Korean Job Discussion Forums

[RMNC]

It's all subjective for the most part when they're hiring, but yeah, I think that the year of experience counts for "more" than the cert. Most countries are glad to have someone with any experience at all, and recognize Korea as a jumping-off point for a lot of people. I don't think it counts for much more (or less) than any other country, because, each country being so different, only the basics of teaching apply to a new job.

They can weed out non-native speakers pretty easily, but you'd be surprised at how much some desperate people are willing to go through to go to Korea. Be it they just don't fit in at home, they're creepy yellow fever dudes, want an easy job... whatever. There are TONS of teachers in Korea (some might say the majority) that don't care at all about teaching, or who can't even teach at all. Korea is inundated with unqualified teachers. The average grammar and spelling abilities of the English teachers in Korea make it ironic that they teach English at all.

Wikipedia will be your friend in many cases. And yeah, youtube, so you can see what the places you're looking at are like from a street-level point of view.

Search on Dave's has been broken for Eons. As for Seoul, the "best" areas most people will probably tell you are Gangnam (rich), the Hongdae are (in Mapo, the artsy and university crowd), and Itaewon (dumpy, but fun and much more accommodating to foreigners). The area that surrounds Seoul (Gyeonggi-do) is decent as well, but many who really want to live it up think that this area is still too far away from the action. The best way to sum up where the best parts of Seoul to live in is to check out the Green #2 subway line. That line runs a loop through the middle of Seoul in what is known as the "circle of fun".Any area of Seoul with close access to that line will get you to the hotspots pretty fast. My only other place of note is my preffered spot, Bundang, specifically in the district of Seongnam, because it's nicer than most other Gyeonggi cities, and the Shin Bundang line ("New Bundang" Yellow line) will take you to Gangnam in 15 minutes, right to the heart of the action and links up with Line #2.

Most areas in Gyeonggi-do will take you about 25-35 minutes to reach the heart of the city and the green line. As far as gyeonggi-do goes, it's usually cleaner, less crowded, less polluted, has bigger accomodations, has more parks and recreation, but lacks the incredibly concentrated "stuff to do and see" factor. Most people will recommend (wiki all this, by the way) any district that touches Seoul proper, like Bucheon, Guri

Your school will help you set up a bank, and cell phone as well in most cases. Your old cell won't work, but it being an iPhone, you might bring it just to use as a portable wifi device instead of an actual phone, essentially making it an iTouch. It's too much of a hassle and too expensive for foreigners to get contracts in Korea for iPhones, in my opinion, and the phones you'll get will be more than good enough.

I personally wish I would have brought converters and power adapters to Korea, because the plugs aren't the same. In my opinion. you'll be smart to bring over some kind of American to Korean plug converters if you have a laptop or cell phone that will need to be charging up right out of the gate so you can start using it immediately. If you want a specific area, then tell that to recruiters. Give them multiple places. Don't concede and take the first place they offer you if something isn't right in the contract. Be firm and you'll find what you want eventually, there are always job openings somewhere.

Compensation will be very similar most places, so I wouldn't fret too much about that, fret more about whether or not the contract has all the things it needs to have. Again, check the Post Your Contract thread every time you get one and then double check it.

Split shifts are horrible and will make you hate life. Fact.

The age group you teach depends on what you think you can handle. Young kids are full of energy but are willing to learn, as they haven't been worn down by Korean school systems yet. Kindergarten is basically glorified baby sitting. Middle school kids are cool because they still have some energy but are smarter and understand more. They can be sullen and mean, however, when going through puberty.

I would only send the "information page" of a passport to a recruiter that you knew was legit. If not, I'd omit it from the small-time guys. The reason you got 20 emails is because they've put you on a mailing list, they didn't actually respond to your specific post. Reply to them all, most of the time it's about you contacting them rather than the other way around. Once you do that they'll know you're not just an e-mail inbox and will start working with you.

Let me know if you have any other questions.
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[rdevorse]

Wow. Just wow. Thank you so much. You just donated a lot of your time to save me from some uneducated research about where I am going to spend 12 months, but I will still wiki all of the information you've given. They do ask the question "If Seoul, where specifically?" a lot, and I was having trouble really putting my finger on certain areas. Now I have a list I can go off of and research.

Being close to a subway makes perfect sense, your reference to a specific one is again very helpful. I have a Mac so I'll be picking up their converter kit before going, the iPhone should serve as a perfect pocket-sized 720p video camera and camera. It takes better photos than my digital, sheesh.

Splits sound absolutely awful! There's a school that says you work 120 hrs. a month, from 9:30-7:00pm, M-F and I couldn't imagine wanting a schedule like that. I wouldn't mind working with Kinder, but would like to see my efforts come to fruition, so elementary is what I'm leaning towards. I remember what I was like in Middle school, and that's when at least us American kids got testy with the teachers.

My email account absolutely blew up today, and I learned very quick to not give out my phone-number. Skype is going to be my better friend once I get my CRC back in a few weeks and save me from international incoming calls.

