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orin_louis
Joined: 25 Mar 2009
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 Posted: Tue Apr 14, 2009 1:27 pm Post subject: Master's in English, CDI interview soon...can't I do better? |
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Posted on here many times, but now am completely ready to go. Just need a job. Can't seem to find anyone who cares about my MA in English and years of teaching experience. Sure, I can get that tiny salary bump, but don't I deserve a little more?
I know it's the wrong time of year to apply, and uni jobs are difficult to come by, but I've been emailing and calling my butt off for weeks-- not finding much better.
Interview with CDI tonight, but am very very very afraid. Hear some good reviews, but so many bad. As well, the long hours intimidate me.
Ideally, looking for a job with low hours, even if low pay.
Help...?
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Kikomom
Joined: 24 Jun 2008
Location: them thar hills--Penna, USA--Zippy is my kid, the teacher in ROK. You can call me Kiko
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| Posted: Tue Apr 14, 2009 1:31 pm Post subject: |
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| International schools? |
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DCJames
Joined: 27 Jul 2006
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| Posted: Tue Apr 14, 2009 1:56 pm Post subject: Re: Master's in English, CDI interview soon...can't I do bet |
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| orin_louis wrote: |
Posted on here many times, but now am completely ready to go. Just need a job. Can't seem to find anyone who cares about my MA in English and years of teaching experience. Sure, I can get that tiny salary bump, but don't I deserve a little more?
I know it's the wrong time of year to apply, and uni jobs are difficult to come by, but I've been emailing and calling my butt off for weeks-- not finding much better.
Interview with CDI tonight, but am very very very afraid. Hear some good reviews, but so many bad. As well, the long hours intimidate me.
Ideally, looking for a job with low hours, even if low pay.
Help...?
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You will work your ass off at CDI and be too tired for anything else but work. |
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bogey666
Joined: 17 Mar 2008
Location: Korea, the ass free zone
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| Posted: Tue Apr 14, 2009 4:36 pm Post subject: Re: Master's in English, CDI interview soon...can't I do bet |
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| orin_louis wrote: |
Posted on here many times, but now am completely ready to go. Just need a job. Can't seem to find anyone who cares about my MA in English and years of teaching experience. Sure, I can get that tiny salary bump, but don't I deserve a little more?
I know it's the wrong time of year to apply, and uni jobs are difficult to come by, but I've been emailing and calling my butt off for weeks-- not finding much better.
Interview with CDI tonight, but am very very very afraid. Hear some good reviews, but so many bad. As well, the long hours intimidate me.
Ideally, looking for a job with low hours, even if low pay.
Help...?
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if you have a master's and teaching experience (by this I am taking to mean you are actually certified/licensed to teach back home)
you should not be anywhere near Korea.. and even less so around a hagwon.
you should DEFINITELY be on the international school circuit - where you'll make more money too.
the catch is most int'l schools want int'l teaching experience.
so you can use Korea for that purpose, but it seems to me a public school would be much better on your resume for such purposes, as well as better suited to your preferences. |
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orin_louis
Joined: 25 Mar 2009
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| Posted: Tue Apr 14, 2009 5:06 pm Post subject: |
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Well where should I shoot for then?
I do want money, and would probably be happier many other places, but seems as if jobs are easiest to come by there.
I also need to leave very soon, as I cannot find work here, and am running out of money.
Thanks so much for your advice.
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Kikomom
Joined: 24 Jun 2008
Location: them thar hills--Penna, USA--Zippy is my kid, the teacher in ROK. You can call me Kiko
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bobbybigfoot
Joined: 05 May 2007
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Tue Apr 14, 2009 7:17 pm Post subject: Re: Master's in English, CDI interview soon...can't I do bet |
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| bogey666 wrote: |
you should not be anywhere near Korea.. and even less so around a hagwon.
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Agreed.
Korea is best for unqualified teachers OR for those who get qualified while here. But I would discourage any REAL teachers from STARTING here unless a GOLDEN EGG is being handed to them.
Look towards other countries first. Korea pays a decent amount of money for a reason: it's system is a mess and it ain't changin' any time soon.
But maybe you are looking to loaf? Just a few hours a week, little commitment, no effort, uninterested in "real" teaching. If so, then Korea could be the place for you (if you can land the right job). Stay away from CDI if that's the case.
Good luck, Op. |
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orin_louis
Joined: 25 Mar 2009
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| Posted: Tue Apr 14, 2009 8:06 pm Post subject: |
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Thank you all for this help, but after much searching, I have found only that nobody cares about my credentials. Where else in the world will they where I will make as much for as little work?
Very open to ideas.
First choice is Guadalajara, but pesos ain't worth a darn.
