Korean Job Discussion Forums

[pauly]

I was contacted by someone who saw my resume online. I'm not sure what to make of it, as the salary was not offered in Korean currency. Is this a reasonable offer? I'm mostly concerned about the salary including housing support. Also, where is Yongin, Kyongki-do in relation to Seoul? I'd appreciate any input.

Occupation : Full-time English Teacher;
Conversation, Debate, SAT Verbal, & SAT Writing

Requirements: English native speaker

B.A. Degree (Master Degree preferred)
Related experiences preferred

Location : Yongin, Kyongki-do, South Korea

Job Description: English instructor at Foreign Language High School(Private) in South Korea

Benefits : Visa Sponsorship, Medical Insurance, Accommodations(if needed)

Vacations : 10 days (min)/ year

Working Hours: 8am to 5pm (day)

Salary: $24,000/year (negotiable) including housing support

[peppermint]

Might be okay, and certainly will look good on a resume after. One thing to keep in mind though is that any writing classes will involve correcting, and that can take up a fair amount of time.

[Yu_Bum_suk]

It sounds quite good to me, but I'm too new to be giving much advice. Do they have other foreign teachers? If I were on the other side of the ocean I'd really like to talk to one before taking the job. Try googling the institution's name and see if you can find anything about them.

I wonder if it would be seen as really bad form just to ask for the email address of a FT working there?

[rapier]

[quote="pauly"]

[Grotto]

Doesnt sound all that great to me.

if the housing is included in the salary then you can knock off 300,000 won a month minimum.

9 hours a day for 2 mil? No thanks.

10 days? Hold out for at least 4 weeks.

Stupid government screwing up school positions by turning them into hogwans!

[zappadelta]

It sounds decent, average. I also agree, a good start for your first job. But, if you want it, you better act, as it is posted on Dave's Job Board now.

[Holyjoe]

[justagirl]

I think Rapier is right.

If you look at it like he said, it's just a bit over 2.0 a month. That's for a 8-5 job, Mon-Fri? Ends up being a 45 hour week, and 180 hours/month.

Not to mention, housing is included in that 2.0. Whoever mentioned that housing could be 300,000/month is totally right. So now you're making 1.7 a month for 160 hours.....

hmm.....

Why would people say this is a good deal?

justagirl

[jajdude]

Yongin is a bit of a drag too.... but not so far from Seoul.

[pauly]

Thank you, everyone, for your input.

[peppermint]

This is an international high school, not a haggie- that makes a big difference.

Chances are most of those 40 hours are office hours, not contact time. So you'd be getting paid to do the prep, and the correcting, and probably play on the internet for a bit.

Ask one of the teachers currently there how much vacation time they actually get. Gyeonggi province won't schools to offer more than two weeks vacation in a contract, but most public school teachers get more, and I'd assume you would too.

[Grotto]

Chances? Peppermint you should know better!

Taking chances and making assumptions with any job here in Korea is the mother of all eff ups!


45 hours a week for only 2 mil is pretty low even for an international school.

The including housing is rather vague as it seems that they are including it in the salary which takes it down to 1.7 or less.

Hogwan jobs are starting to look better than some of the public schools now.

40 hours a week vs 30

6 hours a day at the hoggie vs 45 at a school

2.0 including housing vs 2.0+housing

[zappadelta]

Yea,

There's something fishy here. I'm starting to think it's an international hagwon.

[Cohiba]

Like everybody said, the money sounds good. But I would
think twice before I lived outside of Seoul. "In Seoul" and
"outside of Seoul" are like two different countries. Seoul
is an interesting place with variety and venues for most
tastes. Outside of Seoul you will find a homogenous Korean
culture. I don't mean this in a bad way, but you will never
find things like: brown bread, good beer, bars with good
tunes, English book stores etc.

Remember the FFF RULE. FFF=Fun For Foreigners.

If FFF in Seoul = 100, then FFF decreases at
1/distance. So 2km from Seoul FFF=1/2(100)=50;
10km from Seoul FFF = 1/10(100) = 10. This rule is
a rule for nightlife, food and foreign products only.

This means you will be wasting a lot of time commuting
to Seoul. This is especially a drag if you have been
boozing on a Friday night and there are no buses or
trains.