Korean Job Discussion Forums

[cassimira]

My boyfriend and I have recently accepted a position near Seoul. It's in a fairly rural area, which is actually to our liking, and the salary is good (not great). The teacher currently there initially sent us a fantastic e-mail about the position, which was enough to make us accept the position, even though we were keeping in mind that there may have been some "director influence" at play. Sure enough, today I received another e-mail from him stating that the town is actually much smaller and a little further out of town than we were lead to believe. While we are ok with the new location, the dissimulation still worried us a bit. He also said the following:

The town itself is very nice and i already have told you about it in the last email. The children and the curriculum are also great. The main problem is the director, whom i and i hear past foreign teachers have also had problems with. He is very reluctant to help with everyday problems concerning the job or the apartment or general living in korea. Make sure you get your own bank account within the first week of coming here, and inform the director of your account details.

Also, often the pay can come a few weeks late, and the hours are 1-6 not 1-7, and if they ask you to do phone teaching or extra tutoring on the weekends you are well within your rights to politely refuse.

Im sorry for any confusion, I hope that this email answers all your questions. The position is a good one and the lifestyle is also great, its a good opportunity to save money too.

Hmmm.... seems like a bit of a mixed bag. "Problems with the director"and "late payments" seems to be the standard complaint with many hagwon jobs, and we do have ex-pat friends in Korea that could help us navigate setting up internet and bank accounts and such... but... we're still not sure. WE have already sent our visa paperwork off, so it would be a bit of a struggle to pull out at his late stage, but we also want to make sure the position is sound. (We negotiated our contract carefully, and made sure we kept the original signed copies ourselves... .and we're sticking to 'em!) What do you guys think? Are there enough positives to outweigh the negatives?

[jmuns]

maybe some positives, but no amount of positives can outweigh late payments, or payments that never come. they already misled you about the school and town too.

[cheolsu]

Why don't you just read about the town on your own? I wouldn't factor misinformation about the town into your decision-making. The director is another story.

[reactionary]

I wouldn't take it. It's true that it will be hard for you to jump ship right now, but it will be even harder if you go there. Payment a few days late is one thing - I had a forgetful boss at one time. A few weeks? That's a sign of trouble.

[lifeinkorea]

I have a different attitude about this. I have had two rural jobs, 1 city job, and I am at my 2nd. I have also worked in Japan and had the same experiences.

Schools out in the country or at least a distance from the center of a main city tend to be more relaxed folks. So, we need to evaluate those schools differently. Be concerned, but develop trust with small promises.

Don't gamble out in the country is what I am saying. If everything runs smoothly with small tasks, you can take the weekend overtime if you want. Just don't do it all at once.

I agree with the second letter, get your bank account info as soon as you can. As long as they put money into your account, you can work out problems. If they are late with pay, they should be treating you differently to compensate for it.

[PaperTiger]

If he comes right out and tells you that they pay "a few weeks late" and warns you about extra classes and bank accounts...imagine what he isn't telling you. People break contracts all the time...you should break this one without thinking twice. If you think pulling out now will be a struggle...wait til you actually start working for these idiots. Take it from me, if you're already seeing red flags BEFORE you've even started, it's not going to get better.

Late pay equals financial problems or management problems...you don't want anything to do with a school that you KNOW has them before you've even started.


You'd be better off trying to find another job...because you will...there is no shortage of job no matter what recruiters tell you. If you take this job, you're just going to be back on this forum in a month or so lamenting late payment and a myriad of other hellish complaints.

[blackjack]

Late pay is a red flag.

I hate it when teachers complain about this one

[frankly speaking]

I would agree with you black jack but there are other factors to consider.

First many teaching positions occur during the time that business stuff needs to be done. I cannot go to the bank during most business days I am teaching. I cannot just walk out of my classes. I actually have management do most of my errands for me. Yes, I could do them myself, but it is more advantage for them to quickly take care of it and have me in the class than find someone to cover my class for a few minutes while I do mundane busy work.

For an inexperienced first timer in Korea it is a nice thing to have someone walk them through the first few weeks of adjustment. Shopping for groceries can be daunting for a first timer.

I think that the more a director or office staff help new teachers the better. I would do the same for foreign employees new to my country.

I don't think that it should be expected, but it is a nice thing.

[Old Gil]

What's the name of the town? Just plug into google maps to get an idea of the location.

[curlygirl]

[roknroll]

[blackjack]

[roknroll]

whatever

[djsmnc]

[roknroll]