Korean Job Discussion Forums

[esl4everever]

Hi Everyone -

My first time ever posting in Korea forum...

Im teaching in Mexico now.
I have very low pay - please dont ask how low.
And I have no supplies in classroom.
thats all i will say about that.


So - I want to live and teach in Korea.
I will be making my move in next 3 months.

Some Korea schools questions -

1. is it normal for public schools to pay about $2,000 dollars per month?
I thought it was more.

2. are many private schools being closed by Korean government? Should I only be looking at public schools to avoid closing?

3. i would like supplies to work with. and I would like students who want to be there. would that be more public or private?

4. do public or private schools have more supplies available?

5. are public or private better for new teachers?

6. are there public and or private schools out there that pay $3,000 usd per month or is that totally made up?

7. can anyone name the top 5 schools public or private in Seoul I should be contacting and why?

8. can anyone name the top 5 schools public or private in Gwangju I should be contacting and why?

9. all im getting is placement agencies contacting me. no real individual schools. anyone know how i can get individual schools to contact me in korea?


thank you ahead of time

[ttompatz]

I think you may be confused.

Public schools are k-12 and cover all classes.
English teachers are hired to assist in conversation parts of the curriculum.

There are darn few private schools and the majority of them require you to be a certified teacher in your home country.

Perhaps you were thinking of hagwons? They are AFTER SCHOOL academies teaching/tutoring in a variety of subjects and the are prolific in Korea. The vast majority of teachers in Korea work as English teachers in hagwons.

The average salary for an entry level teacher is about $1800-$2000 / month PLUS airfare, housing and possibly medical and pension benefits. Potential SAVINGS are in the range of $1000/month due to minimal living expenses beyond your food, beverages and entertainment.

Hagwons closing is a simple matter of economics and business viability. Those that can recruit and hold students survive. Those that cannot, do not.

IN both cases, simple supplies (books, whiteboard, markers, etc.) are "supplied". In both cases, largely, students do not want to be there.

4 and 5: sometimes yes, sometimes no. It varies widely and in the case of public schools depends on the current school administration (who change every 5 years (often sooner)).

6: there are but not for someone fresh off the plane with minimal qualifications (BA and TEFL). Prove yourself in the classroom (in the case of a hagwon) and it is negotiable. IN the case of public schools, the wage tiers are set in stone and if you meet the qualifications to move up to the next level you move up. They peak at just over $3000 (salary and overtime) plus benefits.

7: no. 10,000 schools and hagwons in Seoul and you don't qualify for top tier stuff (too new to the country). You'd be lucky to find any job in Seoul while sitting in Mexico. Better start thinking about the suburbs and satellite cities in Gyeonggi-do.

8: see #7

9: unless you speak/read/write Korean you won't be dealing with a school directly - especially not a public school (they all do their recruitment through recruiting agencies).

The closest you will get to direct contact with a public school (outside of using a recruiter) is to go through one of the government programs like EPIK ( http://www.niied.go.kr/eng/contents.do?contentsNo=98&menuNo=369 ) or GEPIK.

Time for you to stop posting and start reading.

.

[CentralCali]

OP: Please don't take this the wrong way, but are you a native English-speaker and a citizen of one of 'the Big Seven" countries (Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, United Kingdom, United States)? If not, your chances of getting a job teaching English legally in South Korea are approximately zero.

[andrewchon]

As for supplies: Typically a classroom in Korean public schools will have a computer with internet connection, a projector or a large screen TV, a printer, access to photocopier, papers are plentiful, books in english aplenty (schools that I've taught or visited anyway), props for role-plays, boards games, etc. Unfortunately we don't have time to use them all, because we have to cover the textbook. Most of the time we can't even cover the textbook. I don't know about others but when students turn up without notebooks or pencils, I give them a new one. (and they discard that afterwards) Sometimes it is like the field of cloth of gold. OP, come to think of it, you might become disgusted by the decandence over here. China might be a better transition place.

[esl4everever]

[some waygug-in]

With that kind of an attitude you'll go far in Korea.

You've just alienated yourself from the most helpful poster on this board,

Congrats!!

If you think being treated like you're 18 is being talked down to, wait till

you get your first hagwon gig, they'll treat you like you're 3.

[staygold]

[mnjetter]