Korean Job Discussion Forums

[mayorgc]

I graduated with a major in Economics. I have zero teaching ability and I accepted a Gepik position. The school is in Anyang, I think. It is Samsung Elementary, has anyone ever heard of this school. (my question mark and apostrophe key is messed up now, i dont know how to fix it, a little help. it keeps doing this ����)

How should I prepare for the teaching aspect (question mark)
I am still in Canada, so i can bring over magazines and whatnot. what should i bring over (question mark)
is there anything at all that i can do to prepare for teaching kids (question mark)

I am currently packing my clothing and some electronics. Is there anything that I should bring that one would not normally think of (question mark)

any assitance or advice would be much appreciated

I have already done a ton of reading for the last month, so i have a vague idea of what to expect. but i would love to hear more

[Misera]

Bring stickers from your country and stickers of any major holidays you'd probably want to teach the kids.

I dunno the price of clothes in Canada, but the clothes in Korea are expensive compared to the US. We found some "Black Face" jackets in Namdaemun but they were all for males.. other than that, winter jackets are fairly expensive. Might want to bring one with you on the plane or something.

Not really much you can prepare for teaching kids since all schools use their foreign teachers differently. You might be the main teacher, might be used just for them to get the pronounciation, might be for show.. When you get here and find out what you are to them, search in these forums and you'll find places where people posted materials (worksheets/ppt/songs/ideas) for class.

Remember to bring your deoderant, shaving stuff, maybe small amounts of toiletries to start like toothpaste and some tissues (my school provided nothing, some provide everything), comb, hair dryer, memory cards, chargers, converters, adapters, small notebook, sheets & blanket & pillow case (up to you.. my school didn't provide it, thankfully I brought some to use for a couple days before I bought large enough sheets. Friends schools provided them 2 sets), a nail clipper, and some money to exchange.

[mayorgc]

Thank you so much Misera

Definitely helpful response


hopefully, someone can answer my next question


How exactly does vacation work in a public elementary school?

Article 12 (Paid Leave)
1.Employee shall be entitled to a paid leave for a total of twenty (20) working days during the term
of the employment. Paid leave may be taken at any time school is not in session, and must be
approved by school principal at least 15 days in advance. Weekends (Saturdays and Sundays)
and the Korean National Holidays do not count as vacation days. If Employee renews the contract,
up to 10 days of unused yearly paid leave may be rolled over to the new contract period. This
carried over paid leave may be used in the new contract period, but it may not be rolled over into
any subsequent contract period.

So is that my vacation? 20 days? if so, when does it start? how does the korean school system work? when do kids start school and when do they end?

[Sody]

For your students just bring pictures of you and your family from wherever you are from. They will love that and you can use it to enhance several of your lessons. The school will provide you with everything else you need.

[wylies99]

Other than pack as much deodorant and vitamins and ibuprofen as you can?

Unless you are VERY thin, make sure you have work clothes for all four seasons.

[mayorgc]

I'm definitely on the slim side

so what should i bring in terms of work clothes?

I was planning on wearing shirt and tie with black pants

do i need a "jacket" when i'm teaching?


and can u shed any light on my vacation question?

thanks wylie and all

[wylies99]

I'm not sure about your school, but polo shirts should be enough for work. If you are thin, you can find clothes here. But you gotta be THIN.

Have you tried Korean food? That's a BIG issue in Korea. It sounds silly, but some people come here and they hate the food and/or they hate rice and fish. BAD IDEA.

[mayorgc]

Oh, I'm definitely thin


I probably should have mentioned that I'm a skinny chinese guy, haha

I'm not a huge fan of K food, but I can handle bulgolgi (sp?) and rice is already a staple for me, so i'm not too worried about food.

Thanks for the response

so any thoughts about my vacation question? i still can't figure out that part of my contract

[Jeff's Cigarettes]

Seems like if you're starting now you could be replacing a runner. Are you gonna be working at a middle school?

[Horangi Munshin]

My advice once you start at your school is to ask exactly what your role is in the classroom. Do they want you to lead the classes? Do they want you assist the Korean teacher, (repeat phrases ask a few questions)?

Vacation can be taken during the kids winter and summer vacation periods. Usually it's split between those two. Depending on your school, the one week post-graduation break at the end of February might count as one weeks vacation. Then again it might not. You may have to sit in the office or you may get lucky and get the whole kids vacation time off.

[Xuanzang]

Bring hand sanitizer and cold meds. A cesspool of germs out there especially in public schools with student cleaners.

[ttompatz]

[ttompatz]

[mayorgc]

[Jeff's Cigarettes]

Yeah, right Tom... GEPIK hires year round. Anyhow, you'll be sorely missed here. Good luck in whatever you decide on next. At least the weather will be nice. I've just never been able to get used to the cold.