Thank you again for the recommendations around Seoul and describing the local metro areas. That was something I was going to pick up a Lonely Planet book on.

How long have you been TEFL for?

What are some of your favorite experiences?

If you had to go back and do it all over again, what might you do differently from the start?

I'll keep my passport closer from here out, and will post my contract when I get offered one/two/1000. Is it typical that the hiring process moves so fast? I understand that the CRC is usually valid for only 3-6 months, it seems like a short time to find a job you're willing to commit to for 12 months?

Everyone I talked to on the phone tonight (5 calls) was literally throwing jobs at me, and it's a little unnerving. Is that because the demand is literally so high for Native-speakers? Or is it the sign of a school that may not be worth working for?

I also asked a young lady if she would be willing to provide contact info for some of the teachers currently at the school, but she noted that because she was a recruiter, she wouldn't do it, and was more persistant about the interview.

It made sense, is that typical too? Or would a recruiter normally be more willing to obtain that information from the school?

Thanks RMNC

[RMNC]

I've been doing TEFL for almost 4 years, including a short break where I went home to the states and taught it at a University.

The best experiences are too numerous:

-Hot women, many of them dying to meet a guy with some semblance of confidence and masculinity, instead of the typical shy and girlie Korean man who has a purse and wears mascara.

-The random exploration and getting lost, crowded city life, feeling like an explorer in a foreign land.

-Hilarious cultural misunderstandings, conversations with people done entirely through hand gestures, drawings and basic Korean/English words, and seeing how the other half of the world lives and what they think of as normal, we think of as completely weird and nuts.

-Every time like you feel you gained some kind of new understanding of the language in practical usage, it feels very enlightening.

-Just feeling sometimes like you live on the Moon.

If I had to do it all over again I would research my schools better. Two different schools I worked at in 1.5 years closed and I had to go home. The conditions weren't the best, either. All in all I've only done 1 full year of teaching without some kind of SNAFU (my last year), which I attribute to talking to the current/former teachers of the school. Talking with them is of paramount importance.

Yeah, the CRC lasts for about 6 months, I believe, but it really does move that fast. I've known people who posted their resumes one day and were on planes to Korea in less than 2 weeks. Having your docs ready beforehand like you're doing is smart, because you'll be able to go when you want to, but also because you'll get more and better job offers from more schools. Most teachers don't get ahead like you are, and end up settling on a "meh" contract or worse, sometimes without even knowing it.

If you're decent looking, white, and America, the only way you could be more of a qualified candidate is if you were a blond female. But seeing as you have 3 out of the best 5 qualifications, recruiters know that you'll get a ton of job offers from schools, which means money in their pocket once you sign with one. You're a sure thing for them, you're a pedigree horse and they're betting on you. Beyond that, yeah, you may be getting offers at horrible schools that have caused people to do runners, but you should be able to find out beforehand whether or not it's bad or good by talking to teachers before singing.

At the end of an interview, when they tell you they will send you a contract, ask them to give you phone numbers for the teachers, if the recruiter won't give them to you. If no one at all will let you talk to anyone, move on. Big, big red flag. Personally, I refuse to sign a contract without talking to a current teach on the phone AND former teacher by e-mail at least.

[rdevorse]

[tukmax]

Best piece of advice I got was to find a job located on, or within the green circle line. This line goes in a circle around all the main areas of Seoul. If you live at a station on this line then you will be close to all the action and wont spend a fortune on taxis.

[rdevorse]

Thanks for the input, I just purchased Lonely Planet's Seoul City Guide. It has a pull-out map and a the best map printed I could find of the subway system.

Where do you live now?
Where would you want to live?
And where would you definitely not want to live?

I'm browsing more YouTube videos and messaging people who are currently in Seoul for some input on their schools and what their favorite things about the city are.

[Slowmotion]

[rdevorse]

Haha I'm 5'10 172 lbs 8% BF. I know I'm going to put on weight in Korea, fingers crossed for traditional fitness centers, or else I'm going to be doing a lot of running/pushups/crunches/ugh.

[RMNC]

Do not go to Korea in advance to find your first job. You may not find anything at all and come back a round trip plane ticket lighter in the wallet. There's no need. If you do lose your job like I did, it means just having to go out there and apply at any hagwon possible, and take the first thing you're offered. Once you find a new one, you'll probably be sent to do a visa run on the employer's dime. They won't mind because it's way cheaper than a ticket from the states.

It's unlikely that you'll need a new CRC, since I believe that immigration will respect the first one for up to 1 year even if you get fired, considering it's impossible or at least very unlikely you'll somehow get new criminal charges at home while you're still in Korea.

Keep your original diploma with you at all times and never under any circumstances bring it to your employer. They WILL keep it. Bring copies of your diploma, transcripts and CRC. Those should be the most important things.

