Korean Job Discussion Forums

[JongnoGuru]

Don't just vote. Tell the Guru about it.

I have a theory. And all of you are going to help me prove it.

[uberscheisse]

hagwon run by a dude who was paying off gambling and whoring debts. made quasi-gangster threats to his teachers. made sure everyone knew he was 1. a dangerous man and 2. the pinnacle of private education in korea.

nobody has been more wrong in the history of the world, except some people involved with various sects of the christian faith.

[JongnoGuru]

[crazylemongirl]

I had the psycho boss. Moved me four times during my contract. Moved to another school she owned. Stiffed me on wages. Never sure if I was going to stay one month to the next.

If I ever see her again it will be too soon.

[dbee]

Worked for an ECC kiddie factory ... split shifts, saturdays, crap pay, no respect ... got out after seven months

[Qinella]

My job is satisfactory. I like it, but I wouldn't say it totally rocks. It's hard to imagine any job totally rocking. Maybe working for a literary magazine would rock, or perhaps being a fluffer.

[Tiger Beer]

My first job in Korea sucked. Triple split schedule from an adult hogwan in Busan.. early mornings started at 6:30am.. last class ended at 9pm.. and farmed out to middle schools during the lunch time.

In addition, it was required for the first 4 months to work weekends.. so saturday and sundays i worked an additional 4 hours - 4 saturday night and 4 sunday morning.

If all that wasn't bad enough.. lived in a 4-bedroom apartment with 3 other people.. not much personal space and worked and lived with all of them and 4 from the other apartment 24-7.

Then on top of that lived in a down-and-out part of Busan about one hour from the beaches or downtown.. and right smack dab in Deokchondong - Korea's largest dog market.

In addition, I came a week early to learn to teach as I told the recruiter I'd never taught before.. and they took advantage of that and threw me in the classroom a week earlier - even farmed me out and didn't get paid for that either.

Oh yeah.. and I HATED Korea at that time.. absolutely HATED IT. I quit that job after 5 months and came back illegaly after traveling.. when I wasn't working like a dog like that, I found I actually liked Korea.

I've NEVER signed another Korean contract sight-unseen since then.. and had all relatively good work experiences after that first one.

[Tiberious aka Sparkles]

I voted for 'Rocked!' but with an addendum that there's no way I'd work there again.

Sparkles*_*

[Jeonnam Jinx]

Overall, it was horrible, but I'm thankful (in a strange way) because I can now truly appreciate how good I have it at my current position.

[helly]

Definitely rocked. There was no actual "school" when I arrived so we spent about 2 months coloring flashcards, making teachers books, buying supplies, hauling furniture, etc. Basically, getting the school ready to open.

Once we did open, never really got a boatload of classes. The most I had was 4 45 minute classes in a day, but that was rare. 2-3 was average (6 days a week but, come on!....) We were required to be there all day, even with few classes, but it was a great group of people (Foreign, Kyopo and Korean) who also had few classes so we basically kicked it around the teachers room, computer room (9 internet-ready computers, room set up for kids) or, if a teacher felt like showing a cartoon video to a class, we gathered in this cool surround-sound, big screen auditorium and watched TV.

Two-bedroom apartment, 10 minute walk from school, no roommate. Good part of Seoul. Salary was low but normal for that time (1.6)

Like I said, cool group of people, so had my social life lined up. Spent a lot of time with these folks during that time and still keep in touch with some 9 years later. Lots of nightlife led to lots of hangovers and stories to share around the next day.

When the whole thing collapsed (remember, never got many students), the management helped me find another gig.

Great job!

[Grotto]

First job was okay...no nightmares....not a dreamjob...just ok.
Boss was okay, co-workers were 60/40. 60% total highschool clique assholes and 40% good people. Funny thing is this black chick that was there...hated Korea, couldnt stand it, couldnt wait to leave...everyone here is a loser because they cant find work back home(just like her ) IS BACK

Second job was okay for the first 5 months...then it turned into crap. Hour changes, more classes, more demands, more lies. Couldnt wait to get out of there.

Third job was a nightmare starting up..no housing for the first month, demands for daily/weekly/monthly/yearly lesson plans. You must give us lesson plan for the year! BY NEXT TUESDAY! And this was before I had even gotten books or a classroom or anything After demands began to piss me off I told my crazy co-teacher that there will be no plans until I got my classroom set up and got books for the classes and to shut the hell up! After that she backed off..they eventually got their lesson plans and I eventually got the books! The main time went pretty well...I did 90% of the teaching in my classes and it went pretty well. Fast forward to the end of the year....I had to go in to admin and straighten them out about the final pay and bonus pay. But all in all I would classify my third year as my best year..it was only the isolation of the town that made me leave(no expat community and an hour or so to go anywhere)

[Hater Depot]

My job was terrible for the first six months. I was totally inexperienced at handling such a large class plus I hadn't taught middle school before. But the second semester really did rock. We got 3 new teachers and got rid of 2 whom nobody liked and couldn't speak English anyway. The new teachers were way cool and the 2 left over started to treat me much better and actually come to class. Plus something clicked and I was suddenly a way better teacher.

[Ya-ta Boy]

The boss and office staff couldn't speak a word of English. Not one.

The only English-speaking people around were stressed out and seeking a new job. Their main complaint was the boss was going through their mail to keep them from finding a new job. The two of them did a midnight run at the end of the second month.

At the end of my first week I was called in to the office and was told to go home and pack my bags...I was being moved to a different apartment. Good-bye two bedrooms, hello shoebox--across the street from an elementary school where the kids had play time during my nap break. Split shift hell.

The new guy was worse than the two who ran away. He wouldn't show up and I'd have two classes thrown together: beginners and advanced.

Got paid only if the bank told the boss my account was low. (He would call them. And yes, the bank was happy to tell him how much money I had.)

The classrooms were unheated. The heater was in the hall. The outside doors were kept open. This was March. The only benefit of having a heater was that the place smelled like kerosene.

In the end, the boss sold the school to one group in the morning and a different group in the afternoon. Took the money and ran off to Seoul to hide out. If there is a god, the Mafia found him.

[sheba]

In my first job now, been here 6 months and I love it. Everyone is terrific, my job is great, I get paid on time, and my boss just gave me an extra week of holidays at my request! The only bad thing that ever happens is sometimes classes get naughty or noisy but if there is a serious problem then I just need to talk to their Korean teacher and they sort it out. I have no complaints. My job is pretty stress-free, and I enjoy it. If circumstances allow it, I hope to re-sign next year.

[Yu_Bum_suk]

I wouldn't say my first job blew junks, but it definitely sucked. Crappy hours including Saturdays. Paid on time but not paid nearly the overtime for actual hours worked. Run by a self-contradicting idiot who treated the female Korean staff like dirt. No genuine concern for the children or their English education at the end of the day.

Now I'm sitting here in high school staff room disappointed because morning lessons were cancelled because of exams and I'm missing one of my favourite and brightest classes. This afternoon at least I get to teach my two grade one vocational classes. Some of the students are as stupid as a sack of drowned mice but they're still really nice girls and today we're doing a really fun story-telling game and then carving jack-o-lanterns. Because I can do whatever I want and don't have to follow a boring curriculum that tests both my and their patience. Then tomorrow's sports day. Then the day after I have the afternoon off to judge a speech contest. God I love my job.

Had I stayed at my old job I'd be coming to the end of my contract now and planning a trip, but stuff that, I can go to Thailand during my winter break and then come back to a job I love.

In relative terms the first job was a 2/10 and the second a 9.5/10. Sucked versus rocks would be apt indeed.