Korean Job Discussion Forums

[zipperhead2]

Howdy Folks! Comin' back for my third ride at the end of Feb. Has anyone heard of "The Poly Institute for returning.. I forget"? If so, good or bad? They're in Seoul and they have a female director. This could be heaven or hell! Help!!! Thanks in advance!!

[yingwenlaoshi]

I guess you'd have to be more specific about the location of the school, etc. My guess is that there are more than one Poly academies in Seoul. I've heard of one that might have a good reputation. Not sure exactly where, but you're going to have to provide more specifics.

[Jeweltone]

POLY Returnee Institute Gangnam (actually in Gangdong-gu) is solid. The academic VP is an American (of the non-toadying kind!), and the female director is pretty sane and fluent. The night shift is better than the day shift if you can get it (they seem to prefer licensed teachers or postgraduate degree for that part of the program).

I liked working there; there were no serious problems. You can click on my name to see my full comments on a different thread about POLY schools or PM me.

[bassexpander]

Ask them if you can sit down in class, or have to stand the entire time.

Seriously.

Also ask them how much checking and prep is involved for the average teacher.

Please note that Poly pays a little more (not much) but requires you to do a whole lot of additional work. With the extra time, you could make a lot more money elsewhere.

I've known two teachers who worked for different Poly programs, and neither of them lasted a year. Too much work for the money. Get a public school job, and you'll be much happier. If the public schools say, "we're full" then simply wait a few months. That just means they're not hiring at this time.

[yingwenlaoshi]

I hate prep work. It's good to prepare for classes if you have the time, but having to hand in BS is a nightmare.

My first job, the one I had for 3 years, my boss showed me some sort of sheet to check off progress of the classes (what I taught each class, etc.). I just looked at the sheet and said, "Yeah" like that go in Office Space. Never heard anything about it again. I don't think it was even his idea. There was a gyoppo there at that time who could get in a little huff at times. Dork. I had actually made a check sheet at that job and was using it for a while since I would teach one class for an hour and another teacher would back it up another half hour using the same book. So there was confusion going on about what to teach next, etc. Then I just gave up. Too much work for no good reason.

I also hate tests. I find them to be completely useless. Teach and go home. Wasting a class to give a test is stupid.

[zipperhead2]

Thanks Guys. I think I got it. Hope the director isn't PMS. One can always "relocate" if needed. I'll roll the dice and give em' a shot. Hope I don't miss the P.S.'s. Once you get there, it's on. Ain't much more than a newb, but there's alot of opportunities. Later....................