I never worked for a public school, but that's because of several reasons. First, I don't care that much about vacations. To me, I'd rather just stay at home and work on music or go out with friends, the idea of having to pack, get on a plane, go somewhere and spend a lot of money, only to come back and have to go to work just doesn't appeal to me. The extra few weeks you get at a high school doesn't outweigh the office politics, gigantic class sizes (I'm not a disciplinarian), lower pay, lack of foreigners to talk with, smaller and crappier apartments, and having to make your own lesson plans, I'll go with the hagwon any day. The workloads are comparable in the end. 5 years ago I may have said public schools, but now I just don't think they're worth it. If you do your research and find a foreigner-endorsed hagwon, show up, do your job, and stay handsome, then you'll be fine. Hagwons are businesses, but if you're good looking, then they'll love you. Be a chubby, anti-social boozehound with no interest in Korean culture, people, or language, and you're gonna fail. Public schools might tolerate that, but not privates. They have an image to uphold.

Average pay is around 2.1 million, with a possible 100,000 bump on average for being certified. Nothing crazy, but it pays for itself.

[rdevorse]

[RMNC]

You can stay lean in Korea easily. I follow a pretty reduced-carb diet, which is easy. Chicken skewers are plentiful, pork soup and stir fries, samgyupsal bbq, and lots of eggs and fresh produce are cheap and delicious. The biggest downfall of most foreigners is the drinking culture. Soju is jam-packed with carbs and calories. One bottle has over 500 calories in it, and most people drink those like beers. Basically, avoid the booze whenever you can, and stick to shots of whiskey, tequila, scotch and diet sodas if at all possible. There's a bit of an effect that Korea has on people that's similar to the "freshman 15". They come here and either don't like the food (insanity) or are too friendless/shy to try the local food. They end up eating ice cream, ramyun packets (AKA ramen, ramyun is the "special" Korean ramen that is way better than any other ramen), and pizza. They usually drink whatever the cheap booze is, meaning soju and beer, which will both give you love handles like no one's business.

I live just south of Seoul, north of Bundang, currently, though I'll be moving soon to somewhere more central. I just got back from the states not too long ago, earlier than expected. I really like living here, and I have a gyopo friend here who went to high school with me who is fluent in both languages, so he can usually help me out and answer question/translate if needed. Being on the outside of Seoul has its own advantages. Yes, the green line is the bomb, but only if you're really a party animal. It's no big deal for me to travel a few extra minutes by subway to have a bigger apartment, less pollution, less crowding, and usually a better pay.

[RMNC]

It's not easy to find a GOOD job, which you can do a lot easier from the states. If you go without any experience and no connections or idea on how to find work, it's too much of a shot in the dark. I've known at least a half dozen people who have tried it and went home with their tails between their legs. Don't do it.

Bring the originals and make copies, but never give the originals of anything out. Always make copies. If an employer tells you they require the documents, it's B.S. The copies will always suffice. One time I had an employer tell me they wanted to display my degree for the parents to see. In reality, it's just another way for them to get leverage against you pulling a runner and/or quitting and finding a new school.

Yeah, the truth is that there's a ton of positions outside of Seoul that pay the recruiters more to fill because no one wants them. Recruiters like that are just plain annoying. You tell them their terms, but they'll still feed you lies and half truths just to get you to sign, even though they know it's not what you want. To them it's just a numbers game.

Some schools do, most public schools will tell you to wear business casual, and some hagwons are very strict (chain adult hagwons) and some are very relaxed (Kindergarten), but in general, as long as you're not teaching exclusively Kindy (which I would say anything goes), then you're probably best sticking to slacks and an oxford shirt. Again, business casual. Even if it's not required, try it just to look good for the employer. Many teachers here don't get that by simply looking good, you're going to be treated with more respect, honesty, and dignity than most other teachers. When I hear about hagwons screwing people over, I immediately want to ask: "Are you fat?"

[rdevorse]

[jrwhite82]

If you've never had an E2 before do not come here looking for work first. You will have to return to your home country to do an interview at the consulate. Unless they changed it.

Listen, if you have the time to wait for something good, don't freak out about getting fired or the school closing right after you get here. Find a school in a place you think you will like. Make sure to speak with the existing teachers. If there are no teachers there that have been at the school over a year, then pass. If the school has a lot of teachers that have renewed then its probably safe.

PS - Negatives - Big classes, sometimes coteachers/viceprincipals, lesson planning, airfare is reimbursed (not paid upfront, but it WILL be reimbursed), slightly lower salary for entry level, too much down time/desk warming, you have to work mornings.
Positives - Always get paid, sometimes coteachers/vps, don't have to work at night, twice the vacation, lots of down time

Hagwons - Negatives - sometimes very shady, sometimes no insurance/pension, sometimes phone teaching, sometimes Saturday work, lots more teaching hours per week, less support, sometimes your boss, working at night, short vacation
Positives - don't work in the morning, small class sizes, sometimes a great boss, usually no planning, no desk warming, a little higher pay for entry level

[RMNC]

jrwhite82's post is spot-on with the positives and negatives, but when working at a hagwon you can actively make sure that you get a pension and that you don't work Saturdays. All it takes is research and bargaining. I also forgot to mention that you don't have to worry about coteachers stepping on your toes in hagwons.