Korean Job Discussion Forums

[keic1234]

I'd like to share my experience of SEV Gwanak Camp on here, as most posts I look up say what a terrible place it is to work at. So I'd like to show the positive side of working there.

There is a lot of support for foreign teachers.

If I needed help finding a doctor, they would help me find one. If I needed a to get a chest X-Ray, they would drive me there. If I needed a plug converter for my laptop, they would go out and buy one and bring it by my apartment (the foreign teacher supervisor is the most amazing person I've ever worked with! His name is Ronald Kim)

You have good job security

You are always paid on time, and it's even printed out on a piece of paper with the information on how much you earned, how much was taken out for tax, etc.

If you make a hug mistake at work, it's not really forgotten but it's forgiven (I messed up so many times at the job, I really feel terrible. But they never made me leave)

You are provided with many things you need

You get lunch every day, and it's always really really really yummy. I can't tell you how much I miss eating lunch there (in a huge cafeteria with all your co-workers and students).

You are provided an apartment, and they pay for your electric and water bill as well. The one I stayed in was really nice, and it was cool cuz some of the other teachers lived there and we'd hang out in each others' rooms, and it was easy to make plans to go out. It's also away from the school, so you don't have to worry about Korean co-workers seeing you out and about in your daily life (most of them live further away anyway). And most students don't live in that area, so you don't need to worry about them seeing you out (there are a few that are part of the after school program, so I remember a few times where I met some)

If something is wrong in your apartment, you can call Ronald and he will fix everything. He will talk to the owner, or fix it himself if he's able.

Also, at work, there is a small kitchen that you can keep things in the fridge, a microwave, and even a coffee machine. The coffee used to be free, but someone got sick of paying for paper cups so they started charging 400 won I think to have coffee (I used to have coins here and there in my desk, but sometimes I'd have to be like "Hey...so-and-so, do you have 100 won?" It was kind of like a mini journey to get coffee).

And of course at the school you are provided with everything you need, including your own desk and computer, access to printers, machines to laminate, and all the supplies you would ever need to make anything.

Classes are easy to teach and need little to no preparation

When you first get there, you'll need to go over the PPT for each class, which is like a different cultural activity (such as "world dance" and "cooking"). Just familiarize yourself with it. And then from there on out, you basically need no preparation. Just give yourself some time to get everything to class and set up.

If it's for the after school program, you usually just have to figure out how to teach each lesson in a fun way (I just had to teach different words every day...it's not that hard to prepare for. I usually wanted to make it more fun and engaging, so I'd come up with different games). You will probably also teach an after school class where all you do is listen to students read, and you just correct it when needed. Very easy! (It's also really fun, because it's more relaxed and you get to know your students well. I had a lot of fun in those classes!)

If you are part of the kindergarten program, you usually need to give yourself 20-30 minutes to prepare for class each day. Just remember to have a lot of variety in your lessons and make it as animated and fun as possible (or parents WILL complain).

A big part of the camp is spent working on teaching the students a drama. You assign kids different roles (sometimes a role was split between two people if there were too many students), and practice a lot. I think 2-3 hours are spent practicing a day. One hour is with your own class, and another hour is spent teaching another teacher's class, and then one more hour with your class. It can get difficult to figure out how to stretch the time...so just take it slow. Spend the first day assigning characters / roles, and make it go as slow as possible. After practicing several times in a row, the students tend to get really bored and annoyed. So I tried to give them alone practice sometimes, and breaks as well. Sometimes they'd get a 10 minute break to talk with their friends, and with alone practice they could practice their lines with their friends and have access to the computer and overhead projector to watch dance videos to practice their dancing (every drama has dancing in it...they like to pick out popular songs and learn the routine. For example, for "Snow White" in the "mirror mirror on the wall" scene, they like to dance to the Korean song "Mirror"). Anyway, as far as preparation for the class, all you need to do is print out a bunch of script copies, and figure out beforehand how you will divide up the characters. Easy! After that you just go to class with a script and practice a lot.

You get to know your co-workers and everyone else really well

My favourite thing about working there is how you get to know everyone so well. I got along with my fellow foreign co-workers really well, and we always hung out outside of work. There are a lot of foreign teachers (unlike hagwons or public schools) to make friends with, and they are always open to giving suggestions and answering any questions.

I also got to learn other workers really well. There were the "techies" and they had their own room to do "technical stuff" and I would always pop in just to say hi and talk. If there was a problem with the printer or the laminator, I'd just pop in and tell them the problem (and they'd usually say something like "why do you keep breaking it..." They're joking of course, but it goes to show how friendly and fun the are).

