Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Kaypea]

Middle school in Goyang (close to friends)

or

Girls' agricultural high school in Suwon (all girls, teenage boys are so bad)

I'm leaning towards the middle school in Goyang. I'm going through Korvia recruiting, which I have heard praised on this website. I'm the tiniest bit worried, though, because she said that the last teacher more or less "ran away" because he or she couldn't "adjust to the culture or the co-teacher".

On the one hand, I can imagine a teacher who did not want to work, and who hated Korean food, and who was tactless, etc.



On the other hand, I imagine a school where none of the staff would speak with the foreign teacher, and mean management, and a lot of BS concerning vacation and "if you go to the bank during school time, you're using your vacation days".

By any chance, is anyone here running away from a terrible job from a Goyang middle school?

[Otherside]

Kaypea, there are a million reasons why a teacher would quit their job. kudos to the recruiter for being honest about that.

I had a friend who came over with his GF, they landed two of the better PS jobs out there, with a great apartment (a good 25% bigger than any other couple apartment I've seen offered by GEPIK) in a good area. He and his gf broke up, and she basically quit the next day and went home. He being a decent sort of chap, put in his 2 months notice and went home (ironically, his leaving date was 10 days shy of 6months, so he forfeited the airfare). He said his job was great and he had a good time in Korea, but coming here was his gf's idea, and after doing 6 months was time to go.

Another friend, quit his job after 5 months, after he was offered articles (an internship) at a law firm, which is pretty competitive to get into (and required in order to be admitted to the board), a year later...he came back to Korea.

And then you have the personal emergencies, as well as school horror stories.

My final point, which I've mentioned on almost all "anybody know this public school" threads, is that PS's are very fluid operations. The people who effect(affect?) your stay, i.e. the principal/vp and co-teachers are on rotation, with none lasting more than 4 (for P/VP) and 5 (regular teachers) at a specific school, often less. What could have been a great school last year, could suck now...and vice versa. I've been at my school for a year and a half, and I've had 2 different co-teachers/handlers, 3 different VPs and 4 different principals. Mine is the exception, but you get the point.

Basically you are going into a crapshoot. In your case, everything is a variable except your friends, so why not pick the school that's close to them?

[Kaypea]

You're right! I've been so insecure lately, that I'm asking on advice for things that I know are impossible to predict!

I'm going to stay by my friends and that's that!

My only dilemma now is:

do I tell the school that I can start early in August, so that I can simply get hand them my LOR and 1 sealed transcript and the original degree, and have my working time extended?

OR (this is what I'd rather)

do I take advantage of my future-former school's offer of 1 plane ticket home, have a good visit, start at the new school later in August, BUT have to resubmit an apostolized crim. record check (which I have heard isn't THAT hard to get, through the friendly Winnipeg police dept... yeah, I'm Canadian)

I think I've answered my own question: I should go home for a bit, and get on that CRC right now! (somebody correct me if they read this and see that I'm way out to lunch about the process)

PS congrats to your friends for having the courage and brains and heart to do what they want!