Korean Job Discussion Forums

[James1]

I am applying for a job. At YBM/PSA the hours are from 9-4:30 mwf, and 9-3pm t-thurs. It is kindergarden and pays 1.9 a month with Korea teachers.
I am seriously thinking about taking the Job I like the fact that I will be done by 3pm t-thurs. Any information would helpful. I dont want to walk into a bad situation.
Also, I have two years Korean teaching experience.
Perhaps I should hold out for something better, any suggestions?

[soviet_man]

For most kinder positions, Korean employers tend to want young females, under 23, who don't ask questions. They are usually thin, white, have blonde hair and blue eyes - so they are presentable to the kinder mommies.

If you are male or a little older, you may still be hired (depending on how desperate they are) but you are probably not what they had in mind.

Working in Apgujeong (am I right?) you will be dealing with wealthy, arrogant, under-educated and slightly zenophobic, stay-at-home "mommies" who will have hyper-inflated expectations about how their bratty 6 year olds will perform. They will also spend hours at your classroom door observing and staring at you every day.

Also this job is a team-teaching position with 2 other Korean teachers. Usually this will be a disaster. Few people could hack it for 12 months without having major problems. Ask how long the previous foreign teacher lasted in the job.

If you have no experience, you will be paid 1.8. Don't even think you will get more out of YBM. They are consistently the lowest paying hagwon in Korea. After taxes and other deductions (such as housing deposit) it will be more like 1.65 million won (at best) into your account each month.

[James1]

Thanks for the info Soviet Man.
It is in Apgujeong, they are offering 1.9.
I have taught kindergarden and I know how the moms can be.
I am really taking the job because of the short days, I used to teach kindergarden and the schedule was from 9am to 7:15pm with breaks of course, 30 total teaching hours spread out .


Maybe I should hold out for something else. Got any suggestions.
What is your situation?

[soviet_man]

If you really do have 2 years experience in Korea as you say, it would really be unusual to take a low paying job like this.

Consider the maths for a minute:

At 1.9 mil a month you will get 1.75-1.77 mil in your bank each month after taxes and deductions.

In the first three months it is fairly standard for most YBM contracts to deduct a further 200,000 each month (for a total of 600,000) for a housing bond. So your pay for those months will be more like 1.55 million.

Then living in Apgujeong/Gangnam (quite an expensive area) your monthly apartment maintenance bill will be high, maybe 120,000 a month.

So by the time you actually see any money, by that stage (in your first 3 months) you will be scraping somewhere around only 1.32 million in your bank account each month.

Finishing work at 3pm a few days a week is fine, but working 34.5 hours per week for $340 is probably selling yourself short of what you could get elsewhere.

[Milwaukiedave]

[James1]

Thanks,

I decided not to take the job. I posted my resume and within a day I had much better offers. I will let you guys know what I end up with.
One of the offers is for 2.2 or 2.3, and no kindergarden.

[J.B. Clamence]

[James1]

Ok, I finally got a job that I think is workable.

It is for 2.3mil teaching 4- 40min classes from 9-1 elementary classes, and then teaching 4-45min classes 2:30-6:30 with more elementary.

I know it is probably not the best I could have gotten, but in is in Hong-dae, I like that.

My main goal was to be in that area and still have the evenings off.
What do you guys think?