It's easy to talk to others as well. I would always pop into Ronald's office if I had a question or needed help, and if he wasn't on the phone he was always willing to help. There is also a nurse at the school, so if I ever felt sick I would talk to her, and she'd either give me medicine or help me arrange with the school some time to go to the doctor. Since being a teacher is very important there, arrangements have to be made to take off some time to pop into the doctor's office.

All of the workers speak English (except the Principal, I think), so there are no communication problems (unless you count the cleaning ladies).

Sometimes there would be Korean teachers or other workers staying a bit late at work, so they'd order food (if, for some reason, you are asked to stay late, they usually offer to help you order delivery). I loved it so much there, that instead of going straight home, sometimes I would hang out and talk with them (and sneak a bit here and there).

The facility is AMAZING

There are a million classrooms (each equipped with a computer and an overhead projector), a large gymnasium (TWO, actually), themed rooms for classes such as cooking, a separate building for the cafeteria, of course a hallway with offices for workers and teachers (the teachers have a large room with separate desks), a kindergarten section, and even cool rooms like A MOVIE THEATER. On rare occasions, on Friday students and teachers would all go watch a movie in the theater until they had to leave the school (it was always fun sitting with my favourite students of the week). And, of course, if for some rare reason you have a car, there is a garage.

It is in a convenient location with everything you need in the area

If I needed a doctor, there was one. If I needed a pharmacy, there was one. If I needed a post office during my lunch break (which is an hour long), there was one. If I needed a grocery store, there was one. If you need a bank, there's one. Actually there are a few of those around. If I wanted to go to the park, there's one across from the school. And for after work, if I wanted to take the subway, BOOM. There's one. Actually, there are TWO close by. One is the popular Seoul National University Station on Line 2 (which is close to the apartments...like an 8 minute walk), and the other is Nakseongdae, the one next to SNU Station (it's closer to the school, but convenient if you want to ride in the other direction, like away from Hongdae. If you want to go somewhere like Hongdae, you'd go to SNU Station. It's like a 25 minute ride or so with no transfers!)

And close by the apartment, apart from the subway station, are coffee shops, norebangs, a few pubs, stationary shops, shops for basic needs like clothes hangers and alarm clocks, a CD shop, a department store, restaurants, etc etc, and even a CAT CAFE (this is basically a cafe where you can go and pet cats...mind you, it might not be there any more since the last time I went was in 2011 or 2012). You don't need to go ANYWHERE else if you need basic things. Seriously, even if you just need a nice work shirt there's a big department store nearby (connected to the subway station).

If you have rowdy kids, you only have to put up with them for a week

Yes, just a week. Unlike hagwons, this English village has students come in for a week long program. If you're lucky, you get a good class. If you're unlucky, well you just gotta bear it for a week, because on Friday they're leaving for good (unless they return for another program, but I only remember that happening once or twice). I can tell you that the best part of my week was Friday, around 3:00, standing on the front steps with the other teachers, waving goodbye to the buses as the students left for good. We'd celebrate together and thank god the kid's were gone and it was Friday, and hope that we'd get off of work early. On Friday, you usually get off of work a bit early. There are occasions where you still get off at 5:00, but after the students leave at 3:00, you usually have nothing left to do but sit at your desk and prepare for the next week (by using Facebook and browsing the Internet. And making weekend plans)

Sometimes, no students come in that week

Do you know what that means? No classes until after school classes, which starts around 4:00, or kindergarten classes which start around 3:00. Some people like to use their time wisely (ie the Korean teachers). Others, well...there's a lot to do when there are no students there. Like checking Facebook. Granted, there have been weeks when we were given projects to work on. But there's no pressure of getting to class on time and keeping your students under control. Anyway, we always praised when there were no students coming in that week.

Sometimes you get a break from teaching to prepare for special programs

One time we spent a week getting ready for Halloween. Students and parents came in on Sunday, and of course no one likes working on Sunday, but I'd give any Sunday to have a week of preparation in place of teaching. We were each given assignments; for example, I was put in charge of preparing one of the game sections (even though a lot of things were "fixed" and "tweaked" and "changed" by Ronald, it did turn out better when he helped me). Ronald was the other person setting up things in the room, and I had to help him out as well (I think...or maybe I liked him so much that I just helped him out of the kindness of my heart. I like the think the latter).

There was also a week where we had to prepare for some kind of...ok well I don't remember what it was but it was a special thing. I just remember sitting in the gymnasium, blowing up balloons, and cutting out large signs to hang from the ceiling.

