Korean Job Discussion Forums

[pjmancktelow]

Hi, ive got a contract on offer from these guys, on the phone it sounds ok, but i wonder if anybody knows about it, any comments welcome

thanks

[tselem]

The School

Global Education Center (GEC) is a collaboration between WoongJin ThinkBig and the Incheon Seo-gu Office of Education. It's also known as Incheon Seo-gu English Village. It should be noted this is a different school than Incheon English Village which is more or less across the street.

Your contract will be with Seo-gu Office of Education, and not with the WoongJin ThinkBig company. The school is supported by the government, but managed by the company.

The living conditions are a fairly small dormitory on the school's campus. It houses all the foreign teachers (approximately 15-18 total), and a few of the Korean teachers live there are well.

The Work

The school runs in 3-month sessions. It uses the Global/English Star curriculum developed by WoongJin ThinkBig. Regular students come twice a week (Mo/We or Tu/Th) for two hours/classes a week. Classes are 45-minutes in length. There are 6 class periods a day, but you might not necessarily teach them all. The teaching load varies from session to session depending on attendance. There will be roughly 8-12 students per class. You have a co-teacher, but this is only for shared work and sharing the students. You teach separately. Working hours are from 11am to 8pm with an hour break for lunch (Monday-Thursday). Friday is from 10am to 7pm.

Beyond the regular classes, there are special programs (i.e. returnee class, journalism, adult classes, etc.). You might be assigned one of these classes. Fridays are special days. Some days there are Kindergarten programs, and others there are school outings (cultural events, volunteerism, etc.).

The Area

The school is located in a small semi-rural neighborhood (Wondang Dong) in the northern part of Incheon. It takes approximately 15 minutes by bus to get to the main area of Seo-gu around the district office. There are expresses bus to Seoul which passed in front of the school, though you'll need to walk (10-15 minutes) or transfer buses (bus stop in front of the school) to reach the actual stops. There are two which go to Gangnam and two which go to Seoul Station with stops in Sinchon, Hongdae, and Ewha areas. It is about a 10 minute bus ride to Gimpo. There are a few large discount stores within about 10-15 minutes on the bus, and a few smaller supermarkets in town. The restaurant selection in Wondang is a little limited. There are a few pizza places, an Italian place, a Chinese place, a Japanese place, Lotteria, and of course a number of Korean restaurants. There are also a number of bars. There is a good number of foreigners in the area, so it's likely you'll bump into a few outside of the school. (Try Jack's Bar -- if you're into that.)

[PGF]

It sounds like you'll be there for a LOT of hours. Look for an afterschool program if you want to work at a hagwon. Just search Incheon afterschool on work and play and you'll see four or five. The pay is good and the hours are low.

This english village wants you there for 9 hours per day. That's one hour more than most hagwons and 3 or more hours more than some hagwons. Plus, it looks like you may have to teach kindy on those special Fridays. Man, I don't envy you if you have to teach a kindy class, even once a week.

On the other hand, there are a lot of foreigners there, so you'll make friends fast.

"Some days there are Kindergarten programs, and others there are school outings (cultural events, volunteerism, etc.). " This bothers me. Maybe it won't bother you, but it definitely would make me think twice. You might have to host speech contests at another location or some crap....who knows.

Also, you will be living in a "small" dormitory. Doesn't sound fun to me because I'm not in my twenties. I guess if I were younger, it wouldn't be so bad.

good luck--> don't rush into a decision, take your time.....

[tselem]

[PGF]

"The work hours are 8 hours a day. There is a lunch hour from 12:00-1:00. You are free to do as you please during this time. "

Most hagwons have an 8 hour block schedule...2-10, 1-9, etc. During this time, you teach 6 45 or 50 minute classes. In between classes, you have time to run down and smoke a cigarette.

During those 2 full hours of down time, you have time to eat. Almost all contracts say you must devote one hour per day to lesson planning, etc... That leaves an extra hour to eat, smoke take a dump, etc.

OP- this place will probably pay you on time (judging by the current teacher who is providing lots of info), and will be a decent first year job. But, the hours (9), living in a dorm, and the extra stuff (forced volunteerism) is a little sketchy; but hey, it might be fun, like summer camp.

How's the pay? Hopefully it's 2.2-2.4.
When you live in a dorm, do you still have to pay utilities?
If not, that would be a bonus.......

[tselem]

[PGF]

The free utilities will save you at least 70,000/month. My last bill was over 200,000.

I haven't seen a dryer in over a year.....that's a bonus.

So, even at 2.2, you'd be making a good wage for a first school.
If you don't mind sitting around a lot waiting for the next class to start.....living in a small dorm room and doing "fesitivities"...

There are a lot of other FTs which can be a bonus. They'll show you around, etc.

The utilities deal is attractive.