Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Curious George]

Hello everyone. Im new to these boards. I am looking to come to Korea and teach (call me crazy!). Anyways, I could use some of the veterans experience with some recruiters and schools I am dealing with. So, here goes...

Gina Kim from Gia Consulting/eslcareerclick

Helen from BOBconsulting

T.H.E. School in Bundang/Sungnam City

American Language English school in Buncheon City

Could you tell me if the recruiters are good or bad? They both seem pretty nice.

How about the schools and locations. Good places to work /live?

Finally some general questions

One of the schools contract says only 8 days vacation but that the school says when you take it. Is this normal? Other than that the contract looks good to me.

Also the school in Bundang says they provide a single house. when I asked if it was an apartment they said no, a single studio house. could someone who is familiar with the area tell me what these small houses are like?

Are there any other recruiters or schools that are good that anyone can recommend?

Sorry for so many questions. I am a noob! Give me a break and be nice please!

Thanks for the advice in advance. I have read so much bad stuff I am a little paranoid to accept any contract now...

[crazylemongirl]

Have you checked with any current or previous teachers at your school? Also check out the FAQs

[Alvin Stardust]

Why on earth would you want to use an agency? Madness! There are a zillion Korean jobs on this site alone. Apply to them directly. A lot of schools/hogwons/universities don't use these people...

Hogwon? Usually good for a early afternoon to late evening shift. Many pay you 'in hand'. Terrible vacation days. Try to find a good one (not many around...). Nice if you like sleeping late. Mostly kids.

University? Long paid holidays. Usually about 8 weeks or longer. Often 'split shifts' (ie: a couple of morning classes & one or two late afternoon or evening classes). Teacher often has more 'respect' from Korean bods. Often a mix of adults & young 'uns. Much more of a cushy life at a uni'.

Same requirements for both. So why not take a uni' job? Whatever you decide to do, don't use a recruiter. There's no need to...

[oneiros]

Eight vacation days is a little low. The standard hogwan contract should be ten.

I haven't worked with any of those schools or recruiters, but Bundang is a nice place to live. If you run a search on it here, you'll probably find more threads talking about it. It's just outside of Seoul (maybe 45 minutes into downtown Seoul by bus) and connected to the Seoul subway system. It's a newer area, so it's fairly clean, and a bit more green than parts of Seoul. All the usual department store chains, movie theatres, fast food places etc are there.

As for the housing question, I'm really not sure what they mean by that. Bundang is mostly apartments, although I'm sure there's some houses tucked away that I just didn't see. You might want to talk clarify what they mean by that, perhaps when you talk to the other foreign teachers.

[Curious George]

Thanks for the replies.

Crazylemongirl, I have looked at all of the FAQs I could find. That is why I am now paranoid about accepting a contract in Korea! Everything is so negative and the few positive postings are met with negative comments. To read this board is to feel that ALL jobs are bad and you are going to be an indentured servant working slave hours. I know there must be some good out there. I just need to find it.

Also, I havent really gotten far enough along in the process yet to make a firm request about talking to teachers at the schools. Could someone give me advice about how you would do this. I mean, couldnt the school just give you an email address that they say is a teacher, but answer it with a glowing report themselves?

Alvin, I would prefer not to use recruiters. However, most of the jobs I have seen are posted by recruiters. A University job sounds nice. Could you tell me how to go about finding a job with a university or without using a recruiter? I would be happy to try it. I have sent resumes to a few non-recruiter jobs and have gotten no reply.

As for the 8 day vacation. Yeah I knew it was kinda low. The part that I was asking about was if its normal for the schools to tell you when you have to take your vacation days. What if I do not want to take my vacation when they tell me? Like for instance if they want me to take in the middle of winter?

Again thanks for all the replies. Keep the information coming please!

[Toby]

[bepositive]

Hi George

I know reading this board can put the frightners into anybody, but can I just say that a huge number of the people who write here are suffering the classic symptoms of culture shock (and 99% don't even realise it) and see it as a way to vent their frustration and blame everything and everybody except themselves.

It's not all bad, and remember the people who write here are just a small representation of all teachers working in Korea. People who are adjusting well and having a good time are not likely to spend time writing about it........I guess I'm just saying keep things in perspective.

For the record, I've had a great time. Yes, it was tough at times but that's just par for the course when you choose to live in a completely different culture to your own.

[Toby]

[chronicpride]

[just because]