Got them darn student loan thingies...
Not finding golden egg...
Maybe some old rotten ones (cough cdi cough)...
Okay, how bout this for slacker job (not saying that's what I want or is it?)--playing with kids all day at "Lego School" on Jeju...? |
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D.D.
Joined: 29 May 2008
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| Posted: Tue Apr 14, 2009 8:14 pm Post subject: |
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Not to be rude but how bad can you be at finding work if you can't get offers with your education.
Korean Universities.
Chinese International schools.
Vietnam Universities and international schools.
Hong Kong and Taiwan give good jobs in their public schools with an degree in education. Hong Kong pays very well.
Korea does care about quality as they want cheap teachers so will not pay you for your qualifiactions.
Cdi is crap.
Last edited by D.D. on Tue Apr 14, 2009 9:13 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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anynag
Joined: 01 Jan 2009
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| Posted: Tue Apr 14, 2009 9:06 pm Post subject: |
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| OP, you should consider a university, a private middle school, or a private high school. First, you need to get your foot in the door. Then, you can work up to better conditions. Use Korea for two, maybe three years, to gain experience and pay off some debt. After that you should be able to continue your career somewhere "nicer" and have even more worthwhile employment options available to you. |
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enns
Joined: 02 May 2006
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| Posted: Wed Apr 15, 2009 1:24 am Post subject: |
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If money is your priority, you could get 35,000/hour at CDI and pull down 4-5 million/month. Most of the time(maybe 75%) you're at work 6.5 hours a day, the other 25% of the time you'll have meetings before class that'll push it up to about 8 hours/day. The sched is actually less hours than a lot of hagwons/public schools(including prep).
A sweet uni set-up(3 million/month, 4 months vacation) would be preferable, of course. But those can be very hard to find, IMO. Public school jobs may only give you 2.3/month(and only 25,000/hour for overtime, extra classes etc.). |
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Ukon
Joined: 29 Jan 2008
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| Posted: Wed Apr 15, 2009 1:33 am Post subject: |
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| enns wrote: |
If money is your priority, you could get 35,000/hour at CDI and pull down 4-5 million/month. Most of the time(maybe 75%) you're at work 6.5 hours a day, the other 25% of the time you'll have meetings before class that'll push it up to about 8 hours/day. The sched is actually less hours than a lot of hagwons/public schools(including prep).
A sweet uni set-up(3 million/month, 4 months vacation) would be preferable, of course. But those can be very hard to find, IMO. Public school jobs may only give you 2.3/month(and only 25,000/hour for overtime, extra classes etc.). |
PS overtime pay varies depending on the school....I work less than CDI workers and get over 3 mil. a month....others I know are pulling in over 4 million a month....and my job is zero stress and easy as hell.
Good PS job >>>>> CDI and pretty much any hagwon. |
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enns
Joined: 02 May 2006
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| Posted: Wed Apr 15, 2009 2:05 am Post subject: |
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PS overtime pay varies depending on the school....I work less than CDI workers and get over 3 mil. a month....others I know are pulling in over 4 million a month....and my job is zero stress and easy as hell.
Good PS job >>>>> CDI and pretty much any hagwon. |
But most public schools won't give you the option to make 4 million/month, most CDIs will. Some people I know net close to 5 million/month and close to 7 million during intensive months. I suppose getting the right set-up at a public school(or a CDI to a lesser extent) is a crapshoot.
Few people find CDI stressful after their first month or two. It can be quite laid back, but I suppose that depends on the location. There's also little vacation(1 week, only a few national holidays) but a good teaching program when in the classroom.
Like I said, it all depends on your priorities. |
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D.D.
Joined: 29 May 2008
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| Posted: Wed Apr 15, 2009 2:41 am Post subject: |
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One of the dumbest things you can do in life is work too much to make big bucks. It becomes a habit and 10 years later you are a stressed out sick person. Stressed people tend to waste their money as well.
If you can't have a healthy balance today it not going to come tomorrow. The saving for the future thing is crap. To sum it up teaching lots of hours at a place like CDI would stress you out and your life would be 0 fun.
I make 3mil a month in a PS and have lot's of vacation.
People were not meant to work 50 weeks of the year. Your health and quality of life will suffer at CDI. Korea needs to chill out they don't need more stress heads running around. |
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linky123
Joined: 12 Feb 2009
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| Posted: Wed Apr 15, 2009 3:20 am Post subject: |
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| Working too much as an English teacher is a joke! I worked 10 hours per day working as a software engineer in the states. Some of your korean counterparts work twice as much as you put in in a day. Stressed out? We are not made out of porcelain. And you wonder why some Koreans view westerners as lazy complaining losers. |
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