There is variety once in a while

I'm trying to make this sound as positive as possible, because no one really likes summer and winter programs. But anyway, they are completely different from the regular program and only happen twice a year. There is quite a bit of preparation involved, but nothing too difficult or stressful. I was put in charge of preparing for a Nanta class, which was actually pretty fun (the second time...the first class I taught wasn't the greatest because I was kinda learning). I had to write the music, and the Korean teacher ordered and prepared the instruments (of course I had to figure out how many we'd need, and she'd order them). We even had a time set up for us to go and watch an actual Nanta show during (or after? I don't remember) work, but the plans fell through and we didn't have to go to the show. My advice to you, is if you ever have to teach a music class and make up an actual song (using large water jugs, spoons and bowls, etc), then let the kids make up their own. It's easier for you, and more fun for them.

You get a lot of work time, and therefore a lot of money

I've seen on the net that many people tend to complain about the amount of time they have to work every day at an English village. Actually, I didn't really mind, since it was such an enjoyable place to work. I had to get there at 8:30, start classes at 9:00, then take a lunch break anywhere from 11:45 to 12:00 until 1:00, then teach classes until 5:00. You usually get 1-2 break periods a day (each class is 50 minutes long). And seriously, you don't need that many breaks. A lot of people complain that they don't get many working at an English village, but even just getting one gave me time to rest and relax, and usually I was pretty bored during that time and didn't know what to do. Anyway, if you work with the after school program, like I did, you might need to stay until 6:50. Apart from being jealous of all my other co-workers getting off at 5:00, it wasn't so bad because the classes were pretty relaxed, and I got overtime pay.

Working on Sundays is a pain and nobody likes it, but of course you get overtime pay. Which is like twice what you are usually paid.

I made a LOT of money during my time there. Unfortunately, I blew most of it every month (I'll know better next time!)

So all in all, you work 8.5 hours a day, 1-2 Sundays a month with overtime, and if you are in the after school program, about 2 extra hours a day.

I also need to mention that your work is based (I think) on the hour, not month. You get a name card that opens doors, but you also use it to clock in and out.

You aren't continually watched/checked on during class, and are usually left alone

Unless they are evaluating your class performance (which usually comes after a month...yes, you are left alone to figure out how to teach classes. You follow other teachers around for a few days, then are sent off to teach on your own), you are basically left alone. There are no cameras in the classrooms (there are a few here and there in the hallways, but that's for security purposes only), and other teachers or supervisors never pop into your class to see if you're doing a good job. Of course this could be difficult if you're in class and stuck, and really need help with something, but you usually figure it out on your own.

I would also like to mention that you are free to leave classes for short periods of time. It's okay to take a bathroom break (or more, if you aren't feeling good), and if you have a technical difficulty you need fixed immediately, you can go to the office and find one of the techies (sometimes I send students to get one of them, because the walk there and back, combined with finding and explaining your situation to them can take anywhere from 2, depending on how close your classroom is, to 10 minutes). I'd even pop out of the classroom for a drink of water (of course it's best if you wait for everything until after class, but the school is casual enough that you won't get in trouble or anything for doing something like that).

Sure, there are days when you feel sick, or you might take longer than usual in the bathroom, but I just warned my students that teacher had a stomach ache and I might take a while, so be sure to "DO THIS while I'm gone" (you are lucky if they listen to you. I think there have been a time or two when another teacher got upset with me because of a rowdy class left alone...but hey, when nature calls and wants to have a long chat, sometimes it's unavoidable).

You get to go fun places once in a while (blue moon)

I can remember a few times that everyone went out. There was one time when there were no students that week, and we took a mini bus to a buffet nearby for lunch. There was another time that we took a big bus to somewhere an hour or so away, to this really nice park to spend the day (actually, I remember a Korean drama that had a scene filmed there...the drama was called "You are Beautiful." Remember that little white church? Yep, same place!)

Working at an English Village looks good on your application

Anyone can be hired at a hagwon. Say you were fired from one job, so you have no choice but to move to another hagwon. They ask a lot of questions, but they eventually hire you.

Well, an English Village, on the other hand, looks impressive on your resume when you apply for other teaching jobs (if you even decide to leave an English Village...I suggest never leaving). Not anyone can be hired at a village, though they usually are pretty understanding if you have a good excuse, but it's also a large government run program and not some dinky little private school (hagwon).

You will thank your stars later that you have it on your resume.

