Korean Job Discussion Forums

[kasain]

I will say I dont have any extra classes. So I get my standard pay. But teadching high school students I don't have to do stupid things either.

Like A aaa Apple and so on.

The apartment they got me is 1 minute from school as well.

[thomas pars]

gepik

well lets see. most days i teach 4 classes. after that i have 3-4 hours to
read, study, surf the web, even nap. i can go to the bank or get coffee
during this free time as well. my studetns are pretty good and i teach a couple of the parents and teachers. With the overtime i make the same as i did at my disorganized hagwon job. I get 20 days vacation. And my apartment was loaded with gear, rice cooker, microwave, blender etc.

Most days after lunch i listen to music drink coffee and read a book.

Beats the hagwon hustle anyday of the week.

[tomato]

>>>>>Which program do you work for - ETIS (Seoul), GEPIK (Gyeonggi Do), or EPIK (rest of Korea).
EPIK. I've been on the job for about a month.

>>>>>Is your school, education office strict or more lenient?
I work for three rural schools.
I hardly ever see any administrators.
All my dealings are with the regular classroom teachers.
The classroom teachers run the whole gamut.

Tuesday was exam day at one of the schools, so they told me I didn't have to show up.
It would have been a 휴일 for me, except that I had to go to the immigration office for paperwork.

I don't have to stick around when I don't have classes,
but sometimes I have to arrive early or leave late on account of the rural bus schedule.

>>>>>How is your apartment?
It's a new building, and all the other foreign teachers moved in here when I did.
In case you're wondering, I'm in 합천 in the province of 경남.

[Horangi Munshin]

Last year I had 19 regular classes a week (grades 3,4,5,6) a one hour teachers class. Gate duty, speaking to kids as they come to school twice a week and 2 hours of parents classes a week. I had to come to school early for the gate duty so got to leave early those days. I also got special class pay for the parents class.

This year I have 16 regular classes (Grades 3,5) teachers class, parents class and gate duty.
PLUS English club class
Two beginner after school classes (start next week?)
every lunch time I must supervise the kids in the experience room, which is also my office.

I hope I don't get landed with more special duties!

[nicam]

I'm with EPIK and I think I got a pretty middle of the road deal as well with some significant problems in the beginning, but things have improved drastically this semester.

I have 2 schools and one of them is like a dream come true (I literally adore every student and teacher there) while the other one is just really big and unorganized, and I have a really hard time controlling the kids at this school, as do the K-teachers, and feel like it's harder to connect with the students and other teachers, who tend to be older.

Administration did a turn over this year in my district, so there was just sooooo much misinformation and BS in the beginning, which frustrated the Korean co-teachers as well, but that's died down.

I get to go home early during exams, etc. I did camps, which I enjoyed a lot, but only for part of the break (still ended up with an extra week or more off in addition to vacation), and I never have to seat-warm.

My apartment is really cute for Korea, and in a traditional house, but was infested with roaches when I moved in. Gross, and the school wouldn't pay for an exterminator, which irked me, so I payed myself.

Got placed in another location than the one they told me of initially, so I have a bitch of a commute, which is pretty lame.

My co-teachers are AWESOME! So are my 2 new principals! They are all young and extremely easy-going, and apart from my handler having 2 kids, an absentee husband, and extra duties at the school and to her mother which often causes her neglect me where it counts, that area of the job couldn't be better.

As for the teaching itself, I have total freedom with some co-teachers, half-book/half-freedom with others, and no freedom with my handler, who runs the show.

I teach like 3 classes a day and hold "English Club" meetings during some free periods, which is awesome.

[ChinaBoy]

[nicam]

Ugh, I almost did. Lost a lot of sleep over it, but I was still in the Honeymoon phase then. Things would be different now.

[No_hite_pls]

I have worked at two public schools in Korea. The first one was wonderful 10+ weeks of vacation, 14 classes a week and 6 extra classes a week (for extra pay) that were all finished by 5. Now I am working at three different schools with less vacation and much more work. Arg!

[njp6]

Boo on all you losers and your fancy jobs with your going home early and extra vacation time.

I work for Gangnam Public School District (not affiliated with SMOE or GEPIK) and while the pay is pretty good the work is pretty stifling. Camps are three weeks long and none of that half day stuff. There is overtime pay, but no one really thinks its worth it. We do get 6 weeks vacation throughout the year so I can't complain about that.

I think because its Gangnam, authority figures go all out to try and harass the teachers. I've never seen an administration work so hard against its teachers (assigning meaningless tasks, wanting things one way and then changing their minds). Wouldn't an administration that works with its teachers run smoother? Many schools are run by egos-- the notion that if it looks good (big fancy English centers and stuff) it must be good.

Sorry for the rant. It's just that some of your stories make me jealous.

[Robot_Teacher]

Weird, lonely, isolating, and at times frustrating. I'm all alone with no one to relate to nor talk with. Oh bugger...


And I'm not liked, because I'm a stranger from a strange land, uh, in a strange land. I'm in some "Eup" place far from the city where modern culture is nonexistent. The only modernity is fighter jets making all the moves overhead each day. Well, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday were astoundingly quiet due to the fighter jet fleet being ground over one crashing recently. But today, the white noise is back to remind me the modern world still exists!


Oh take me back to civilization this weekend!

[adamosity]

I'm at a high school (although it's technically private), and I seem to have gotten the best possible situation:

1) almost total respect of Korean faculty/students
2) complete control over curriculum/discipline/grading (my students do receive a grade in my class which counts as part of their english grade)
3) no desk warming required ever
4) can leave early/arrive late if i have no first/last period classes
5) 5-6 weeks of solid vacation time
6) extra pay when Koreans receive extra pay
7) essentially full equality--in the minds of everyone here, i'm not a foreign teacher, but a teacher who happens to be foreign
no co-teaching ever
9) really good pay (during term it's well over 3.5 million), although i do teach a ton of extra classes (30/week total, 20 regular and 10 extra).

My contract doesn't end until December, and we'll probably lock in a renewal by July.

It isn't perfect, but honestly, it's a really good situation where I am a professional.

--adam

[Zutronius]

I am happy with my school. I am treated well and (most) students are pretty decent. The school and teachers have been accomodating as have I for them.

[gregoriomills]

I work at a high school that's really REALLY low level. This was very difficult for me at first, but after 7 months, I've gotten somewhat better at coordinating/planning a good lesson. I still have bad classes, but overall it's a great gig.
Reasons I came here:
A. Pay off debts
B. Have a good time
C. Culture/Language Experience
D. Classroom experience

I've gotten all these, and it's been a great time. Although I can't IMAGINE staying over here for more than, say, 2 years at the absolute max.

[wilbur_h_cobb]

[wilbur_h_cobb]