Korean Job Discussion Forums

[ThingsComeAround]

^^ to add to what Fox mentioned, English budgets are mis-appropriated depending on who the principal is.

For example, I know my Principal is spending 20 million won (not 2 mil, 20) to move his office from the first floor directly above to the second. If I hadn't already seen his office now (think of the Empire in Return of the Jedi) well... 20 mil still makes me wonder...

Another rumor is spreading that teachers in large schools will suffer as well. Schools with 2 English teachers will be cut back to one (allegedly) however the plan for next year is to increase the number of English classroom hours for 5th and 6th graders. How is one teacher going to manage that? Overtime isn't always significant compensation.

I wouldn't have a problem with drug tests either, nor CBC. I do have a problem with a lazy greedy principal that has carte blanche to deny me employment for reasons unrelated to my teaching ability. Also problems with GEPIK should they refuse to assist finding another position for me. The handler is fast becoming a fluff position to give F4 females money (ex: Dain Bae)

[supernaut]

I don't think you should be attacking certain people, I have met her and she's a great person. Coordinators are often just teachers like us, but also basically sounding boards for teachers....but they don't really have any power in these decisions.

The coordinators would be the last people I'd blame in this situation, in fact, it's going to suck for them having to mediate this situation between angry foreign teachers and their schools.

[ThingsComeAround]

^^ Correction: coordinators are not teachers

They are here to protect our rights when schools bully us out of contract obligations (like working w/o overtime). They don't set foot in a classroom. You are thinking of a representative.

I wouldn't doubt that Dain Bae is pleasant to talk to during the orientation, at a party or in the bar. I do doubt her abilities to protect us from whatever schools throw at us, since she never answers her phone/email

[sojusucks]

[supernaut]

I'm just saying that's not really their job, they just talk to us about our jobs and if we have a disagreement with co-teachers(most can barely speak English) they can step in and mediate.

I don't expect them to go hard after the government.

[sojusucks]

[Epik_Teacher]

EPIK has undergone several bureaucratic incarnations since it's start in the mid-1990's as KORETTA. Towards the end of each particular incarnation, the contracts get very picky and legalistic. Money is tight and they are very chintzy about everything. People usually start to bail when they start not paying things as stated in their contracts and try to nickle and dime you to death. We're close to the end phase of this cycle of EPIK. I don't expect it to last past the next school year, then it will be drastically cut.

I've said it before, the "golden age" of teaching English in Korea is coming to a close. Not that it was ever that great in general. With the downturn in the world economy, a coming crash that will outdo the 1997 crash (I was here), and Koreans tightening their belts, I expect the ESL industry will take another nosedive. A lot of teachers will be soon be leaving in droves in 2011. Bottom line, save as much $$ cash as you can and have "Plan B" ready to roll. It's going to get bad in Korea soon.

[southernman]

It might also just be different at each school or each district.

A colleague and I both re-signed, we lived on the same Island but I was on a higher grade than him.

When we got our re-signing money I was 5 million up on him.

The place i'm at now, the teacher i've taken over from didn't really get a re-signing bonus. Because she is apparentley not in the same district even though she lives in the same city. She transferred from Elementary to High School.

It all seems pretty much a turkey shoot....

[stevieg4ever]

Does this include SMOE teachers as well? Just wondering for 2 things:

1/ accommodation is a lot more in Seoul so if that is being retrospectively taxed then that will mean a lot of money

2/ as i understood it, the severance pay is paid after you leave, within 30 days after leaving and finishing the contract. They could swindle the money from us from under our noses and laugh at us as they do so knowing we are tens of thousands of km away.

This may be a rare instance where low level areas of our respective countries' media may take an interest and give this hor$3 5h!t3 some attention.

[geldedgoat]

Shouldn't this be a net gain for teachers? If tax and insurance are calculated for everything, wouldn't pension also?

[Ramen]

[geldedgoat]

[Steelrails]

If this goes down are we going to have any kind of organization in place to resist it, say maybe some sort of class-action type measure?

[sirius black]

Traditionally, public school jobs were seen as better than hogwon jobs. Not many people will disagree on that when everything is considered.

With these new taxes and such has there finally come a point where a job at a reputable hogwon is now better than a public school job in some or most cases?

I know there are terrible hogwons out there but I'm talking about the reputable ones that abide by their contracts. I assume this does not affect hogwons but I don't know.

I am planning on going to a new city and aplying to EPIK. I will still apply but am seriously considering taking a vetted hogwon job over an EPIK one if I am offered a contract from both.

[ATM SPIDERTAO]

wow my buddy called me on friday night and said that ALL gepik teachers will be fired next year. like in the start of the new school year in march, 2011

is this true?!?!?! are they cutting the education program at public schools completely? i JUST re-signed and love working at my public school. i don't mind if they pay me like... HALF of what i'm currently getting, as long as they pay for my housing too. anyway so what's the deal?

are we getting laid off in march? or are we just gonna be getting less money? i can deal with less money. i spend it on completely frivolous things and all the money i don't spend after a month, i send home anyway. i could literally live the same as i do now on half of the salary. well, 75% would be the same, i could squeeze by with half. i love teaching in korea!!