You will still get support after you leave

When I left, I needed some more time to stay in my apartment before I moved to my next job. The school gave me two whole weeks to stay in my place until I moved. Ronald and the foreign teacher coordinator Ronda even gave me suggestions for recruiting agencies. If you need a letter of recommendation, you can usually find someone to write one for you. To this day, 2 years after I left, Ronald still replies to my emails and helps me out, like giving me information that I can't find about a school, or giving me someone's email to contact about a job, etc.

All in all, I highly suggest working at an English Village, and hopefully you will enjoy it as much as I did!


(and don't, like me, take it for granted. I regret up to this day not renewing my contract. Most likely the next school you go to won't be as big, easy going, understanding, supportive, etc, as the village)

EDIT

I am completely appalled by the responses I have received. My stomach actually clenched when I read them.

@edwardcatflap Nothing I wrote was a lie.

@TheUrbanMyth I left this job because I wanted to experience another job working out of textbooks. I realized too late that it was a great place to work. I even changed my mind the next day, but they had already found another teacher for replacing me.

@johnny_russian To each his own. While I liked it, others might not have. At the hagwon I later worked at, there was a girl who loved it, while I hated it.

@timhorton and @Nesternoodlemon and RangerMcGreggor
I am just appalled. I chose to write this.
Username registered a few days ago? Sometime in late August, 2013. CHECK MY LINKED IN PAGE and see that I WORKED AT THIS CAMP IN 2011 (2 YEARS before I wrote this post)

http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=233678796&authType=NAME_SEARCH&authToken=MLf_&locale=en_US&srchid=2336787961391489722379&srchindex=1&srchtotal=5&trk=vsrp_people_res_name&trkInfo=VSRPsearchId%3A2336787961391489722379%2CVSRPtargetId%3A233678796%2CVSRPcmpt%3Aprimary

"Over enthusiasm for mundane or things that should be somewhat annoying.. check.

Details on pointless things that wouldn't matter for a job... check. " ??

Sure, they don't matter. But it's what I ENJOYED about the job. I am trying to give others a very very in-depth view of what it's like to work here. Don't matter for a job? Of fucking-course-not. I just want to convey how much I enjoyed it, and what exactly I enjoyed about it.

"And finally, English that is mostly correct but has a few awkward phrases, diction and minor errors with articles that is common with a non-native (but highly fluent) English speaker... check. "

IF YOU COULD TYPE 100 WMP LIKE ME, I'm sure you'd make a few "awkward phrases" "diction" and "minor error".

Overall, I am appalled. F*ing appalled. I felt horrible for leaving; it was one of the worst mistakes I ever made. I felt like I had to do SOMETHING. Give something back to this school that treated me so well.

So I typed this up. It took a long time, of course, as there were many things I wanted to share with potential job seekers.

"This was definitely a post the English Village had its teachers put together"???

This was written 2 F*CKING years after I left the job. I liked it THAT much that I had to share my wonderful experience.



EDIT

I am a bit appalled by the responses I have received.

@edwardcatflap Nothing I wrote was a lie.

@TheUrbanMyth I left this job because I wanted to experience another job working out of textbooks. I realized after leaving that it was a very decent place to work. I even changed my mind the next day, but they had already found another teacher for replacing me.

@johnny_russian To each his own. While I liked it, others might not have. At the hagwon I later worked at, there was a girl who loved it, while I hated it.

@
"Over enthusiasm for mundane or things that should be somewhat annoying.. check.

Details on pointless things that wouldn't matter for a job... check. " ??

Sure, they don't matter. But it's what I ENJOYED about the job. I am trying to give others a very in-depth view of what it's like to work here. Don't matter for a job? Of course-not. I just want to convey how much I enjoyed it, and what exactly I enjoyed about it.

"And finally, English that is mostly correct but has a few awkward phrases, diction and minor errors with articles that is common with a non-native (but highly fluent) English speaker... check. "

If you could type an average of 95 WPM, I'm sure you'd make a few "awkward phrases" "diction" and "minor errors".


"This was definitely a post the English Village had its teachers put together"???

This was written 2 years after I left the job. I liked it THAT much that I wanted to share my experience.

@Nester Noodlemon
No, I am not cleaning sewers. I am between jobs. Working in Korea does not give much relative experience in the U.S. to get a job. I was working in a daycare, but was tired of all the shit (literal); sick of wiping shit off of kids' asses, cleaning up "accidents", dealing with nasty co-workers, and dealing with 15+ 2 year olds. So I left. It gave me anxiety and completely burned me out. But no, I am not cleaning sewers.

