Korean Job Discussion Forums

[iggyb]

[princess]

I have to agree with iggyb. If I had never gone to Korea before, had zero Korean teaching/living experience, knew no one here, did not know any of the language, or anything about the culture, I'd just have to cut my losses and stay put in the US or wherever I was at the moment.

It also depends on how much money you have. If you have $1000 or less, maybe even $2000 or less, I'd be very careful about coming on over here and looking for another job. Trust me. Your money goes FAST over here. Korea is NOT that cheap, no matter what anyone tells you. It isn't a 3rd world country. Even if you come here with a few thousand bucks, hardly go out, hardly shop, and mostly use your money to keep a budget guesthouse over your head and buy food, the money goes, goes, goes. With $2000 or less, you may end up sleeping at Seoul station, dragging yoir bags through the streets like a baglady or bagman, if there is such a word as bagman. For reals.

And furthermore, if SMOE treated me like this, I'd never apply through them again. I can't believe people are actually talking about reapplying thorugh them. I'm sorry everyone. My heart truly goes out to everyone SMOE treated so badly.

I also worry for the people who get the bad news while already on their way to Korea. What will they do if they are coming here with less than $1000 to their names, only to hear they have no job. It's scary. I pray they won't be homeless wandering the streets. Maybe their embassy can loan them emergency money for a flight back to the US, Canada, etc.

Also, different people react differently to bad situations. I guess the SMOE office is glad right about now that guns are hard to get here.

[iggyb]

If people are going to come on over, you need to do some research into the different types of day-to-day rentals available. I don't even know enough about them to speak, because I've never had to use them.

But there are significantly cheaper alternatives to a hotel room. Google around the types of accommodations you can find in Korean cities. Don't just go for hotels because that is what you know back home...

[princess]

That's right iggyb. With a hotel, you really will end up homeless. I'm staying in a place that's 40,000 a night. I just can't stand a goshiwon or goshitel. I think I'd get claustrophobic in one. But at least my room has a bathtub. Most likely, my apartment won't when I find a job.

[marlow]

[iggyb]

Well, what they have really shown, at least for now, is that they are just part of the ESL system ---- a system veterans of it have long known - can't be trusted.

Let me put it this way: two years ago when I was part-time in a MA Teaching program, one classmate who was finishing up talked to me about her decision to go to Korea to teach. She was all happy and enthusiastic and asking for advice. She was asking and talking about things like -- how could she better sell herself to the schools so they will hire her.

I didn't want to dampen her enthusiasm, but I had to tell her she was going about it the wrong way --- that the mindset she needed in preparation for jumping into the Korea ESL industry is --- What do schools have to do to convince me they are worth working for. I gave her some pointers about how to vet a school and things like saying up enough money for an emergency ticket home at a moment's notice as soon as you can out of your first pay checks. She had a Korean friend from college going over with her who had family in Korea, so I told her she could at least handle a worst case situation if she happened to fall into it.

Recently, when I decided to get back into the industry, I located her on facebook. She did land OK and is now teaching in a university on her second year here ----- and she now understands what I was talking about...

I can understand people applying for SMOE again. If you are afraid of getting burnt in Korea, then it might be a good idea not to go there in the first place.

In short, if you are going to teach in Korea, whether it is hakwon or other, you have to be prepared for the possibility you're going to get knocked around at some point....

[laoshihao]

[iggyb]

I still say the the apartment my wife (Korean) and I shared the first 6 months of our marriage in which we barely had room to lie down to sleep -- was the best thing for our marriage. You really, really, really, really, really, really have to learn to get along with somebody under those conditions...

[stevieg4ever]

deleted

[Carla]