Korean Job Discussion Forums

[NCdan]

Hello, this is my first post here. Btw, I have read the boards quite a bit before deciding to join. I'm looking at teaching public school in South Korea, and I've been fishing through recruiting agencies. The issue I run in to is that EVERY recruiting agency seems to deal with private schools and EPIK. In fact, it seems like a lot of recruiting agencies don't even want to state they use only EPIK for public schools. I realize that EPIK is an official government program of some type (correct?), but are there any other programs for public schools besides EPIK that are worth looking in to? And what recruiting agencies deal with those programs? I'm sorry if this has been asked before, but I'd just like to know if there is something other than EPIK that is worth checking out. Thank you and God bless.

[gangwonbound]

GEPIK

SMOE

Canadian Connection for Jeolla-do

[stevieg4ever]

EPIK mainly deal with PS in the provinces but also Daegu, Busan, Incheon and Jeju.

GEPIK deals with PS in Gyeonggido

SMOE deals with PS in Seoul

I think I am right in saying that if you want a public school job than your options outside of EPIK, GEPIK and SMOE are particularly limited.

The reason why recruiters would be reluctant to state that they go through EPIK will no doubt have something to do with the fact that many of the schools are in very undesirable locations and also that they may know before hand that the school[s] either a) don't want a foreign teacher on their premisses (but have to have one) or b) has a history of treating native teachers badly or c) a and b.

[NCdan]

OK, thanks guys. Seoul is my first choice, so I guess that means work at a private school ( ) or go with SMOE.

I guess my follow-up question is: are there any areas of Seoul I should avoid? I don't want to end up in the Compton of Seoul.

Also, I'm wondering if it is more expensive to live in Seoul than other cities? I will cross Seoul off my list if the cost of living is a lot higher.

[Aelric]

For cost of living along with some city life, I'd say Busan is where you want to go. It's not as westernized as Seoul, which is both a good and a bad thing, depending on your point of view, but it's easy to get placed here, it's the second largest city, we have beaches and mountains and it's cheaper here than Seoul. Plus, the country is so small that can take a short 3 hour KTX ride to Seoul on a friday with a return trip on sunday and it'll be like you live in Seoul anyway.

Then again, Busan can be a boring city, and with EPIK, while you can state a preference, where you end up is a bit of a crap shoot. I nearly ended up in Ulsan, then Daegu before I landed in Busan, where I wanted to go to begin with, and I had no real control over all those shifts.

Also: while it's just my opinion, I would say avoid the privates. Seoul is easily accessible and not worth suffering through a horrible boss just so you can live there. If don't get accepted into SMOE, then fall back of EPIK. Up to you, really, and some privates are fine, even great, but at least in PS you have a few guarantees.

[matthews_world]

Don't limit yourself to Korea.

Try Hong Kong public school system and JET for Japan. They put up ads all the time in the international job section.

[NCdan]

Good advice, Aelric. I don't really care so much about where I'm placed so long as I'm not in the ghetto somewhere. I'm not much of a social person and I never go to bars, so I really don't care if I'm not in a huge city. I just wanted to be in Seoul because I figured it would be easier to shop and get any things I would need. That and I figured I might be able to find a good Christian fellowship that had English services, but then again, I don't see much point in filling up a pew and having virtually no ability to do anything else (since I don't speak Korean). I see all sorts of threads arguing about what cities are great and what cities are horrible, so I guess it's all about perspective? The pay grades seem to be practically identical in EPIK, GEPIK, and SMOE, so it looks like it just comes down to what area I want to be in? But what I am curious about is just how much more expensive is it to live in Seoul than other areas? Thanks for the replies so far.

[Aelric]

Well, for that last on your list, the exchange rate might screw up you savings plans. Depends on if you find good exchange windows and pounce on those occasions in time. Right now, a 2 million won contract = $1500 per month. you can live on $500 or less each month, especially if you eat the local food instead of indulging in western food and since you say you don't drink, that will save a lot of cash itself. However, boredom WILL hit and you may take up a hobby that will cost you cash (example: I'm starting scuba training this weekend) and things like movies and electronics are about the same price as the states.

While I'm not christian myself, in the cities, there are lots of christian churches and give English sermons. My students constantly hound me to go to them. You may find they are a bit, um, different, than a typical Catholic or Protestant services back home. Can't speak for the small towns.

[cruisemonkey]

There are always parochial schools.

Warning - K protestants don't consider Catholics to be Christian... and the Catholics are too busy repenting (for what they�ve done to the last waygook) to care about you.

[Aelric]

[NCdan]

For the record, there are plenty of splits off of Christianity that are not the same as Christianity. I don't want to start a flame war or get off topic (ahem), but I'm just Christian, and that doesn't include separate religions like Catholicism, Jehova's Witness(dom?), or Mormonism. I really don't care if a Christian fellowship is Baptist, Protestant, Lutheran, and the list goes on, so long as it follows the Christian Bible. Of course, I would like a Christian fellowship to be large enough to where I can get involved beyond listening to a sermon once or twice a week (which is why I thought Seoul might be a good place to work).

But my real question is: how expensive is it to live in Seoul compared to other major cities in South Korea? Thank you.

[yeremy]

I heard a while ago that Onnuri Church in Seobinggo dong in Seoul has a very large foreign congregation or group. I do not know personally. I used to have a few Korean friends who went there regularly, however I lost contact with them. It is a missionary church, so if that is something you would like to get involved in, then Seoul would be good for you. Bundang, which is south of Seoul, is or has been another popular destination, too.

[dporter]

[NCdan]

[bobbybigfoot]