Korean Job Discussion Forums

[FloridaTEFL]

Hello... I'm starting a position in mid December in a suburb of Seoul but I'm a little lost as to what I should expect upon first arriving in Korea?

1) Does the school usually help apply for the Alien Registration Card and do they hold onto it?? I thought I read that somewhere.

2) What will there be to sign right away? I'm assuming documents for the Pension and Health Plan. I already signed and sent in the employment application but is there anything else like that to deal with?

Any other advice about what to do / to expect is appreciated!!

[Yu_Bum_suk]

[spliff]

Hmmm...it's snowing right now.

[Ya-ta Boy]

Some other things to expect:

1) You're going to be pretty tired and excited at the same time. Regardless, you may be asked to agree to some important things. Try to go slow. Exhaustion does not make for wise long-term decisions.

2) You're certain to feel some disorientation. A lot of it comes from not knowing where anything is and most of the people around you won't be able to answer simple questions, even though they would be glad to if they knew what you wanted.

3) Expect the honeymoon to last up to 3 months. When it's over, expect to get depressed and maybe angry. (It's called culture shock.) If you can get passed it, you'll be fine for the rest of the year.

[ChuckECheese]

Expect to get screwed if you let them so bring some KY jelly.

[Mr. BlackCat]

Hey,

I just want to say that if you expect to be screwed, then you'll be screwed. Your boss will most likely try to make the situation (every situation) sway in his/her favour. Just stay vigilant. Be relaxed enough to compromise on some stuff, but be confident enough to draw the line. I think confidence is key. Don't get worked up about things, act like you could leave at any moment. That's the only power you have. Regardless of everything else, the boss doesn't want the hassle of finding someone to replace you.

But I think your original question was more practical, like what will happen right after you get off that plane. It'll depend on your specific hogwon. I think usually they'll meet you there and take you to an apartment or hotel. Everyone says they'll make you work right away, but I've yet to meet anyone who didn't have at least the remainder of the day and night before going to their school just to meet everyone and see the place. But I don't doubt immediate working does happen. They'll probably take you out to dinner, too. You can ask your director or whoever you're in contact with. I'd recommend getting picked up your first time just for comfort sake. Ask tons of questions about how great Korea is and bring stupid little presents from home for your workmates. It goes miles.

[kat2]

Bring some sleeping pills (unisom or something) for the first few nights. (I also take one on the plane so I arrive fairly well rested) It will be really hard to sleep with the combo of jetlag, vegetable guy screaming at 7:30am, general confusion and stress, etc. You will want a good ngihts sleep for the first few days. You will be confused and bewildered enough without only getting a few hours of sleep.

[poet13]

"Your boss will most likely try to make the situation (every situation) sway in his/her favour."

Umm, isn't that expecting to get screwed?

[Hotpants]

Don't worry about the paperwork until you get here. There's only the ARC alien card to get - hopefully, your employer should point that out to you. Just as long as though you have an E-2 visa in your passport before you commence work, then you should be fine, legally speaking.

As some posters have already suggested, some schools may expect you to go straight to the school as soon as you have stepped off the plane. If this is your first such post, I would recommend trying to arrive at least a couple days before your job is supposed to start, just so you can get your bearings. If possible, tell your employer you'll be arriving on a later than actual date. Maybe your employer turns out to be fine, but there are a few who have a manner that you just don't want to be dealing with immediately after a longhaul flight into a new country.

You can easily get yourself from the airport and find a cheapish place to stay for a few nights before you 'arrive' at your new school. If you manage to stand on your own feet for these couple of days, then you'll feel more confident to get started in your job.

[alabamaman]

[Mr. BlackCat]

[Roch]

[ajuma]

You might also think about what you'll do with your students on the first day. You may or may not be given a book to work from, so plan a couple things in advance. Most of the kids (unless you're teaching kindy) will be able to ask you questions. Have each one (or make teams) ask you a question. You could write "question words" on the board (write one, such as "where", then get them to tell you some other ones, adding those that they forget) and have each person/team ask you one question. Bring some photos of your family, friends, pets, house, neighborhood, hobbies, whatever...and share.

Remember to speak clearly and use fairly simple words and sentences. It will take you some time to find out what things students know and what they don't. For example, most kids understand the word "difficult" as in "Teacher, homework is difficult!", but they don't understand the word "hard" when used in the same context.

Good luck and have fun!

[Roch]

[Roch]