@sigmundsmith & Hokie21
I am, in fact, American. And Australian. My mum is from Australia, so I feel I can choose to spell "favorite" as "favourite" if I so desire. And, like I said, if you look at my LinkedIN page that I posted a link to, you can see that I look quite American, not at all Korean.

@wanderkind
I've tried to reapply. They will not take me back as I left early and did not stay through an entire contract, even though it was a mutual decision.

I'm not trying to "fool" anyone. I'm not trying to promote the school as a current employee.

I'll admit, some people hate working there. If read some bad things about it; even my previous co-worker didn't like it.

But I did have co-workers there who enjoyed it. And I'm just showing my side of things.

Try to say nasty things about me all you want. You'll either read this post and make your decision, or read someone else's post and decide not to go to this school.

[edwardcatflap]

[TheUrbanMyth]

What Mr. Catflap said.

Also (bearing in mind the horror stories about many jobs on here and elsewhere) why would you leave this job unless you were going home for good?

And another thing. Working at a English village may, as you say, be a step up from working at a hakwon but not so much for a public school and certainly not for a university.

Furthermore I enjoy teaching the same kids...you get to know them after a while and their strengths and weakness. You get to know them as human beings and just not another face in the class. I don't know that I'd like the constant change at an EV...but to each his own.

It's good that you had a great time...but as they say one's man's meat is another man's poison.

[timhorton]

[quote="keic1234"]I'd like to share my experience of SEV Gwanak Camp on here, as most posts I look up say what a terrible place it is to work at. So I'd like to show the positive side of working there.

[b]There is a lot of support for foreign teachers.[/b]

If I needed help finding a doctor, they would help me find one. If I needed a to get a chest X-Ray, they would drive me there. If I needed a plug converter for my laptop, they would go out and buy one and bring it by my apartment (the foreign teacher supervisor is the most amazing person I've ever worked with! His name is Ronald Kim)

[b]You have good job security[/b]

You are always paid on time, and it's even printed out on a piece of paper with the information on how much you earned, how much was taken out for tax, etc.

If you make a hug mistake at work, it's not really forgotten but it's forgiven (I messed up so many times at the job, I really feel terrible. But they never made me leave)

[b]You are provided with many things you need[/b]

You get lunch every day, and it's always really really really yummy. I can't tell you how much I miss eating lunch there (in a huge cafeteria with all your co-workers and students).

You are provided an apartment, and they pay for your electric and water bill as well. The one I stayed in was really nice, and it was cool cuz some of the other teachers lived there and we'd hang out in each others' rooms, and it was easy to make plans to go out. It's also away from the school, so you don't have to worry about Korean co-workers seeing you out and about in your daily life (most of them live further away anyway). And most students don't live in that area, so you don't need to worry about them seeing you out (there are a few that are part of the after school program, so I remember a few times where I met some)

If something is wrong in your apartment, you can call Ronald and he will fix everything. He will talk to the owner, or fix it himself if he's able.

Also, at work, there is a small kitchen that you can keep things in the fridge, a microwave, and even a coffee machine. The coffee used to be free, but someone got sick of paying for paper cups so they started charging 400 won I think to have coffee (I used to have coins here and there in my desk, but sometimes I'd have to be like "Hey...so-and-so, do you have 100 won?" It was kind of like a mini journey to get coffee).

And of course at the school you are provided with everything you need, including your own desk and computer, access to printers, machines to laminate, and all the supplies you would ever need to make anything.

[b]Classes are easy to teach and need little to no preparation[/b]

When you first get there, you'll need to go over the PPT for each class, which is like a different cultural activity (such as "world dance" and "cooking"). Just familiarize yourself with it. And then from there on out, you basically need no preparation. Just give yourself some time to get everything to class and set up.

If it's for the after school program, you usually just have to figure out how to teach each lesson in a fun way (I just had to teach different words every day...it's not that hard to prepare for. I usually wanted to make it more fun and engaging, so I'd come up with different games). You will probably also teach an after school class where all you do is listen to students read, and you just correct it when needed. Very easy! (It's also really fun, because it's more relaxed and you get to know your students well. I had a lot of fun in those classes!)

If you are part of the kindergarten program, you usually need to give yourself 20-30 minutes to prepare for class each day. Just remember to have a lot of variety in your lessons and make it as animated and fun as possible (or parents WILL complain).

