Korean Job Discussion Forums

[stevekor]

Hi Guys and Gals - thought i'd turn to the forums for advice with my situation. I'd really appreciate your input as i'm new to all this.

Basically I have 2 job offers in Sanbon and i'd like to pick the best one.

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#1 JUNG SANG JLS (private) 10am-7:30pm (with 2 hrs break in afternoon)

#2 Sanbon Elementary School (Public, after school english program) 12-7pm
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- BOTH jobs pay the same with same OT etc. and no weekends.

- Sanbon elementary however does NOT have any foreign teachers there, where i would be working with 2 fellow Canadians on my floor @ JLS.

- I get an extra 2 hrs sleep everyday if i work for the public school

- i'm teaching the same age of children

- JLS has high expectations for their students, maybe smaller class sizes cuz it's private.

- I think i get a few more days vacation with the private

- The company I will be working for provides english classes for the students that attend the public school.


****I'm just wondering what you guys would pick if you were me...my only added incentive for the public school is really the hours...but it may be a sacrifice i have to make at JLS to work with some foreign teachers. Thanks for your help

[different]

Based on the factors you wrote, it would be a no-brainer to take the elementary after-school job. What's so damn great about having foreign co-workers? They're just as likely to be a headache as Korean co-workers. And Sanbon isn't in the countryside. You can meet foreigners outside of work, and your nightlife can be better if you can sleep in until 11:00.

But a lot of those after-school jobs are shady... For example, the company may want you to open a bank account in your name and let them have the access codes. Check the details about the company.

Of course, there are a lot of other factors to consider too, which could make one job a better fit than the other. But if you're "new to all this", your ability to consider such factors will be limited.

[stevekor]

hey good point - i kinda figured that. I'm going on my recruiters word this is a reputable company working for the government. He seems to know his stuff so i dunno.

[emclaine66]

I would definitely take the afterschool job in Sanbon. It's an awesome little suburb with a very affluent community, is the cleanest place I've been in Korea and has really great little restaurants. Plus, its really small, so all of the foreign teachers tend to hang out at the same place. You'll meet them all anyway. Take the extra 2 hours sleep, afterschool jobs are hard to come by. Like the previous poster said though, just refuse to give them access to your bank account. As far as I have heard, not many try to do that anyway. Just the shady ones.

Because Sanbon is home to many upper middle class kids, the chances of that program getting cut are nil. On top of that, their level of English is higher than a lot of other places because they start their education before they start grade school, and when I asked for a show of hands as to which of my students had private tutors (I used to work there), 80% of the kids raised their hands. Plus, in hagwons you always have someone breathing down your neck about the kind of "job" you are doing. As far as I have heard, afterschool programs are far more relaxed, and so you can have more fun teaching.

[lifeinkorea]

If the afterschool program has "Okey Dokey" or AKYEC in the title, don't take it.

Otherwise, these afterschool jobs are good. Just make sure the in between organization doesn't mess up the contract agreements between you and the actual school you work for.

[goodguy9]

yo. i worked at the JLS in Ansan for 1 yr. during this time they opened the JLS in sanbon. This is a franchise and not really a part of the real JLS. They do have a set cirriculum and it can be a cake job at times. Since you're the new foreigner, this can play or not play to your advantage. You can get away with things like "not knowing what to do exactly"...etc. Because you are the new and only foreigner, they will not need to hold entire teacher meetings in English....they would only do this for your sake....and that would probably take up too much time and I found out myself. You can be blamed for low attendace and drop outs from students and they will not hesitate to put pressure on you by making you admit that you are not performing to their standards, and if this happens, they will begin to document you on this and have grounds to try to fire u later because of it. I say don't go with JLS. New, disorganized, low attendance (this will be crucial to the life of the JLS if it doesn't rise very fast.)
I love reading comments, but hate using my time to write them. BUT, in this case I want to make u aware of my situation and in hopes that you don't get burned like I did. Best of luck.

[stevekor]

hey thanks for the scoop on JLS...i've e-mailed the foreign teacher there, she says i'm workingwith 2 other canadians on my floor. She vouches that they don't do anything shady and don't hassle the teachers...so i dunno. She's also confirmed no one has ever left early and a few have renewed their contracts this year. . . that afterschool public offer fell through unfortunately...so now all i have left to decide is, do i take this JLS job (as i'm tryin to get as close to ansan as possible) or do i chill and wait for a better job to come along....

[shl82]

If this is the safe owner, Mr.Kwon or Eva from Evergreen Education, dont take it. Email me for details. Go with JLS. Its a reputable school.