| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
missjulia
Joined: 22 Sep 2009
|
 Posted: Thu Dec 03, 2009 7:48 pm Post subject: SMOE March 2010 Acceptance!! |
 |
|
Yay!! i finally heard back from SMOE and i've been accepted!! Now, just need to cross my fingers and hopeeeee nothing like what happened last year happens..
did anyone else get accepted yet for March?? I'd love to meet some other people who are going to be working for SMOE next year~~
I'm a bit still apprehensive about the whole thing, since I'm very close with my family--and mom's a cancer survivor--and i'd hate to leave her for a year... and so i'm not 100% sure i'm going to accept the offer, but i'd love to hear from you other people out there!! |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
Ramen
Joined: 15 Apr 2008
|
| Posted: Thu Dec 03, 2009 8:11 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Don't get too excited just yet. You really won't know if you truly have the job until you make it to the orientation. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
cruisemonkey
Joined: 04 Jul 2005
Location: Hopefully, the same place as my luggage.
|
| Posted: Thu Dec 03, 2009 8:27 pm Post subject: Re: SMOE March 2010 Acceptance!! |
|
|
| missjulia wrote: |
| ...i finally heard back from SMOE and i've been accepted!! |
Sorry to hear the bad news. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Xuanzang
Joined: 10 Apr 2007
Location: Sadang
|
| Posted: Thu Dec 03, 2009 8:41 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Ramen wrote: |
| Don't get too excited just yet. You really won't know if you truly have the job until you make it to the orientation. |
Orientation doesn't mean anything anymore. They could send you packing regardless. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
rowdie3
Joined: 22 Sep 2003
Location: Itaewon, Seoul
|
| Posted: Thu Dec 03, 2009 9:36 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| SMOE is not something to be happy about. Sorry to rain on your parade. A private academy will pay you more and treat you better. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
jurassic82
Joined: 21 Jun 2006
Location: Somewhere!!!!
|
| Posted: Thu Dec 03, 2009 10:26 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Don't listen to the wankers on this board. They are just bitter bas#$% Congrats on being accepted. It is better than most jobs in Korea. With the way things are back home probably better than any job you could get. Nice vacation time, short working days and very simple lesson planning. Be flexable and open minded. Some schools are better than others but it truely is what you make of it. If you are determined to piss and moan of course you will have a terrible experience like most the people on this board. Just remember a few things when you come to Korea
1) Everything is last minute regardless where you work.
2) Koreans are about saving face so you won't always get an honest or straight forward answer.
3) Things are always up to be changed (especially at the last minute)
4) Terrible communication between managment and staff.
If you are patient with your PS job then you will have a good time (hopefully). Again congratulations and good luck with orientation. It truely was a waste of time.  |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
missjulia
Joined: 22 Sep 2009
|
| Posted: Thu Dec 03, 2009 10:47 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| jurassic82 wrote: |
Don't listen to the wankers on this board. They are just bitter bas#$% Congrats on being accepted. It is better than most jobs in Korea. With the way things are back home probably better than any job you could get. Nice vacation time, short working days and very simple lesson planning. Be flexable and open minded. Some schools are better than others but it truely is what you make of it. If you are determined to piss and moan of course you will have a terrible experience like most the people on this board. Just remember a few things when you come to Korea
1) Everything is last minute regardless where you work.
2) Koreans are about saving face so you won't always get an honest or straight forward answer.
3) Things are always up to be changed (especially at the last minute)
4) Terrible communication between managment and staff.
If you are patient with your PS job then you will have a good time (hopefully). Again congratulations and good luck with orientation. It truely was a waste of time. |
thanks for the advice! really helpful...yeah i don't let the other responses bother me--i've noticed there is a lot of negativity on this forum, and i def won't let that get to me.
| rowdie3 wrote: |
| SMOE is not something to be happy about. Sorry to rain on your parade. A private academy will pay you more and treat you better. |
really? cuz i've done my research and i've heard horror stories about private academies as well... pros and cons of both, but i say to each his own..obviously i chose to apply to public schools instead of private schools b/c of what's important to me.
