Korean Job Discussion Forums

jaybert06 · Joined: 01 Oct 2010 Location: seoul

i know there have been a few topics on gepik in the past few weeks, but none of them really answered the questions i had. so here goes.

i have been offered a job in a location i really want to be in at a gepik school. they need a teacher asap, so i need to mail them my documents this week, but i just wanted to check up on a few things that may or may not be red flags.

first off, are all gepik contracts the same? this may seem like a stupid question, but are they worth negotiating, or should i just take them as-is. it's not a bad contract, i'm just a little worried about the key money and lack of a/c being mentioned. but from what i've gathered, the key money is standard in gepik contracts, so i'm assuming there's no use debating it. i just wanted to double check, though.

second, the recruiter and school would not let me talk with a foreign teacher. i'm pretty sure they only had one NET (it's in a semi-rural middle school), and that i am taking her place. i believe the recruiter said that teacher left because of a family emergency. so all these reasons sound legit, but again, i just wanted to double check to make sure this isn't a terrible idea. i understand there will be some level of risk, but from my understanding, the school is really desperate for me and really wants me specifically (not just any NET). i've already bargained with them for a later start date because they were so desperate.

i know that these areas are kind of grey, i was just wondering if you all could help flesh them out a little bit before i send off all my documents and commit to a year of this.

thanks!

nathanrutledge · Joined: 01 May 2008 Location: Marakesh

I'm on my third GEPIK contract. They provide housing, you don't worry about that at all. All you pay is the utilities and maintenance fee. A/C is not mentioned in the contract, and your apartment may or may not have it, but odds are you will have it. I personally have not met a GEPIK person who doesn't have A/C. Also, for a first timer, GEPIK contracts are non negotiable. If you have a year under your belt, you have SOME wiggle room, but not now.

Not talking to a teacher isn't necessarily a warning flag. Some of the schools don't have teachers, some of the teachers don't want to talk to people, there could be any number of reasons, I wouldn't necessarily chalk it up to a problem. Perhaps the current teacher couldn't hack it and they don't want her saying bad things.

You know it's in a semi-rural place, you know it's a middle school, you know most of what there is to know, I'd say. If it were a high school, you'd want to know if it was a tech school or not, but middle schools are all pretty equal.

email me at my name at hotmail, we can talk more about this if you'd like. I can tell you my experiences for better or worse, but I'd say you're probably good to go.

Fishead soup · Joined: 24 Jun 2007 Location: Korea

I wouldn't worry. Rural jobs have a much harder time finding people who are willing to live in the sticks. You're job will be a cakewalk on the hand the isolation and language barrier will be much harder to deal with. I've done numerous rural positions I really like them. In rural locations where everyone lived in the same vicinity you will get lots of chances to socialize with the other teachers at your school.

Some rural locations place their teachers in dormitories. I've done this it's not bad although you will be living down the hall from other teachers at your school. For people who see a clearly defined seperation between work and play this might be difficult. If you end up in this situation you need to be discreet about female overnight guests. Most people living in the dorm will go to their hometown over the weekend. So it's really not a problem inviting your girlfriend over for the weekend.

lifeinkorea · Joined: 24 Jan 2009 Location: somewhere in China

You are better off telling people the general location of the school. Which city in Gyeonggido is it? Even though on the surface GEPIK jobs are the same, people working in the same city might have more in common.

For example, the school I worked at was associated with 2 other schools in the area. So, even though I was the first full-time GEPIK teacher at the school, there were other teachers at the other affiliated schools I could have contacted before accepting the job.

Furthermore, the BOE (Board of Education) or "Regional Provincial Office of Education" (POE?) I think it's called can make many of the decisions for localized programs. In my case, they scheduled the same computer classes one day, English classes another day, art classes, etc...

All these affected the three schools, but I am sure it did nothing for GEPIK schools on the other side of Gyeonggido.

As far as talking to previous teachers, it's more important to talk with your co-teacher. Unfortunately, the school probably won't hire them until they hire you.

