Korean Job Discussion Forums

[j20kim]

Hello All. This is my first time posting. Thanks in advance for reading and for any advice you can offer.

I applied for a GEPIK position through a recruiting company that has gotten a good amount of praise on this forum. I requested middle-high school students because I do not want to teach young children. Initially, my recruiter said it would be no problem to find me a position in a large Gyeonggi city. Now, however, I'm told that only elementary positions are available. Despite expressing my concerns about teaching elementary, the recruiter (at this point a different person in the office) strongly encouraged me to interview with the elementary school, which I did last night. She also mentioned that Korean co-teachers at high schools prefer Caucasian instructors, which I am not. I am well aware of the racial homogeneity of Korean society, so her comment does not surprise me. However, it makes me think that there are indeed positions available-- perhaps she does not want to continue to look for schools because it is more work to find a school willing to take a non-Caucasian teacher?

Here are my questions:

My understanding is that GEPIK tries to accomodate applicants' preferences. I imagine the recruitment cycle for September 2009 is almost over. At this point, is there any chance that I can find a MS/HS position in one of the larger Gyeonggi cities? Can I reapply directly with GPOE this late in the cycle? If my current recruiter already has my GEPIK application, will I get disqualified if I submit an app to another recruiter or to GPOE? I want to find work in one of the Seoul satellite cities.

I don't know if I am being too selective. Should I just make do with the elementary school? I actually like children very much. The problem is that they wear me out, and I have had positive experiences working with older students. However, had I applied with SMOE, I very well could have found myself in the same boat - teaching elementary.

I was unable to ask the school with which I interviewed any questions. The interviewers did not speak much English, and they kept the phone call extremely short. What is the normal process? Do GEPIK applicants get to ask the school any questions before agreeing to work for it? The recruiter said she would try to get the current teacher's contact information, but I am doubtful.

I am considering looking for a hakwon job if it means I can work with middle-high school students. However, I would much rather work at a public school. I don't know if I am being too picky.

Any advice, opinions, or stories would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks.

[Otherside]

Basically, you put your preferences on the application, they ignore those preferences, and pick the first job from the pile, if it matches your preferences, well everybody wins, if not, they tell you "that all the xyz schools are full". In a nutshell, they don't give a crap.

When I applied, I asked for High school, with Middle as a second choice. I got Elementary. I've spoken to many teachers in my city who started at the same time as me who requested elementary, and they got middle/high positions.

You should realise tho, that there are far more elementary schools than middle/high schools. So based on probabilities, you are more likely to get an elementary position than any other.

As to taking a hagwon gig. There are very few hagwon gigs where you'll teach middle/high students exclusively. At best, you'll get a gig where you are teaching elementary students from about 2-6, and then middle/high from 6-9. If going to a hagwon for that sort of compromise is worth it, go ahead, but otherwise I'd stick with public school.

[j20kim]

Thanks, Otherside, for the response. Do you know if it customary for the recruiter not to give any information other than the school's website? Since it's a GEPIK placement, should I just read the sample contract and hope for the best (and prepare for the worst, of course)? The recruiter is asking me if I want to take the position, but I really don't have anything to base my decision off since I know nothing about the current teacher's experience, the housing, the co-teachers, etc. I would be taking the first thing that comes along.

[Otherside]

Public schools are very fluid entities. Teachers in Korea can only work for a MAXIMUM of 5 years in on school before they are placed in another school (can and often is shorter). So a glowing recommendation from the current teacher may be meaningless as your co-teacher(s)/principal/vice-principa/administrators may have changed.

Take my case, I went with a GEPIK position, but being in country, I interviewed at the school. Signed the contract mid-February and started on the 1st of March. On March 1st, the co-teacher I dealt with had moved and I had a new co-teacher, the Principal was away on leave (he never actually came back), and the VP who I hadn't met was the acting principal. By August, the administrator (who is responsible for your salary, making sure you are signed up for health and pension - which varies for each country and takes time to learn, and has to be aware of your tax status...) had moved, the VP (acting principal) had moved to a new school and we had a new VP and Principal.
The next year (this year) the VP was promoted, so he left and we got a new one. And extremely annoyingly my co-teacher (who was awesome) was replaced. When I went on vacation on Feb 14th she told me she would be my co-teacher this year when I got back she had been made a form teacher and my new co-teacher is a bitch from hell.

Sorry for the rant, but the point is, public schools change all the time so any recommendation is at best a rough guideline. At least if you have the school's website, you know it's exact location and basing your decision on something concrete is far better than a recommendation which is almost certainly going to change.