Korean Job Discussion Forums

[BlueBeetle]

Hi there,

I had a recruiter send me info about a job teaching adults where the hours are:

M, W, F: 6:30-7:40am, 10:30-11:40am, 7:30-10:00pm
T, Th: 10:30-11:40am, 7:30-10:00pm

Although it is a split shift there are only about 20 hrs a week and a nice break during the day where I can hike, and have lots of time to do my own activities.

My question is should I expect this to change? If they add afternoon hours then I will be working on and off 16 hours most days which would be awful. But with the full afternoon off and low hours it could make my first ESL job in Korea less stressful. I have a bad feeling that new hours, and possibly weekend hours would start popping up and ruin it.

Has anyone had experience with something like this? If I can get them to sign off on these hours in the contract how enforceable would that be?

I had hoped to teach children in the public school system but maybe this will get me experience for that for my second year.

Thanks.

[wylies99]

If you want a public school job then insist on one- stick to your guns. If you are a popular teacher hogwans will pile hours on you and make trouble for you if you turn down overtime. Been there. You don't need that kind of aggravation.

[Son Deureo!]

Those hours are awful even for an adult hogwon job. The triple split shift on MWF will wear you down in less than a month. Don't do it.

[pegasus64128]

[young_clinton]

I believe 20 hours is the norm and anything over that is overtime, at least that's the way it is in the public school system. I don't see anything special there. If you don't mind doing split shifts I guess it's ok. I would stick to your guns and get a public school job.

[impsmith]

I wouldn't take it because of the MWF. I work split shifts and they aren't too bad when there's a nice big gap or when you start late (like your T/Th) but I find that a two-, three-, or even a four-hour gap isn't really enough time to go home and take a nap or do whatever you want to do. You'll be in work-mode from 6:30-11:40am MWF, which combined with the late finishes every night means you'll be exhausted most of the time. It's not worth it, imo -- you need some mornings/nights off, or a big gap every day.

[zombiedog]

Hagwon hours are not stable in my experience.

[Malislamusrex]

no pension is -2 mil a year.
no accommodation is -5 mil a year.
no health insurance means all of your medical bills will cost twice as much.
no bonus either that's another 2-3 mil

don't get too excited with $$$ per hour

[ontheway]

[BlueBeetle]

Thanks so much for the replies. I guess it does sound pretty rough.

Also thanks for he advise to hold out for a public school. I just don' know what my chances are. I am male, 36 and have TEFL and a degree in comp sci. From what I have read the public school posts usually go to young females. Are my chances of landing a GEPIK job realistic?

I would much rather work with kids, and I like the public school hours and the co-teacher. Really the only downside I can see to public schools is the large class sizes. Can anyone ever heard of a class size under 20 for a public school? Maybe out in rural areas I would guess.

I am also getting the feeling that my recruiter wants to pass off an undesirable job on a new fish like me who won't know that it isn't good. But then again being a 36 year old male maybe I have to take what I can get.

[Skipperoo]

There are plenty of 30-something teachers working great jobs in Korea. Don't settle for something you're not comfortable with.

But yes, recruiters will try and pass any old piece of tat off to you. They don't care where you end up, just that they get their commission. Don't be shy about declining.

[TheUrbanMyth]

[jpe]

I have a similar position (roughly 7-8 hours in between morning/evening shifts) only the latest I start M-F is 7:30am, almost every month I work till 10, and (despite being told I would only have a limited number) have worked every Saturday half or full days since I got here.

I wouldn't recommend it to anyone -- despite being generally satisfying classes and good students, the reward of teaching adults over children is not near worth the agony of the hours. Your situation sounds a lot better (I'd kill for that late morning twice a week) but I was misled about my hours even from an otherwise trustworthy boss -- it's so standard I don't think people even think about it anymore. If your school is open on Saturdays, expect to work...every Saturday. If your contract doesn't explicitly state that you will have Tuesday/Thursday early mornings off, then don't believe it for a second.

I think the other initial appeal for me was, trying to pursue a further education and my own passions (writing/filmmaking), I thought, like you, that the schedule would give me a lot of time during the day to finish other things. It does but you have to be disciplined enough to either work through the exhaustion and not sleep during the day (impossible, for me) or take very short naps (difficult).

Finally, if you want any hope of a social life here, forget it. I don't know if you're single or married or what, but for a single person living alone I can't imagine anything worse for a person trying to adjust to a new culture (and I'd already spent half a year here before I came back). And I'm someone who really likes being alone.

[BlueBeetle]

Thanks for the tips. It is good to hear that I have a shot, and although I am 36 I look young for my age (although my skin is a little dark so I am staying out of the sun!).

I have been told of a GEPIK job in Pyeongtaek so that could be ok since it is on the KTX line.

I think I will take the advice and run from a split shift. I also like being alone (worked from home, alone for 14 years) but that is something I want to change.

I think this forum is great and I hope to one day be able to give advice back.

[ja2dared]

Hey bluebeetle,

It sounds like the exact job that I have right now, because they are finding a replacement for me currently. If you want any specifics, send me a pm. I can tell you all about the school...