A big part of the camp is spent working on teaching the students a drama. You assign kids different roles (sometimes a role was split between two people if there were too many students), and practice a lot. I think 2-3 hours are spent practicing a day. One hour is with your own class, and another hour is spent teaching another teacher's class, and then one more hour with your class. It can get difficult to figure out how to stretch the time...so just take it slow. Spend the first day assigning characters / roles, and make it go as slow as possible. After practicing several times in a row, the students tend to get really bored and annoyed. So I tried to give them alone practice sometimes, and breaks as well. Sometimes they'd get a 10 minute break to talk with their friends, and with alone practice they could practice their lines with their friends and have access to the computer and overhead projector to watch dance videos to practice their dancing (every drama has dancing in it...they like to pick out popular songs and learn the routine. For example, for "Snow White" in the "mirror mirror on the wall" scene, they like to dance to the Korean song "Mirror"). Anyway, as far as preparation for the class, all you need to do is print out a bunch of script copies, and figure out beforehand how you will divide up the characters. Easy! After that you just go to class with a script and practice a lot.

[b]You get to know your co-workers and everyone else really well [/b]

My favourite thing about working there is how you get to know everyone so well. I got along with my fellow foreign co-workers really well, and we always hung out outside of work. There are a lot of foreign teachers (unlike hagwons or public schools) to make friends with, and they are always open to giving suggestions and answering any questions.

I also got to learn other workers really well. There were the "techies" and they had their own room to do "technical stuff" and I would always pop in just to say hi and talk. If there was a problem with the printer or the laminator, I'd just pop in and tell them the problem (and they'd usually say something like "why do you keep breaking it..." They're joking of course, but it goes to show how friendly and fun the are).

It's easy to talk to others as well. I would always pop into Ronald's office if I had a question or needed help, and if he wasn't on the phone he was always willing to help. There is also a nurse at the school, so if I ever felt sick I would talk to her, and she'd either give me medicine or help me arrange with the school some time to go to the doctor. Since being a teacher is very important there, arrangements have to be made to take off some time to pop into the doctor's office.

All of the workers speak English (except the Principal, I think), so there are no communication problems (unless you count the cleaning ladies).

Sometimes there would be Korean teachers or other workers staying a bit late at work, so they'd order food (if, for some reason, you are asked to stay late, they usually offer to help you order delivery). I loved it so much there, that instead of going straight home, sometimes I would hang out and talk with them (and sneak a bit here and there).

[b]The facility is AMAZING [/b]

There are a million classrooms (each equipped with a computer and an overhead projector), a large gymnasium (TWO, actually), themed rooms for classes such as cooking, a separate building for the cafeteria, of course a hallway with offices for workers and teachers (the teachers have a large room with separate desks), a kindergarten section, and even cool rooms like A MOVIE THEATER. On rare occasions, on Friday students and teachers would all go watch a movie in the theater until they had to leave the school (it was always fun sitting with my favourite students of the week). And, of course, if for some rare reason you have a car, there is a garage.

[b]It is in a convenient location with everything you need in the area[/b]

If I needed a doctor, there was one. If I needed a pharmacy, there was one. If I needed a post office during my lunch break (which is an hour long), there was one. If I needed a grocery store, there was one. If you need a bank, there's one. Actually there are a few of those around. If I wanted to go to the park, there's one across from the school. And for after work, if I wanted to take the subway, BOOM. There's one. Actually, there are TWO close by. One is the popular Seoul National University Station on Line 2 (which is close to the apartments...like an 8 minute walk), and the other is Nakseongdae, the one next to SNU Station (it's closer to the school, but convenient if you want to ride in the other direction, like away from Hongdae. If you want to go somewhere like Hongdae, you'd go to SNU Station. It's like a 25 minute ride or so with no transfers!)

And close by the apartment, apart from the subway station, are coffee shops, norebangs, a few pubs, stationary shops, shops for basic needs like clothes hangers and alarm clocks, a CD shop, a department store, restaurants, etc etc, and even a CAT CAFE (this is basically a cafe where you can go and pet cats...mind you, it might not be there any more since the last time I went was in 2011 or 2012). You don't need to go ANYWHERE else if you need basic things. Seriously, even if you just need a nice work shirt there's a big department store nearby (connected to the subway station).

