Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Been There, Taught That]

I'm still in the Wisconsin, US, and plan to come to Korea with my wife and daughter in October.
After having been solicited by a recruiter (English Apple) and faxing documents, getting apostille and all that, including giving specifics about preferences for bringing my family--wife and daughter (two years old)--and trying to sound tentative, as if I was flexible to different possibilities, I received this email reply this morning:

[Return Jones]

[Fresh Prince]

Korean hokwons are famous for not paying on time, early firings, dodgy contracts, etc. Sounds like they are trying to do you a favor since you have a child.

20000 won per hour would get you 3.2 million per month if you worked a 40 hour week. It sounds like the recruiter is saying that the hokwons' will want to make a profit by only going as high as 2.7 million.

An alternative would be to find a low hour standard gig and get them to agree to a second job.

[SirFink]

[ontheway]

There are good schools (hogwans) that provide two bedroom condos as standard housing to all of their teachers.

You need to look for something OUTSIDE of Seoul, where it is cheaper to live and more family friendly.

You can live on your teacher's salary here, support your family and save money if you stay out of Seoul and find the right school.

It is true that teachers are in short supply, especially now with the new rules. Public, private and hogwans are always looking and they all need teachers right away.

So, have your documents ready and keep looking. Be ready to come ASAP when the right job comes along, fly over, get set up, and bring your family a few weeks later.

Good luck.

[raketbaler]

I have English Apple as my recruiter and they've been very helpful. They were recommended to me by someone who's had them before.

[PRagic]

Hakwons are not the place to be if you are married with a kid! The recruiter is perhaps just trying to steer you away from the wrong path. If you want to work in Korea as a teacher, go with a public school. If you have better qualifications, try for a university position.

Not an easy move to make with a kid. Good luck.

[thatwhitegirl]

Public schools outside Seoul would probably be a better bet. Try to go directly through the school, rather than through EPIK, GEPIK or any one those. We had a recruiter that got us hired directly by the school, and so we could negotiate.
We are a married couple, so they gave us a 3-bedroom place, plus an extra $200 a month for 'bills'.
If you work in a rural area, you'll also get paid extra.
You can possibly make up to 2.4 or more with the rural bonuses, which should be enough to support your family well.

Good luck. There are lots of jobs over here, so you can afford to be choosy.

[ronnietijuana]

Is english apple legit? I went through them and they told me I had 72 hours to sign a contract offer or decline it. they sent me two of their teachers emails, but something just didn't sound right. I want to know if I should still be working with this recruiting agency.

My agent's name made a random black list, but all of that stuff is just as shady. I mean who really knows about people that would sell someone out on the world wide web? She seems to be very honest, probably the same lady that the OP is dealing with. I mean obviously she wants her money, but at long as that is out in the open, it can be dealt with.

Most of what english apple will get you will put you into a hakwon. From reading the posts here, if you got a family just live out in the sticks. or apply to PAGODA or YBM and teach adults. That is a pay for play, so if you take the OT, you can stretch, to 3 or so. That might work out best, cuz I think those guys let you pick where you want to live, but they don't pay the rent. just the key money.

sounds like you know what you are getting into though, so just be patient.

[NightSky]

[NightSky]

[esetters21]

I honestly don't know what to say about this. You have a wife and daughter and are considering Korea as a means for teaching and supporting a family by yourself on an ESL salary? I worry enough about myself and my dog here.

[Been There, Taught That]

Here's the response I sent:

[teachergirltoo]

I have met several families here that live quite well on an ESL teaching salary. Thatwhitegirl made some very practical comments. The recruiter also made some very valid points, but if you aim for a public position outside of Seoul in a rural area you will have a good chance of getting exactly what you need.

[Zaria32]

You will enjoy life in Korea more with a wife and child if you are not in Seoul, Busan or Daegu, but in a smaller ctiy.

Many hogwons are good to work for - it's just that some are so awful that those who have had the misfortune of working for them have been burned and paint all hogwons with a black brush. And standard hogwon pay of 2.2 to 2.5 is enough for a small family.

In my first hogwon job I was given a wonderful two bedroom apartment. In my second a spacious one bedroom.

This is what you're are likely to be offered outside of the larger cities. Ask for pictures of the accomodations.

And don['t send your documents until you have a signed contract...just send copies until then. Many recruiters try to get hold of your documents early on...once they have originals, you are pretty much glued to them...