Korean Job Discussion Forums

[rookieglobetrotter]

Hey everyone,

I am trying to travel abroad to Korea but to be honest I am having trouble sifting through all the information. I'm used to the US way where there is a traditional sit down face to face interview, tour of the job site, and then contract proceedings. I know that the Korean job process is different and to tell you the truth I am kind of wary of signing a 1 year contract before I even meet my boss or see my workplace. So I am sorry if my questions sound stupid, I am new and don't really yet have a clue.

I am applying to a couple different hagwons and PS like EPIK and GEPIK and hope to be in Korea by Feb/Mar.

- All the jobs ask for an apostille of background checks, diplomas, etc. I already have gotten these docs but just 1 originals for each apostille and these have a distinctive watermark and stamp. Do I have to do an original apostille for each job I apply for? Or can I make copies of the apostille and send to different jobs?
- Since I am applying to different jobs, when is the point of no return, as far as telling all but one job no? Cause all the apps I am sending have my signed signature agreeing to their contract already, so I am kind of confused since I haven't been accepted to the job yet. Is it after the company phone interview, in person interview, after I am in Korea? Any links on a walkthrough the general proceedings?
- For Epik contract, I need to list a location. Is there any online guide to ESL teacher Korea locations, I've tried wikipedia each province and looking through this site but am still confused on all the locations, and wary of living some place that doesn't suit me for a year. I don't care about nightlife/sightseeing and just want to work, write, internet, and have a coffee shop and cheap convenient mart where I am at. I don't think I want rural, even tho the pay is higher because transportation is more difficult and the internet may be slower. But I don't think I want too big of a city either or I'll spend too much money and I want to save. Any recommendations of good and bad Epik locations for someone who hasn't traveled much?

I appreciate any help I can get including links to other posts and sorry if my questions were stupid I hope I'm not in over my head.

Happy Holidays all!

[kasain]

Epik will place you. Theres many openings. If you want a chain of small cities where you can save most of your money I suggest Uljin County.

I taught in Seoul, you will work three times as hard for same amount of money. In dague you will make less money then the small towns and still do more work.

The goverment gives 200,000 + for people to come to small towns. They have these on east and west coast. And don't go your first year with a hogwon. Make sure itsd a public school.

[rookieglobetrotter]

Kasain,

I really appreciate the reply. I am not able to pm because I don't have enough posts yet, so I will post here. Epik wants me to rank location out of these four. I was thinking I may not want rural anymore for an extra 100,000 KRW and will prefer a mid or large city.

Daegu (+100K KRW), Daejeon(+100K KRW), Gwangju(+100K KRW), Busan.

The first three cities will pay 100,000 KRW more than Busan, but from pictures Busan looks very nice.

How would you rank them as far as quality of job and living? Anything to note of these three cities as far as problems or pluses. I can also perhaps work for GEPIK in Gyeongi which is close to Seoul but the pay will be 2-300,000 KRW less.

I appreciate the help from you or anyone else suggestions thank you.

[Jammer113]

[polonius]

You only need to send the documents to the school you accept a position with. You should have 2 sets of transcripts as some Korean embassies might ask to see them. So, you need to send one to your employer and keep the other. I would scan your documents so that you can email them to prospective schools to show them that you are ready to get the ball rolling.

[DC in Suwon]

[vampirepirate01]

Busan or Daegu . Busan is awesome according to most of the people who live there. Daegu has alot to offer as well.

[Milwaukiedave]

In terms of the location and ranking of the larger four cities, I'd go with:

Busan, Daegu Daejeon and Gwangju in that order.

I've lived in both Daegu and Gwangju and both are hotter then hell during the summer. The other two I have visited a couple of times and Busan seems to get good raves alot by people here for being a good city.

[rookieglobetrotter]

Polonius and Jammer thanks for the information about apostilles its pretty tricky stuff for a newbie. So I will do all the interviews (have one in a few minutes actually) and then when I get the offers, I can choose the best offer, and then I would send the docs ONLY to the one I accept. I have sent out a lot of apps and so far GEPIK and EPIK, (and a hagwon but ppl told me to say no) are interested in me so hopefully they can give the fixed offer and contract stipulations soon so I can make my decision.