Summer Wine · Joined: 20 Mar 2005 Location: Next to a River

elliot79 · Joined: 08 Oct 2010 Location: England

i was also offered my GEPIK job because the teacher had to go home after 6 months, due his brother being seriously ill.

i've been told the school is called Baekyung High School in Yongin.

that's about all i know, and i can't find any information about the school on the internet.

jaybert06 · Joined: 01 Oct 2010 Location: seoul

thanks for all the help, folks!

the school in located in ansung (anseoung? i've seen about 3 different spellings of it). my living arrangement will be about 20 minutes away from the school on foot, but i can also take the bus that runs to it during school hours. i'll probably just ride my bike, though, as that's how i commute most of the time here. it's an hour away from seoul, so i'll be able to go hang out on most weekends because i have a few friends living there right now.

i guess i'll go ahead and send her my docs (as soon as i get my other reference letter....).

another quick question, does anyone know about housing costs in anseoung? is it reasonable that i could get a decent apartment/house/whatever with the housing allowance? i don't really want to live in a dorm, i thought i had finished with that part of my life... haha. of course, i don't yet know what the housing situation will be, but my girlfriend is thinking of coming and living with me so if they frown upon that in dorms, i don't necessarily want to face glares every morning. we'd be fine with just a studio, but of course if we could get a couple rooms that would be better. i think the housing allowance is 400,000 a month? is that reasonable?

Vagabundo · Joined: 26 Aug 2010

anseong.. I think that's where the GEPIK orientations took place this year.

Yeah, just by being on the bus getting to the place, you were going thru some rural looking areas. If that doesn't bother you, then great, personally I think I'd have many issues, but that's just a personal preference.wish list.

GEPIK contract is very standard. I wouldn't worry too much about it. Not having AC would be an anomaly, and if you're that concerned about it, I think once here, if they like you and your place wouldn't have AC, they'd make every effort to install a unit for you.

not being able to talk to the previous NET is somewhat of a red flag for me, but sometimes stuff happens and they're not available, etc.

I'd say overall, I'd probably greenlight it for you.

It's interesting that you say they want YOU specifically, given that I'm guessing you're an incoming newbie (ergo they have no real idea what they're getting) and they need someone asap.

lastly, I'd recheck that time to Seoul, unless you're talking about some kind of express bus during non rush traffic hours, etc.

my guess would be more along the lines of 2 (hours)

Vagabundo · Joined: 26 Aug 2010

SCAshley · Joined: 15 Nov 2010

[quote="jaybert06"]thanks for all the help, folks!

the school in located in ansung (anseoung? i've seen about 3 different spellings of it).

Hey jaybert06, I also am getting sent to a GEPIK position in Anseong at the end of this month. Mines at Biryong elementary school-what about you? They didn't exactly tell me what happened to the other teacher, but said that they needed someone ASAP. Is this considered a rual area? Are we getting rual allowance then? I would PM you, but can't yet. If you want to PM me, I'd love to pick your brain a bit. Sounds like you know more about the area than I do! Thanks! Smile

ThingsComeAround · Joined: 07 Nov 2008

semi-rural means no allowance.

And as for the housing pay, do you want to come a week early and find your own place? I'd recommend living in their place, take it for what its worth and if its bad, by then you can research real estate in the area and see what 400,000 buys you (not very much, I'm afraid)

jrwhite82 · Joined: 22 May 2010

Yeah, take the school housing for now. If it really sucks you should be able to switch fairly soon if their previous teacher left early. That means their 1 year contract with the apartment building will end during the first few months of your contract with the school.

I'd say go for it and welcome to Korea. Just make sure you get a good vibe from the school. Trust your gut.

Like nathan said, there could be a 1000 legitimate reasons why the teacher left early. But there could be another 1000 red flags too. It's a crap shoot. And in a school where maybe she hated, you might love it. Or if she really loved it, you might hate it. It's impossible to tell with GEPIK because it won't be a reason like not getting paid or some shady garbage like that.

Good luck!