Korean Job Discussion Forums

StaciRenae · Joined: 11 Jan 2010 Location: Lighthouse Point, FL

I can't find much information about Gwangmyeong City and have seen a lot of mixed reviews for POLY. The pay is 2.4-2.5 and the hours are pretty long...

Mon, Wed, Fri 9:30am to 7:25pm

Tue, Thur 9:30am to 5:50pm for 6 months and 9:30am to 8pm for 6 months.

Anyone have any thoughts/opinions/advice on the city and on POLY? I am so ready to leave but the hours and that fact I can't find a lot of information on Gwangymyeong City are kind of freaking me out... Thanks!!

caribmon · Joined: 26 Oct 2009

There's a break in the middle for lunch. Go for it. You can change jobs later. Poly will pay you. Some other school might screw you. The weekends are very long and boring and you'll wish for more work.

kiwipenny · Joined: 22 Mar 2010 Location: South Korea

Hi~
I work and live in Gwangmyeong and it is not bad to live in... and by subway you can get to Itaewon( westerners hangout) in about 50 mins to an hour) ....

It is actually on 10 mins by subway out of Seoul.. so not far and you are technically in the mountains here... so a bit of city and country~^^

If you like partying not fat to Seoul and if you like it a bit quieter not far to get out in the country~^^

Plus a big KTX train station about 2omins by bus away so you can take trips out of Seoul and head to other cities....

Big supermarkets etc near the subway.. movie theaters ... cafes... Just not many western syle restaurants etc .. just pop into Seoul for that ^^

If you want any other info drop me a line..^^

kiwipenny · Joined: 22 Mar 2010 Location: South Korea

not fat to seoul was meant to say not far to Seoul sorry ^^ lol

typing furiously between classes lol

Patong Dong · Joined: 06 May 2003 Location: On Nut

I worked Poly for a couple of years. Back in 2005 when I first joined them for a similar schedule I received 2.75 out of the gate. Next year it was a raise to 3. It varied but I didn't know anyone who was getting less than 2.6 for the am/pm shift. And as I mentioned that was a few years back. Poly is pretty good quality but it's lot of work. I had 48, 40 min. classes a week, and lots of accompanying paperwork. Sounds like a raw deal in my opinion.

Scamps · Joined: 01 Feb 2008

You must be using a recruiter. Otherwise your pay would be much higher, even if you have zero experience. Every branch of Poly is different. The one I worked at for a VERY short time was blacklisted and it showed. Everybody there was just plain evil. The hours are draining, only 35 minutes for lunch so most people just ate junk from the convenience store. No real breaks during the day, the five or ten minutes shuffling between classes you have to change books and run back and forth to the office all day. When I took it I swore I'd never go back to a hagwon again but I felt Poly was different, it wasn't. Based on my experience I could never recommend Poly. I love public schools. Besides, if you calculate the amount of hours at Poly compared to other hagwons and schools, you're actually getting paid less. Plus at the end of the contract (for Poly) they really screw you for the 13th month bonus. If I were you I'd run! Location-wise it's a nice area. All Poly's are in nice rich areas because it costs a fortune to go there.

sulperman · Joined: 14 Oct 2008

My friend used to live in Gwangmyeong. Nice place. Not technically in Seoul, but it is very close. If nobody told you you weren't in Seoul, you'd probably never know. A lot closer to Hongdae and Sinchon than many places in Seoul. I'd definitely live there.

Lolimahro · Joined: 19 May 2009

2.4-2.5 for a morning/afternoon position seems kind of low. That sounds like starting pay for an evening (2-10pm) position at a middle school branch. Most elementary POLY branches start at 2.8 or higher.

I work at a middle school POLY and I like it. The classes are easy, there are lots of materials from previous teachers available, and the management at my branch is pretty decent. I have always been paid on time, have had no issues with insurance, visas, or anything in the legal spectrum. There are a lot of essays to grade, but I always get all my work done during the week and never have to stay late or take stuff home to finish it up. The middle school students have mid-terms twice each semester which means about 4 weeks of each semester we only have to teach half our classes.

That said, every school is different, and the management significantly influences the way the job will work. It would be good if someone from your branch could drop you a line and tell you how things are.

PowerSlave · Joined: 25 May 2010

I'm entertaining their offer at 2.9. Which sounds great, but the hours seem daunting. I wouldn't mind the hours, so long as the teachers and supporting staff are reliable. Reviews I've found are mixed on that, but I hear they are reliable in terms of pay and benefits. I just wonder if it's worth it with all the hours; 10 classes a day. 2.5 is for the 2-9 shifts. Not the all day 9-7:30. That's 2.8 minimum.