Korean Job Discussion Forums

[crabstix]

I am working for SMOE and have been teaching a middle school since March , 2009. My school have asked me if i wanted to resign with them and I have told them that I would consider it.

After some careful thought I think I would be better off resigning with SMOE BUT changing my location to work somewhere more central because it would be easier to get to the places I need to get to and to meet up with friends.

How do I go about changing schools within SMOE? Do I need to contact the recruiter who helped me get the job? Or do I walk into the SMOE office and ask them?

[Xuanzang]

You`ll need a form from SMOE and some luck that they don`t put you in an even worse school/location.

[reactionary]

it's probably better to just pony up for the cab fare to meet your friends. there's no guarantee you'll be placed in a school with good working conditions, or one centrally located, or get decent housing.

i got really excited when i learned my school was to be in hyehwa. then i was shown my housing - in suyu. not quite as central as a place in hyehwa would've been, but well within the "one hour commute" clause in the contract.

have you considered getting your own housing and commuting to school?

[Bucky]

I got a school in a central location (within reach of Seoul Station). A central school might or might not be in your best interests.

For one thing, the schools here might not be in good shape in terms of academics. I have a lot of students who simply can't study because their home lives don't allow it (ie. parents are always away working at factories, so the eldest has to take care of everything at home). This means you're going to have a lot of students who can't even read the ABCs. You're also going to have the typical bad student who would rather spend his time playing computer games. Unless you're looking for a challenge, this isn't really the most ideal teaching situation.

Your co-teachers will vary, obviously. There's no cookie-cutter description for that.

As for your housing, don't be surprised if your area resembles some backwater down instead of a world-class city. My apartment suite is on the top floor of a 3-floor building, and faces half a wall from the neighboring apartments. There are 6 units in total, with 2 on each floor. Every unit below me faces a wall and gets no sunlight. I'm lucky to have my windows face only half a wall, with the upper half open to sunlight.

Sure, it's convenient to get around; you're in the middle of everything so nothing's too "far" (I rarely need to pay more than the 900 won subway fare because most trips are within 10 kilometers), but there are those other factors at play as well.

[Xuanzang]

Depends by what you mean by central. The schools near SMOE are in pretty good shape. A lot of them are being changed into the model school format. There is little chance you'll get placed in Hongdae or Sinchon. Everyone wants those locations.

reactionary: I'm surprised they didn't place you near to Mia Sagori or Gireum. Lots of cheap places around there.

[missty]

I wouldn't bank on SMOE giving you what they want. I asked to be changed to elementary after I resigned, and they gave me high school for the second time. It would seem that there's no guarantee at all that they will give you what you ask.

[reactionary]