Korean Job Discussion Forums

[pkang0202]

This is a warning for people that are looking to work at a public school in Gimpo city in Gyeonggi-do.

STAY AWAY.

The local education office has a vice grip on all the schools. The schools here all collaborate. For example, over the summer one of the schools told their native teacher that they could leave at noon every day. A couple days later, they took back what they said when they called around to other schools in Gimpo and found out that no one else was letting their teachers go early.

Another case, one school was going to pay their native teacher extra money for teaching summer camps. Then word spread. That school gets a call from the other schools in Gimpo saying, "Don't pay your native teacher extra because now our native teachers are asking to get paid for camps."

My school has openly admitted to me that all the coteachers in Gimpo meet/talk regularly on how to keep native teachers in line.

They also have mandatory weekend camps where you stay overnight. Thats right, even though our contract says we don't work weekends, its a mandatory camp. Its put on by the local GEPIK office in Gimpo, not by the schools.

You will get refused Rural pay/vacation while the school directly across the street from you thats bigger and newer gives their native teacher rural pay/vacation.

If you get offered a position in Gimpo, do yourself a favor. Go to Ilsan. Go to Goyang. Go to Incheon. Go to Suwon. Don't come to Gimpo.

There is only 1 bus in Gimpo that goes to Gangnam. Its 9501 and it comes by once every 45 minutes, despite the sign saying it comes every 20 minutes. The bus takes about an hour to get to Gangnam. Its 2200 won so 4400 won round trip. You take too many of these, you'll be filling up your transportation card all the time.

There is no subway station in Gimpo. You have to take a bus to SongJeong station, which is the nearest subway. There's only 1 bus that goes to City hall, and thats the 631. That comes by maybe once every 30 minutes. It takes about 1 hour 15 minutes in normal traffic to make the trip to Seoul, City hall.

The taxi drivers here don't know where anything is. The only "ethnic" restaurant is Sorento's. Everything else is a Koreanized Japanese/Chinese food. You want to eat Western food? VIPS is the only thing here. It was built into a closet inside a wannabe department store called WonLand, so you will wait around 2 hours to get a table.

There are a couple homePlus' but the bus routes are f-ed up. One way will drop you off AT homeplus. If you want to go back home, be prepared to walk to the bus stop and take the LONG alternate route back home. The buses don't run a typical circular route. Their routs look more like B's, K's, and H's.


If GEPIK tries to put you in Gimpo, say NO. Stay far far away from here. Gimpo is NOT as close to Seoul as GEPIK likes you to believe. The mass transit sucks compared to Ilsan or Suwon.

[marlow]

Thanks for the tip. Wow! Not only do they have the same low salary as the rest of GEPIK, but they additionally suck as well.


GEPIK: Continuing to attract good teachers through good benefits.

[agoodmouse]

Thanks for the heads-up.

[Bear256]

As with many posting such as this I guess it depends on where you are. I am heading home on the 25th after spending 3 1/2 years teaching in a school under the Gimpo office. I teach 9-12:20 during the summer and winter breaks and then go home, I have NEVER worked a Sunday or done an overnite camp, and get at least two week paid vacation during both the winter and summer breaks.

I know the principals meet on a regular basis and have gone through 3 principals during my time here. They have always honored and continued the practices of their predecessors and have treated me great.

It is bound to happen. When ever you paint everyone evil with a wide brush, as the OP has done, you end up splattering a few drops on people who don't deserve it too. I am planning on coming back, after a long vacation and a few months with my family, and would not hesitate to work at another school in this area.

Opinions are like a$$holes, everyone has one. This is mine.....

[rationality]

[pkang0202]

[marlow]

[crusher_of_heads]

[garykasparov]

Hey, OP, you mean that the GEPIK head office is helping to cheat teachers? This does not shock me or anyone else. The GEPIK system for rural pay is a scam and teachers are cheated everywhere.

[wylies99]

[garykasparov]

[boyne11]

[little mixed girl]

whatever.
it sounds like the stuff that ALTs on JET have to go through.

i get to listen to them moan that even though they have no lessons, they're expected to stay at the school.
if there's a summer camp, they don't get paid extra for those.

they also have to go to mandatory meetings and stuff.

and everything is at the discretion(sp) of the contracting organization.

really, i don't see what the problem is...to me, it sounds about in line with what goes on with JET.

[wylies99]

[dmbfan]