But as far as the apostille process, like I said I already have one done which I will send to the school I work for, would it be a good idea for me to keep one on hand, say if I love my E-2 visa, or to use for my 2nd year teaching abroad (if I don't want to go back to the U.S. at all and want to stay in Asia), or if I go a second year, will I have to restart the apostille process again because any copies I have would have expired? Thnx again and sorry if I sound too complicated, just want to be careful.

Dave and pirate thanks for your contributions. I am leaning towards Busan and Daegu too and trying to read more about them on wikipedia and whatnot, since I have the Epik interview in a few minutes.

Daegu does pay 100000 Won more, but Busan is by the water (I've always lived by a lake or river), and like you said is cooler. So I'll continue researching them, if you have anything to add about their pros or cons esp about workload or quality of teaching experience please feel free. Thnx everyone again.

[afsjesse]

This is my advice Rookie.

Daegu: It's Korea's third largest city with a population of 2.5 million people. I love it there. It's very organized, especially in the downtown, and all things are readily accessible. The subway is easy, only has 2 lines, and the nightlife is decent and relatively close to everyother place downtown. Only bad things about it is that the people are REALLY conservative there, as are most of the people in both Gyeongsang provinces, speaking from a historical standpoint. It's also really hot there also. Any korean will tell you this.

Busan: It's Korea's second largest city with a populace of 3.66 million people. It has seven beaches all of which vary in quality. Haeundae is the most famous. I lived near Dadaepo beach on the outskirts of the city. Busan has by far the best nightlife outside of Seoul. The subway system is easy to use ahd the people are friendly there. Gwangalli Beach is my favorite and a gem to look at at daybreak or nightfall. Many more things to do there also. Beomeosa is beautiful as is the Geumgangsan hike around the mountains of the city.
Bad points: It's a very disorganized city with all of the mountains and traffic. Nightlife varies from place to place. PNU, Seomyeon and KSU are the three hotspots and they are all far away from each other. A potential problem when the subway closes as you will have to rely on taxis.

I lived in Busan for almost a year and liked it. If I could choose again I would pick Daegu just for the organization. Either city is only 1 hour away via the KTX so you can go anytime you want.

Suerte,
Jesse

[VanIslander]

Love Busan, hate Daegu

Daegu is in a fishbowl of mountains which makes for extra hot summers, extra cold winters and stagnant air with the worst pollution in the country many days of the year.

Busan is windy and mild weatherwise, with fresh air from the sea, and has some great neighbourhoods.

[rookieglobetrotter]

Thanks everyone for the help again. I was in DC most of Jan for Inauguration type work. I have to get back in the swing of things cause I hope to be in Korea in like 2-3 weeks.

As for GEPIK, my recruiter only got me 1 offer which Im not too happy about which is in a high school in Anseong. I would prefer to teach elem (since I don't think older kids respond to me as well) and Anseong wasn't one of the more popular GEPIK destinations (I have a friend in Suwon and he told me Anseong is pretty rural).

So for EPIK, they sent me contract papers for Gyeongsangnam since it pays better than Busan and I want to save. I would be elated if I could get an elem job in Changwon, and would like to avoid extremely rural areas of the province because I don't want to be the only foreigner in town and want to have a decent apartment. I just want the ability to save (not party) but not be completely isolated and miserable for a year.

Does anyone know if I go with EPIK, how to better put myself in position to get a job in Changwon, or bigger cities in the province? Just wait for the luck of the draw or not risk it and just take the Anseong job even though its specs aren't my first choice? Worst case scenario Is it easy or close to get around in rural Gyeongsang?

I am researching more about this province as I type this. I wish everyone a great February!

[cruisemonkey]

Rookie,

If you want to be guaranteed to be placed in a specific city, DO NOT apply through the 'national' EPIK office - apply through a recruiter that has been contracted by a Provincial Office of Education (POE).

In Gyeongsangnam-do, you can not only pick your city, but also your specific school. Several recruiters will put you in touch with the POE, but here is the URL for the 'Location' page from the website for the recruiter I used -
http://uni.nayana.com/~getscenter/location-1.htm.
There appears to be only one vacancy in Changwon (and it happens to be an elementary school). However, the information may not be up to date, i.e. the position may already be filled.

Good luck!

[rookieglobetrotter]

[cruisemonkey]