[b]If you have rowdy kids, you only have to put up with them for a week[/b]

Yes, just a week. Unlike hagwons, this English village has students come in for a week long program. If you're lucky, you get a good class. If you're unlucky, well you just gotta bear it for a week, because on Friday they're leaving for good (unless they return for another program, but I only remember that happening once or twice). I can tell you that the best part of my week was Friday, around 3:00, standing on the front steps with the other teachers, waving goodbye to the buses as the students left for good. We'd celebrate together and thank god the kid's were gone and it was Friday, and hope that we'd get off of work early. On Friday, you usually get off of work a bit early. There are occasions where you still get off at 5:00, but after the students leave at 3:00, you usually have nothing left to do but sit at your desk and prepare for the next week (by using Facebook and browsing the Internet. And making weekend plans)

[b]Sometimes, no students come in that week[/b]

Do you know what that means? No classes until after school classes, which starts around 4:00, or kindergarten classes which start around 3:00. Some people like to use their time wisely (ie the Korean teachers). Others, well...there's a lot to do when there are no students there. Like checking Facebook. Granted, there have been weeks when we were given projects to work on. But there's no pressure of getting to class on time and keeping your students under control. Anyway, we always praised when there were no students coming in that week.

[b]Sometimes you get a break from teaching to prepare for special programs[/b]

One time we spent a week getting ready for Halloween. Students and parents came in on Sunday, and of course no one likes working on Sunday, but I'd give any Sunday to have a week of preparation in place of teaching. We were each given assignments; for example, I was put in charge of preparing one of the game sections (even though a lot of things were "fixed" and "tweaked" and "changed" by Ronald, it did turn out better when he helped me). Ronald was the other person setting up things in the room, and I had to help him out as well (I think...or maybe I liked him so much that I just helped him out of the kindness of my heart. I like the think the latter).

There was also a week where we had to prepare for some kind of...ok well I don't remember what it was but it was a special thing. I just remember sitting in the gymnasium, blowing up balloons, and cutting out large signs to hang from the ceiling.

[b]There is variety once in a while[/b]

I'm trying to make this sound as positive as possible, because no one really likes summer and winter programs. But anyway, they are completely different from the regular program and only happen twice a year. There is quite a bit of preparation involved, but nothing too difficult or stressful. I was put in charge of preparing for a Nanta class, which was actually pretty fun (the second time...the first class I taught wasn't the greatest because I was kinda learning). I had to write the music, and the Korean teacher ordered and prepared the instruments (of course I had to figure out how many we'd need, and she'd order them). We even had a time set up for us to go and watch an actual Nanta show during (or after? I don't remember) work, but the plans fell through and we didn't have to go to the show. My advice to you, is if you ever have to teach a music class and make up an actual song (using large water jugs, spoons and bowls, etc), then let the kids make up their own. It's easier for you, and more fun for them.

[b]You get a lot of work time, and therefore a lot of money[/b]

I've seen on the net that many people tend to complain about the amount of time they have to work every day at an English village. Actually, I didn't really mind, since it was such an enjoyable place to work. I had to get there at 8:30, start classes at 9:00, then take a lunch break anywhere from 11:45 to 12:00 until 1:00, then teach classes until 5:00. You usually get 1-2 break periods a day (each class is 50 minutes long). And seriously, you don't need that many breaks. A lot of people complain that they don't get many working at an English village, but even just getting one gave me time to rest and relax, and usually I was pretty bored during that time and didn't know what to do. Anyway, if you work with the after school program, like I did, you might need to stay until 6:50. Apart from being jealous of all my other co-workers getting off at 5:00, it wasn't so bad because the classes were pretty relaxed, and I got overtime pay.

Working on Sundays is a pain and nobody likes it, but of course you get overtime pay. Which is like twice what you are usually paid.

I made a LOT of money during my time there. Unfortunately, I blew most of it every month (I'll know better next time!)

So all in all, you work 8.5 hours a day, 1-2 Sundays a month with overtime, and if you are in the after school program, about 2 extra hours a day.

I also need to mention that your work is based (I think) on the hour, not month. You get a name card that opens doors, but you also use it to clock in and out.

[b]You aren't continually watched/checked on during class, and are usually left alone [/b]

Unless they are evaluating your class performance (which usually comes after a month...yes, you are left alone to figure out how to teach classes. You follow other teachers around for a few days, then are sent off to teach on your own), you are basically left alone. There are no cameras in the classrooms (there are a few here and there in the hallways, but that's for security purposes only), and other teachers or supervisors never pop into your class to see if you're doing a good job. Of course this could be difficult if you're in class and stuck, and really need help with something, but you usually figure it out on your own.

I would also like to mention that you are free to leave classes for short periods of time. It's okay to take a bathroom break (or more, if you aren't feeling good), and if you have a technical difficulty you need fixed immediately, you can go to the office and find one of the techies (sometimes I send students to get one of them, because the walk there and back, combined with finding and explaining your situation to them can take anywhere from 2, depending on how close your classroom is, to 10 minutes). I'd even pop out of the classroom for a drink of water (of course it's best if you wait for everything until after class, but the school is casual enough that you won't get in trouble or anything for doing something like that).

