will get the overtime. If they were really planning on giving you this OT on a regular basis, then they would have offered like a 25 hour job with a higher salary. Since they didn't, it's doubtful they will give you the OT you will want. No points.

2.5 points out of 9 possible. I would move on and look for a 7 or 8 point school.

[Firearcher]

So is severance the law??? I thought it was.

And/or are there exceptions in special circumstances where it is NOT the law?

Examples:

- part time
- public vs. private
- age of students or anything else one could possibly think of.

[OculisOrbis]

why look for the exceptions? just sign a contract that includes it.

[ttompatz]

That is just about the 2nd worst job offer I have seen in recent history.

Anything that bad has to be either a university hakwon or a CDI franchise.

Pass and don't look back.

.

[Firearcher]

Not to argue - just to question.....

2.5 million for 20 hours weekly work? 4 weeks vacation plus 40,000 OT is very appealing.

I guess the question is, if there is no key money, return Airfare, no severance is that worth it?

I respect all opinions and thank those who gave theirs good or bad. The advice thus far is "do not accept"

[Tobias]

So you have to furnish your own apartment. Nice deal. That just means the boss can bitch slap you around and you can't do anything about it. It also means you'll be giving up your first month's salary (at the very least) to furnish it, not to mention you'll have to shop around for all the furnishings. Will you have time to do this after you arrive? Or will you be going to the markets every weekend your first two months shopping for hours and getting things delivered to your digs (don't forget the delivery fees). Of course, if you provide the goodies for the apartment, you'll be having a fire sale later as your contract winds down, assuming you even finish it. But you won't have any incentive to do that, with no airfare or severance being provided. You CAN call your furnishings the 'incentive', but that type of incentive you want no part of. If you really must run from a job, being ripped on expensive furniture you yourself were stupid enough to provide is the last thing that should hold you back.

So. You'll be giving away your furniture later, furniture that you'll pay a pretty penny for today, you'll get no ticket back home, and you'll not be getting a severance. This deal is by far the worst I've seen in TESOL since one I saw in Thailand being offered by an Australian company that had been outsourced to provide a high school with its teachers. That deal was very similar. Employer provided apartment, while employee furnished it. And this outfit's apartment was nothing but four walls and a sink. It didn't even have light bulbs. On top of this, the job entailed teaching 70+ high school kids per class who were raging on sex hormones. And the salary? It was about 700 a month. Hey, some people will do it.

[Dodgy Al]

[zpeanut]

I find it very unappealing.

no severance pay?! no airfare??!

.. i thought those were basic things that come with a contract.

[D.D.]

SUCKS

[enns]

A month's salary to furnish an apartment? An afternoon of dumpster diving would do the trick.

Still a shady contract. If you are seriously considering it, make sure you email past teachers from the school and see how the contract plays out.

2.5 million is solid with severance/airfare/apt included but very, very bad without these standard options included. You should probably pass.

[Draz]

[ttompatz]