Korean Job Discussion Forums

[OiGirl]

[OiGirl]

[Zyzyfer]

[Falstaff]

Let me echo a few things being said here.

Teaching in America is not all it's cracked up to be. NCLB is making a tough job already tougher. Job security? The days of tenure for life are dying quickly. Under NCLB, if your school is listed as failing for a certain period of time, the entire staff can be fired, tenure be damned. And school failure under NCLB, especially at the high school level, is almost certainly guaranteed.

Summers off? Not anymore. Continuing education takes up most of that time, not to mention the slow move in this country to shorten the summer breaks by taking more time off during the year. This year my district will have 8 weeks off this summer. I imagine it will be 7 soon. And the year round school movement is growing, especially in urban areas.

And provisional licenscing is not all that it's cracked up to be. In most districts, you will make the lowest amount on the pay scale regardless of experience or degree. And as much as I hate to say this since I am a union member, you will not get much support as a non-certified teacher. The union wants alternatively certified teachers to fail. Expect a lot of antagonism, especially if you work in a union state.

Of the 24 people in my college education class, 9 are still teaching. And it's only been 5 years. Over 50 % of first year teachers will never become 5th year teachers; you've got to ask yourself why before you try it yourself. If you decide to try it, I wish you luck.

You'll need it.

[Adam J]

This is my second year teaching as a full-time, credentialed teacher in the U.S. Everything rudyflyer said is right on the money. I will also add that because of the health insurance crisis in this country, my school district is requiring teachers to partially pay for their own insurance for the first time, ever. While it may sound great to have some insurance at all if you have none, what this means to all the teachers in my district is $400 less PER MONTH. This is becoming a widespread problem throughout California.

Next year I will get tenure at my job. I get a $5,000 raise, too. Because of the health insurance situation I will only get $200 of it. After taxes, union dues, etc. I will actually see about $120 of my $5,000 raise.

Let me also add that it's impossible to do the job right and work less than 50 hours a week. Add on 10 hours of commuting each week, and its easy for me to start feeling like I'm chasing my own tail.

I don't even want to talk about how expensive housing has become in California...there is no way I can afford to buy anything - house, townhouse, condo, apartment.

Do I hate my job? No. I like my job. But it is very difficult to save money or feel like I am moving forward financially. Actually, I feel I'm lucky to have found a job, as I know of several people who graduated with teaching credentials two years ago and have yet to find jobs.

[matthews_world]

Thanks for your input posters.

I'd like to hear some feedback and some differences between teaching in the States and in other western countries as well - England, Canada, Australia, etc.

[matthews_world]

I'm thinking about staying in Korea for a year or two more, save a bunch of cash and then work in my country.

If I teach there, I'll do it part-time. I'll use my cash and get a real estate business going for income. Maybe get into buying and selling real estate full time.

If I do teach full time, I'll try a private school or a Christian school. I'll get my teaching license when I return home.

[Michelle]

I wish I had more of a choice!

Actually I have been really freaked out of late. I'm going back to Korea for a summer program, because I haven't been able to find work here in Brisbane at all. Is it just me?

I worked at a Korean University for a whole year and hagwon 18 months, finishing this year and I have 3 years of experience. I have a Graduate Certificate in Education (TESOL). Since I got back from Korea I haven't been able to find anything. I've been to a lot of interviews.

Luckily I really don't mind going back to Korea for a summer program. I'm looking forward to it. But after the few short months?...what then? Do I have to change my career? I LIKE teaching, like my home!? What to do?

[Jensen]

[Thomas]

I taught 4 years in Korea with EPIK in the public schools (see the Job Discussion Journal for details).

Pros:
Good money = 2 million a month was more than enough to live on and save half of it.
Few bills = no rent and no transportation costs
Job was relatively easy once I got used to it and developed a decent currciulum to teach. 9 to 5 job with weekends off
Qualified just by having a college degree

Cons:

Long distance from family, friends, and North American lifestyle (western food, magazines, books, etc.)
Once I maxxed out at level 1, there was no room for monetary or professional advancement.
Yearly contracts did not give any stability for job.
Stress from cultural differences and not much time off for long periods (only 2 weeks of vacation yearly).

Now I teach social studies in upstate New York State (I am certified)
Pros:
It's nice to teach in the area I am trained in
Lots of opportunities for professional advancement and training, especially workshops and training programs
Close to family and friends and access to western goods
Nice area and nice teaching environment
Weekends off and long summer vacations (alhtough I should work to make some money)

Cons
Expensive start up costs = to be certified in NYS you need at least a B.A., one in your subject and one in education (alternatively you may do a B.A. in something and then a M.S.T.), 2 tests, fingerprinting, child abuse workshop, SAFE school workshop, and a filled out application (as well as a semester of unpaid student teaching, and you pay tuition to do it), and you need at least 100 hours of supervised pre-service tutoring/observation in a public school. That will get you your provisional certification. Within the next three years, you need a Master's degree in your area or in Education, 2 more tests, some more applications and 2 years experience in a public school as well as submit a propperly adminsitered videotape of a lesson).

Salaries really aren't very good = starting pay in this area is $30,000 - 35,000/year. With the cuts in education funding (state cuts and unfunded "No Child Left Behind" requirements) has led to staff cuts and pressure for teachers to pay their health costs. Between living costs and the cost of living, I save nothing now.

Class sizes are increasing and there are more problems with drugs, gangs, and just plain old bad discipline going on. As a teacher you are very restricted in what you can do.


That's probably enough for now!

[Zyzyfer]

[matthews_world]

The higher education requirements are a bit much and expensive to say the least.

Even in Korea, if you are a career teacher, then you'll go about paying for their own TESOL and graduate school as well.

Seems par for the course.

True, Korea can be cheaper.

Here's my plan. Teach abroad for 2 or 3 more years. Pay off school debt and save money to finance graduate school in the U.S.

Get grad school and certification out of the way before I teach full-time there.

Here's my dream job: teach ESL at a company in the States after the same time period!

[Eunoia]

I've been doing the ESL thing over here for almost 4 years. I too have a teacher's degree, came here shortly after graduating in 1999 when I realized that the only jobs available were part-time subbing positions, or that I would have to go north to Forth Bum*beep*. I know people that I graduated with who are *still* supply teachers, working at other jobs to make ends meet. Others gave up teaching entirely.

I've been fortunate enough to have landed a job at an International school in Hong Kong for September. And, I have little-to-no intention of ever going back to Canada to teach.