Korean Job Discussion Forums

[gregoryallen]

Hello, I am in the home stretch obtaining my TEFL at Georgia State and have my sights set on S. Korea. I will have plenty of money saved by the time I go and I have plenty of info on Korean culture so I know what to expect pretty much. In fact, I have a friend there, a native Korean who went to school with me. He gave me the low-down on a lot of crucial stuff. What I want from this forum is a suggestion on what town I should shoot for. I have my sights set of Seoul or somewhere close. Should I try to shoot for a smaller town? Let me know please. greg

[Ya-ta Boy]

It really all depends on your preferences. There is a large demand for teachers. Naturally the bigger cities, having more people, have more jobs. The competition will be stiffer in the bigger cities. The smaller the city, the fewer foreigners willing to go there.

I've worked in Seoul and I'm currently working in one of the least populated counties in the country. There are advantages and disadvantages to both.

I suggest you make a list of all the things you want and don't want. Maybe you hate the thought of ice and snow in the winter--head for the south coast. Maybe you want easy access to western food, books and a large expat community--head for Seoul. Whatever your personal interests are should help determine where you should look.

Keep in mind that SK is so small that you can get from one end to the other in a little over 4 hours. Public transportation here is excellent and very affordable.

[seoulsucker]

There are pros and cons to both. I did Seoul my first year, then a small town my second year, now I'm back in Seoul. If you want a comfortable transition, I would shoot for Seoul. If you want to be thrown off the egde of a cliff to see if you can fly, then shoot for a smaller town.

It's nice to be in Seoul when the novelty of Korea wears off and you miss some of the good old fashioned western comforts. They can be hard to come by in the countryside.

[jinju]

I actually disagree. I say if you want an easier transition, go to a smaller town. Thats what I did. I went to Jinju, on the southern coast. Its a small-midsize city, about 300,000 people with very nice weather. The bonus of such a place is that the foreigners stick together. We all hung out together, had a soccer team, drank together, partied. It was a lot of fun and a great way to break into life in Korea. In Seoul I noticed that there isnt really this sort of feeling of comraderie. There are just too many foeigners, and most are strangers to you. Not so in a smaller town. Anyway, that was almost 5 years ago and Im still here, enjoyin my life with my wife as my closest friend now. But I still look fondly back on those days.

[huck]

True, but if there are so few foreigners to choose from, then if you find that you clash with the group dynamics, you might be skrewed for the rest of the time that you're there.

At least in larger cities, you have more options for finding friends and the kinds of people that you get along with the best.

[Nowhere Man]

Rule #1: New teachers and new schools are a bad mix.

Someone will probably be on soon to disagree with that, but trust me.

I'd go for Seoul and I'd go for a big school.

Let's call it "the beaten path theory".

There's ample room for networking and hearing a variety of perspectives on jobs, social life, other places, and the country.

The alternative is working with a few random people in some degree of remoteness. Could be good, could be bad, but you're kind of stuck with it with less exposure to other avenues.

Rule #2: If you're new to teaching, don't go for the big bucks.

This is basically a reiteration of all of the above.

New schools and small operations offer promises that sometimes pay out but just as likely don't.

You don't want
a) to get paid whenever
b) live in an aprtment that only has one window in the bathroom that is occupied by an exhaust fan.
or
c) to be treated like an Asian by a Hagwon owner who expects you to do numerous things off the clock and free of charge to "make the school succeed"
d) give you a new class to teach at 8:58 when it begins at 9:00 (your choice of am or pm; both?)

An established mainstream chain school SHOULD pay when they say they do and have some semblance of a curriculum or else they wouldn't be an established, mainstream chain school.

I haven't worked there, but I'd recommend Kangnam ELS.

And again, someone will probably be on soon to talk about how much it blows chunks, but I believe it to be a straight-up operation and it's been around for forever. I know several people who've worked there, and they'd agree. The reason they left was for greener pastures, but they did so after having a good handle on things.

Lastly, especially since you've done the major, DON'T become a one-country wonder. One of the greatest things about this job is mobility. Bop around. You can always come back.

Ignore people who tell you you shouldn't go to X country because it's too expensive or the wages are too low. Mind you, I'm not telling to take off for Papua New Guinea, but the beaten path theory holds true for the mainstream Asian countries: Taiwan, China, Japan. I did fine in Thailand.

Again again, someone will be on soon to cantradict this notion.

Where there's a teaching market, someone with competitive skills/ability/credentials can carve out their own niche and live comfortably.

Most of all, good luck!

[SuperFly]

If you have the money you say you have, I would spend a few days in Japan before heading over to Korea, just for perspective.

[Tiberious aka Sparkles]

[Porter_Goss]

[gregoryallen]

Wow. This is a lot of advice. My gut instinct has been telling me to get as close to Seoul as possible. I will probably be landing between July and August. I just found out today that I will be working part-time at an ESL school here in Atlanta so I should have some experience before I arrive. Doesn't anyone know anything about EPIK? I'll probably apply there and see what happens. Otherwise I'll post my resume here and elsewhere.

gregory (hope no embarrassing typos this time)

[Canucksaram]

I just read your comment about EPIK.

Please, please, please, don't come over here all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. You'll get chewed up and spit out by the hagwon (private academy) machine.

Do a thorough Internet search on EPIK. You'll find information about broken contracts, unpaid overtime, horrific management practices, unfair labor practices, petty politicking, and so on. The list goes on...and on...and on.

Gods help us! Where's the Mayor of Haebangchon(TM) when we need him?

[gregoryallen]

Surprise. I was screwed over by a school a year and a half ago in Taiwan which is why I decided to return to my home turf and get my TEFL,save up money and do it right this time. When I went to Taiwan I had just enough money in my pocket to scrape by for a month all "bright-eyed" that they'd refund my plane ticket like they promised. No go, bro. I headed by to ATL like a whupped puppy.

Yet, at that same school there were people that had worked there for years, had a nice chunk of money stashed away and got to travel. I was envious. Nobody told me they had the perfect job in the world.

No jobs are perfect. I've been screwed over by places in the US to know that. Teaching english is a cake wake compared to other shitty jobs I've had.

Thanks for telling me about EPIK. I'll look them up.

[peemil]

yreah sparrkles- don go dissin the mans cusae he ain't goin to be spellin no goods.

nazzi dougs.

[Qinella]

[blunder1983]

I have been EPIK this year and have had a total blast. I'm leaving in may for a long ass holiday and coming back to find a job in a middle school in Seoul.

EPIK is a much safer bet than the average haggie, but safer still is finding a specific school and getting work directly. EPIK lets you choose your province but not much else. Be aware the vast majority of your quality of working life is gonna be your coteachers aptitude/friendlyness and your headmasters flexibility. Some of us are in school all day, others just come in for class, some have full vacation class some just have a 1 week camp and the rest of the time off. Its a mixed bag, but on the whole its far more secure than haggies. Finding your OWN school (proper school) lets you talk to past native speakers, the teachers you'll be dealing with etc. etc.

The main drawback to it that I've found, is that I'm in Incheon which is BIG but pretty unfriendly and I'm about 4,000won away from the nearest station. The expat hangout bar is about 13,000won away. Working in a school your likely to be the only native speaker so meeting westerners aint all that easy.