Sure, there are days when you feel sick, or you might take longer than usual in the bathroom, but I just warned my students that teacher had a stomach ache and I might take a while, so be sure to "DO THIS while I'm gone" (you are lucky if they listen to you. I think there have been a time or two when another teacher got upset with me because of a rowdy class left alone...but hey, when nature calls and wants to have a long chat, sometimes it's unavoidable).

[b]You get to go fun places once in a while (blue moon)[/b]

I can remember a few times that everyone went out. There was one time when there were no students that week, and we took a mini bus to a buffet nearby for lunch. There was another time that we took a big bus to somewhere an hour or so away, to this really nice park to spend the day (actually, I remember a Korean drama that had a scene filmed there...the drama was called "You are Beautiful." Remember that little white church? Yep, same place!)

[b]Working at an English Village looks good on your application[/b]

Anyone can be hired at a hagwon. Say you were fired from one job, so you have no choice but to move to another hagwon. They ask a lot of questions, but they eventually hire you.

Well, an English Village, on the other hand, looks impressive on your resume when you apply for other teaching jobs (if you even decide to leave an English Village...I suggest never leaving). Not anyone can be hired at a village, though they usually are pretty understanding if you have a good excuse, but it's also a large government run program and not some dinky little private school (hagwon).

You will thank your stars later that you have it on your resume.

[b]You will still get support after you leave[/b]

When I left, I needed some more time to stay in my apartment before I moved to my next job. The school gave me two whole weeks to stay in my place until I moved. Ronald and the foreign teacher coordinator Ronda even gave me suggestions for recruiting agencies. If you need a letter of recommendation, you can usually find someone to write one for you. To this day, 2 years after I left, Ronald still replies to my emails and helps me out, like giving me information that I can't find about a school, or giving me someone's email to contact about a job, etc.

[size=18][b]All in all, I highly suggest working at an English Village, and hopefully you will enjoy it as much as I did! [/b][/size]


(and don't, like me, take it for granted. I regret up to this day not renewing my contract. Most likely the next school you go to won't be as big, easy going, understanding, supportive, etc, as the village)[/quote]

Did you get paid on time to type this too? :) English Village is good for artsy-fartsy types.

[Nester Noodlemon]

You have to admit that being able to live with your coworkers and having them hangout in your bedroom, having pillow fights, playing TWISTER, and vomiting wine coolers onto your laptop, would be a jolly blast!

If you translate what the OP wrote into what it really means it looks like a crap job for a freshman university student.

This was definitely a post the English Village had its teachers put together. One of those fun projects you do when not having a real class.

[Nester Noodlemon]

And you don't need to prepare for classes unless you are part of the kindergarden program in which case you will need to prepare for 20-30 minutes for each class, each day.

8:30 - 5:00. + after school classes + some Saturdays and Sundays, but it's okay because sometimes you will get a break between classes that you don't really even need, because the classes are only 50 minutes long.

This post should be titled Why Not to Work at this English Village.

[johnny_russian]

this is from i review i read about this place. granted this was written last year in 2012 so things might've changed since then, but who knows:

[RangerMcGreggor]

Random username that doesn't seem to have a reason behind it... check.

Registered only a few days ago... check.

Over enthusiasm for mundane or things that should be somewhat annoying.. check.

Details on pointless things that wouldn't matter for a job... check.

And finally, English that is mostly correct but has a few awkward phrases, diction and minor errors with articles that is common with a non-native (but highly fluent) English speaker... check.


Anyone else taste the astro turf?

[keic1234]

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[keic1234]

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[Nester Noodlemon]

[Nester Noodlemon]

@ OP

You PMd me and claimed your were horrified by my first response to your post. Horrified? What was so scary? I think you have some issues.

[sigmundsmith]

Sorry but what a crock of sh*t. No job is that great that you would spend hours (your words) writing and defending it. You are a charlatan masquerading as an American. You are a Korean employee (maybe one of the managers) trying to salvage some respectability to your business.

In my time here I have never seen such total BS written that it is obvious you are a phony.

Everyone knows who and what you are. And you think that after posting this that all these great new teachers will come and work for you?

[Hokie21]

Question OP.

You claim to live in America...yet in your post you spell the word "favorite" as "favourite".....are you really American?

[Nester Noodlemon]