Korean Job Discussion Forums

[naturegirl321]

Look at the advert they just posted. 50 mil a year, 69 mil the second.

http://www.eslcafe.com/jobs/korea/index.cgi?read=43894

[ed4444]

yep. I used to work there and it does what it says on the tin.

Comes with a family sized on-campus apt too. The university is really nice as well although Pohang itself doesn't have much to offer.

If you have any questions fling them my way.

[naturegirl321]

I know! Three bedrooms. Sounds fantastic, though I'm sure it's super super expensive.

[livinginkorea]

[mj roach]

read it again....free housing

[ed4444]

There is a maintenance charge and the bills can be highish but it is rent free so it is a good deal.

[2000zerozero]

It looks nice and sparkly, but it's not all it's cracked up to be. Sorry to be a negative Nancy here, but I'd want the scoop if the situation was vice versa, so here goes:

#1) there's nobody to "deal with" foreign teachers there. and that's exactly how they look at it. if you plan on applying, better have a Korean wife. A coworker of mine didn't get a computer to use until the 2nd week of class because of 2 ppl fighting over whose job it was to get it.

#2) 12 hours is upped to 25 hours after the first year. yes, you get that big pay increase, but if you do the math you are actually not making any more per hour than the average uni job. only difference is that the "overtime" you were doing at that 12 hour uni job is now "mandatory" - and how often is overtime NOT available in this country? better imo to get less hours and add on as you see fit.

#3) housing is ONLY FREE THE FIRST YEAR, then you pay 500K won each month for what is mostly a decent apartment. Mine has a collapsing ceiling in the bathroom and wavy, ripped linoleum, which doesn't much bother me, but just mentioning that as an example of what to expect.

#4) summer vacation is ~ 1 month paid = good. winter vacation is supposed to be 3 full weeks, but almost never is. why? because they can not/ will not schedule incoming freshman testing a few days later. seriously. we bring it up at nearly every meeting and they say they don't know when it will be, then it cuts our vacation short, despite what the contract says.

I hear it didn't always used to be this way, but as you know, feces rolls downhill and they're currently under a very businesslike president, as opposed to an academic one. The Koreans in charge of the dept. have been tossing hints of replacing everyone and moving us into different apartments and etc. etc. etc. for a few years, but that might not ever happen. Just something to be aware of.

Still, it's probably the perfect job for someone. Just trying to knock some of the gloss off the surface there. There are good points as well, but this post is pretty positive so I didn't think I needed to mention them. There are also a slew of other issues, but that's all for another day. Beats a hakwon job, eh?

ed4444, why did you leave? You're smart to be cautious.

[RMNC]

But what percentage of KET's have a Master's, let alone one year of university teaching experience and the other requirements? Yes, some, but this ad is useless for 95% of the people looking for jobs or teaching. I hardly call it evidence that there are still "good jobs", and I'm not even the chicken little type.

[sarahsiobhan]

I have an MA and Uni teaching experience.....I am also a certified teacher....currently in Pohang. I had this job offered to me a while ago and I didn't take it......why? My hagwon job is a much sweeter deal.

My 2 cents.

[liveinkorea316]

[the ireland]

I love this part. Koreans never cease to amaze me

[liveinkorea316]

So POSCO increased in rankings mainly as a blip in the first year while other better uni's drag the chain on verifying data and providing profiles?

Did I read that correctly? Yes a jump from 112 to 28th is massive and does require some other explanation than simply "because we are excellent".