to the others..i appreciate your feedback, i AM aware of the smoe fiasco and the downsides of public education, but u know what, i've heard it all before and i made this thread to get in contact with people who have been accepted this year--not to listen to all the bitterness
..so any future SMOE-ers??? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Ramen
Joined: 15 Apr 2008
|
| Posted: Thu Dec 03, 2009 10:53 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| jurassic82 wrote: |
Don't listen to the wankers on this board. They are just bitter bas#$% Congrats on being accepted. It is better than most jobs in Korea. With the way things are back home probably better than any job you could get. Nice vacation time, short working days and very simple lesson planning. Be flexable and open minded. Some schools are better than others but it truely is what you make of it. If you are determined to piss and moan of course you will have a terrible experience like most the people on this board. Just remember a few things when you come to Korea
1) Everything is last minute regardless where you work.
2) Koreans are about saving face so you won't always get an honest or straight forward answer.
3) Things are always up to be changed (especially at the last minute)
4) Terrible communication between managment and staff.
If you are patient with your PS job then you will have a good time (hopefully). Again congratulations and good luck with orientation. It truely was a waste of time. |
Yeah, everything you've said is true only if you don't get rejected at the last minute. 
BTW OP, who told you you've been accepted and offered you the job?
Last edited by Ramen on Thu Dec 03, 2009 10:56 pm; edited 2 times in total |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
rowdie3
Joined: 22 Sep 2003
Location: Itaewon, Seoul
|
| Posted: Thu Dec 03, 2009 10:54 pm Post subject: |
|
|
The starting salary for SMOE is like 2.0-2.2 right? You will be there for eight hours a day. You will have an unhelpful coteacher. You will have 30 kids going crazy in your class. The year will be wrought with misunderstandings and confusion. Believe me. I've been there.
In an afterschool program you can make about 2.6-2.8. You will be there for four hours a day. You will have 12-16 kids in your class. Sounds good right?
In an academy, you will teacher about 6 hours a day. You will make 2.4-2.8. You will have an average of 12 kids in your class. You will be given an apartment that is near the school.
How does SMOE win?? I just don't get that.
Sure, some academy's have bad management, but pretty much all SMOE schools have bad management. Do your research. Find a good one. Off you go... |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Dodgy Al
Joined: 15 May 2004
Location: Seoul
|
| Posted: Thu Dec 03, 2009 11:09 pm Post subject: |
|
|
I am in SMOE and am pretty happy. Am earning a little less than I was at my previous gig, but am much happier thanks to the awesomeness of my co-teachers, and a much nicer schedule. You may not be placed in such a good situation though.
Good luck with the visa process. It is grueling. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
sulperman
Joined: 14 Oct 2008
|
| Posted: Thu Dec 03, 2009 11:11 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| rowdie3 wrote: |
In an afterschool program you can make about 2.6-2.8.
In an academy, you will teacher about 6 hours a day. You will make 2.4-2.8.
|
What ads are you looking at? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
reactionary
Joined: 22 Oct 2006
Location: korreia
|
| Posted: Thu Dec 03, 2009 11:22 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| rowdie3 wrote: |
The starting salary for SMOE is like 2.0-2.2 right? You will be there for eight hours a day. You will have an unhelpful coteacher. You will have 30 kids going crazy in your class. The year will be wrought with misunderstandings and confusion. Believe me. I've been there.
In an afterschool program you can make about 2.6-2.8. You will be there for four hours a day. You will have 12-16 kids in your class. Sounds good right?
In an academy, you will teacher about 6 hours a day. You will make 2.4-2.8. You will have an average of 12 kids in your class. You will be given an apartment that is near the school.
How does SMOE win?? I just don't get that.
Sure, some academy's have bad management, but pretty much all SMOE schools have bad management. Do your research. Find a good one. Off you go... |
Do you get housing with that 2.6 million won (in Seoul)? I have not seen many Seoul afterschool jobs providing housing. Takes a big chunk out of that "higher pay."
In fact, my smoe school has an afterschool teacher in addition to me - guess where she lives? haebangchon. sure, I commute, but she commutes a lot more.
As for academies...yeah, 8 hour days with 6 hour teaching for 200,000 won more per month. Ok, but your lazy ass won't have to commute (usually, not always)...
