Korean Job Discussion Forums

[aristotle84]

So, after being on this forum for over a month now, and having done a thorough job search, I have finally decided to make a go for it (teaching overseas). The problem is, I am having a hard time deciding which offer to take. So, all of you, please listen, play god, and make the decision for me. Here is my situation:

My Goals-
1. Experience a foreign culture in depth.
2. Save some money to travel after teaching stint and bring some back with me to the States.
3. Hopefully make an impact on the kids and teach them English.
4. Have fun and thoroughly enjoy my 1 year stay in a different country.

Dilemma-

One option is to go hourly with CDI @ 28,000 won per hour. I got the typical CDI hourly contract. The money seems great but there will be much less freedom, in terms of vacation and classroom structure. They seem to be a stickler for being professional and rigid.

The other option is to go to Japan to work for possibly Nova. 250,000 yen a month, the typical eikaiwa contract. However, when considering I have to pay my own rent, the net income in Japan is much lower than in Korea. I would be able to save $1,000 a month more in Korea than in Japan. That is a lot of dough. (After a couple months I could buy a Macbook Pro with that cash!)

So it all boils down to this...given the circumstances, I really would love to make the money AND have personal freedom. Unfortunately I can't have the best of both worlds.

It is either Korea for the money or Japan for the freedom+experience. Given the goals I stated above, what would you recommend for me?

Please, no flamers or trolls, I seriously wish to gather input because I am torturing myself over what path to go. THanks all.

[Grotto]

Go for Korea....but dont go with CDI

Try for a hogwan in a city....just make sure you research it well in advance!

[laogaiguk]

Korea = much more money
Japan = more interesting (my opinion ofcourse)

DO NOT GO WITH NOVA. Check out a place called AEON. It is the best of the big 4 eikaiwas. But start up costs are huge for Japan, especially until you learn how to eat cheaply. No ticket either (well, atleast to there, AEON gives you a ticket back).

[aristotle84]

[hubba bubba]

you seem to have put yourself in a lose/lose situation. Why not look for a third option? Like a hagwon in Korea.

[laogaiguk]

[tzechuk]

Why are you only looking at CDI in Korea? There are many good jobs out there.

After school programmes, public schools, good hagwons (hard to come by but there are some out there).. and others.

If you've done your research, you will know that CDI works people to (semi) death.

[aristotle84]

true, i have heard from many people on these forums that CDI employees get burned out very quickly..

however, even if there may be some truth to this, it could all be just hearsay. when i talked to the HR rep for CDI, she said I'd most likely get around 120 hours a month working from 4-10pm.

Which is very similar to other hagwans, and perhaps even better because at most other hagwans they require you to work for 8 hours a day. Whereas at CDI, you come in at 3:30 then leave a little after 10.

The schedule, although you might not get weekends off, does allow 2 days a week off. So I'm not entirely sure where the whole "CDI is burnout city" is comnig from.

If anyone has personal experience and can attest to this, please post!!

[captain kirk]

I can understand you want security and it's your first time. But getting locked into the clutches of a machine cranking work out of you is more than secure, it's as comforting as a vice-grip. Are you listening to some fast talking representative and not listening to the word on the street? If the representative is fast talking could be they know how to work you, mould you, use you once you're recruited and in their clutches. After a month you'll be wondering, 'where is the love?', maybe, and feel like a tool or a cog.

There's a school called English First in China and other countries. I've never been to, or worked in China but of all the job adverts theirs seemed most organized and professional. They had some consistency to their presentation, an established franchise. BUT, when I looked on Dave's China forum the experienced foreign teachers recommended that newbies NOT go with English First. Because they would work more hours and do more paperwork when not actually teaching. Yes, it's organized. One could say regimented.

The stability could work against a foreign teacher in that the whole set up is established and inflexible. Put an authoritative franchise boss at the head of a branch and it might be extra stifling, tight around the collar. I think the Asian trend, anyway, is to have hierarchies and tight, controlled working environments. Your standard hagwon has that already, quite enuff.

If you want security, stability, be careful to whom you give up control.

If you've seen some warnings from flesh and blood foreign teachers here on Dave's re; Korean CDI why not listen to them? I certainly wouldn't listen to a head office representative instead, or whoever you're attending and seems to have sold you.

[Tommy]

[Homer]

[HamuHamu]

I'm with the others -- Korea for the money, but NOT CDI!

From friends of mine who have worked there, it IS burnout city.

Of COURSE the girl in HR who you spoke to on the phone is going to tell you that the hours are 3:30 - 10, and sell that as being 30 minutes "less" than another hagwan. When is your prep time? Add that in as well, although you may have unpaid prep at another academy but at least that might be from 5-6 while you have a break for instance.

Also, CDI is famous for ridiculous staff meetings - a friend used to have to stay 2x a week for staff meetings from 10pm that ran well into midnight, and often got called in on Sunday mornings to go in for a 2 hour meeting as well. All unpaid, by the way.

There are lots of threads about CDI here, and have a REALLY good read through them before you sign your year of fun off to them. There are PLENTY of other places where you can save $1000 a month.