Korean Job Discussion Forums

[southislanddude]

Right now I have a job offer for a position with the IMOE in Incheon. I don't know which school I will teach at. They will pay me 2 million won. I am going through a recruiter (Alistair Wery - Korean Horizons). I've never been to Korea or taught English overseas before and I don't know any Korean. What I'm wondering is if there is anyone who has worked for or heard from people who worked for IMOE who can tell me if IMOE is a good employer? Will they set me up with good housing? What is their housing like? (shared bathroom?) Also, I'm wondering what people think about Incheon? And how people feel living there compares with living elsewhere in Korea? Anyone who can share their experiences please reply!

[plchron]

Incheon is a big place, Alistair usually works with specific schools, not whole MOE's. If he is handing you off to an MOE and not a specific school than you can end up anywhere under IMOE's jurisdiction. If you end up at IMOE and not a specific school than it is a public school coin toss, just like going with epik or any other MOE that provides teachers to a large province.

The good part is that you know your relative location (Incheon) and you are close to seoul, relatively speaking. The bad is that you won't know how your public school is run or where it is until you get here. Most are good/great. Some are not.

[pikadoopoo]

IMOE isn't a school or academy. It stands for the Incheon Metropolitan Office of Education, so it's government-run and is similar to EPIK, GEPIK, SMOE, etc. You'll be placed in a public school in Incheon.

Edit: Ah, I just noticed that you updated your post.

[SonomaJoe]

They promised me a contract only to turn me down, because I listed that I don't eat pork and beef. They asked if I have any dietary restrictions on the application. My recruiter told me that they had a vegetarian who ran out on them last year, using this as an excuse. That is the lamest excuse I have ever heard of. but apparently they bought it and now won't hire vegetarians.

For the record, I started eating chicken this year just so I would fit in over in Korea. I'm trying. My recruiter set me up with an interview right after this so I don't know if I have it yet. I really hope so, because I was supposed to depart for Incheon by the 21st.

[NYC_Gal 2.0]

It's good and bad. The woman in charge with being the liaison between the native teachers and the IMOE office is a horrible ***t, though. She's really nasty to people, and deserves to keep that job for life, as she seems to hate it. Her dad got her the job, of course.

When I'd started, the first principal was great and let me go home early during deskwarming. Then we got a new principal. He kept me there all day in a cold room, even though I'd gone above and beyond my duties. I stopped the extra work when I realized that there would be no reciprocation. This was a principal that renewed me, by the way, but he was still a ***k.

I left IMOE for a hagwon, and am treated really well, have a great boss, better hours, and higher pay. I also have that mythical national health insurance and pension, which so many hagwon workers seem to have trouble getting. I'd say that if it's your first time teaching in Korea, take the IMOE job to get your feet wet, because it will give you time to get settled, learn some Korean, and network.

Alistair at Korean Horizons is amazing, by the way. He doesn't just get you there and never contact you again. He even helped me with my renewal process, even though he had nothing to gain but word-of-mouth recommendations. If you are going to take the plunge, there is no better recruiter than Alistair.

PM me for info on Incheon.

[ThingsComeAround]

[allan of asia]

yes some parts of incheon are seriously 45 minutes by bus to Seoul on the red bus, or even linked to the seoul subway system, BUT Incheon metropolitan city even includes Ganghwa island which I love going to at the weekends in summer to do the whole pension/holiday cabin with friends thing but would hate to live in - it is SERIOUSLY rural. (There are dog meat farms and everything - but mostly just rice paddies and lovely beaches.)

ASK ASK ASK where the school is if you have rural v urban preferance.