Anyway, it's true SMOE isn't perfect. I'd love to strangle my coteacher. But it also sucks working in hagwons when the management is trying to blame you for declining enrollment. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
abigolblackman
Joined: 06 Jun 2009
|
| Posted: Fri Dec 04, 2009 4:35 am Post subject: |
|
|
If you are lucky, you school/district will provide you with afterschool classes and you can easily make an extra million (~1000$ depending on the exchange, a little lower...) per month. So if you start out at 1.8, bam, 2.8 per month. Plus housing, you came make mint in SMOE. IF you are lucky, or persistent.
SMOE is a crap shot. Few get lucky from what I've seen. No school is perfect but some are more desirable than others. There are 18 districts in Seoul, only 2 - 3 are desiable to work in. Outside of those rich areas, you have "dumb" kids because they are "poor" and that excuse justifies their crappy behavior.
Get ready to learn to "understand" Koreans, which basically means they can lie and you have to put up with it.
I've seen afterschool programs offer 2.4 with housing, and you can just get a morning job and bump your pay up another million. That's my plan for next year.
abigolblackman |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
missjulia
Joined: 22 Sep 2009
|
| Posted: Sat Dec 12, 2009 9:52 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Ramen wrote: |
Yeah, everything you've said is true only if you don't get rejected at the last minute.
BTW OP, who told you you've been accepted and offered you the job? |
well i haven't received the contract, just been told by my recruiter that I've been accepted.. i just need to send in all the forms, and they'll send me the contract.. still haven't decided though, as i'm also waiting for a call back here in the states and flying to korea is my 2nd choice obviously..
| rowdie3 wrote: |
The starting salary for SMOE is like 2.0-2.2 right? You will be there for eight hours a day. You will have an unhelpful coteacher. You will have 30 kids going crazy in your class. The year will be wrought with misunderstandings and confusion. Believe me. I've been there.
In an afterschool program you can make about 2.6-2.8. You will be there for four hours a day. You will have 12-16 kids in your class. Sounds good right?
In an academy, you will teacher about 6 hours a day. You will make 2.4-2.8. You will have an average of 12 kids in your class. You will be given an apartment that is near the school.
How does SMOE win?? I just don't get that.
Sure, some academy's have bad management, but pretty much all SMOE schools have bad management. Do your research. Find a good one. Off you go... |
i think it's all a matter of perspective..like i said..everyone is different--money is not the motivating factor for me.
SMOE wins for me b/c i like having a regular 9-5 hour workday..it's just better for my lifestyle since i've found out that if i don't work until 3 pm..i don't get up until like 1. yeah, i know terrible, but again..that's just how i am and everyone is different.
although money won't break or make the deal for me personally, i'll be staying with family, so i'll be making some extra money from the housing allowance..
and also since i want to go to korea and actually EXPERIENCE korean education (however crappy and screwy it might be) i'm very interested in educational differences--styles, environments, expectations, pedagogies, etc. between korean and american education.
also i'm korean american, so i'm hoping that i'll be able to avoid some of the confusion and misunderstandings and what not.
i'm sorry to hear you had a bad experience, but then again i've heard plenty from people with good experiences...and it's like that for hakwons too..some ppl like it, others hate it. but it just doesn't fit in with my lifestyle and what's important to me. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
winterfall
Joined: 21 May 2009
|
| Posted: Sun Dec 13, 2009 1:10 am Post subject: |
|
|
| rowdie3 wrote: |
The starting salary for SMOE is like 2.0-2.2 right? You will be there for eight hours a day. You will have an unhelpful coteacher. You will have 30 kids going crazy in your class. The year will be wrought with misunderstandings and confusion. Believe me. I've been there.
In an afterschool program you can make about 2.6-2.8. You will be there for four hours a day. You will have 12-16 kids in your class. Sounds good right?
In an academy, you will teacher about 6 hours a day. You will make 2.4-2.8. You will have an average of 12 kids in your class. You will be given an apartment that is near the school.
How does SMOE win?? I just don't get that.
Sure, some academy's have bad management, but pretty much all SMOE schools have bad management. Do your research. Find a good one. Off you go... |
Nah starting salary is 1.8.
1 yr exp / English, Linguistics, Education major / TEFL = 2.0 |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
