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mananas
Joined: 13 Jan 2009
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 Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2009 2:00 pm Post subject: Is SMOE right for me? |
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I spent 7 weeks in Seoul and around Korea in 2008 and loved it. I would have stayed and looked for a job but I had already committed to another teaching gig in France. I am looking mainly at SMOE for August, but I would like to know if there is a better alternative for me, personally. Thanks in advance to whoever reads this...
1. I definitely want Seoul. I have friends there and really have no desire to go anywhere else.
2. SMOE contract is 40 hours per week. Here in France I teach for a total of 12 hours. When I'm not teaching I don't have to be at the school (although I get paid shit). 40 hours per week spent in a school seems a bit much - is it draining? Do you have energy to do things after work?
3. Having said that this really isn't about the money. Of course I need it, but enjoying my life is more important than earning a lot of money.
4. I've never seen a breakdown of a typical PS teaching schedule. Do you see the same students every day? Is it always the entire class? I'm paired with full time English teachers but we always separate the class into groups. From what I can tell the answer is yes, but I thought I might ask.
5. The website says that teachers are given 21 days but I've heard that's changed or you have to take the vacation at a certain time. What is a typical year long schedule composed of? It also claims that summer and winter holidays are given, but I know a lot of you are obligated to do camps then. Traveling is important for me as well as I will have friends around Asia at that time.
I really like the "security" aspect of teaching in a public school but I'm open to suggestions. Is SMOE really the best program for me? Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. (Also, one last thing, does one have to go through a recruiter in order to apply? If not, why have a 3rd party involved?) |
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egrog1717
Joined: 12 Mar 2008
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| Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2009 3:12 pm Post subject: Re: Is SMOE right for me? |
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| mananas wrote: |
I spent 7 weeks in Seoul and around Korea in 2008 and loved it. I would have stayed and looked for a job but I had already committed to another teaching gig in France. I am looking mainly at SMOE for August, but I would like to know if there is a better alternative for me, personally. Thanks in advance to whoever reads this...
1. I definitely want Seoul. I have friends there and really have no desire to go anywhere else.
2. SMOE contract is 40 hours per week. Here in France I teach for a total of 12 hours. When I'm not teaching I don't have to be at the school (although I get paid shit). 40 hours per week spent in a school seems a bit much - is it draining? Do you have energy to do things after work?
3. Having said that this really isn't about the money. Of course I need it, but enjoying my life is more important than earning a lot of money.
4. I've never seen a breakdown of a typical PS teaching schedule. Do you see the same students every day? Is it always the entire class? I'm paired with full time English teachers but we always separate the class into groups. From what I can tell the answer is yes, but I thought I might ask.
5. The website says that teachers are given 21 days but I've heard that's changed or you have to take the vacation at a certain time. What is a typical year long schedule composed of? It also claims that summer and winter holidays are given, but I know a lot of you are obligated to do camps then. Traveling is important for me as well as I will have friends around Asia at that time.
I really like the "security" aspect of teaching in a public school but I'm open to suggestions. Is SMOE really the best program for me? Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. (Also, one last thing, does one have to go through a recruiter in order to apply? If not, why have a 3rd party involved?) |
1. SMOE is in Seoul... You want Seoul...
2. While you're at school 40 hours a week, you only teach a max. of 22 hours (unless you ask for extra classes and they can provide them... I did a 32 hour teacher training course over the last 3 months or so for example)... You work 9-440 or so, so you have lots of time to do anything you want in the evening... Plus while you're chair warming in the afternoon it doesn't consume a whole lot of brain power most days 
3. With the right credentials and a year's experience (make sure you get a letter of employment history from your gig in France - SMOE will want to see this) you can be making upwards of 2.2 million per month... So while the money isn't as good as a Hagwon, you're working less hours, no split shifts, and have evenings and weekends completly free
4. I personally have 22 x 50min classes per week... I see my grade 3s and 4s once, and my 5s and 6s twice... An hour for lunch from 1210 - 1 or so, and then from 1-440 I sit in my office working on lesson plans, teaching extra classes, or surfing the internet... You'll teach anywhere from 3 to 6 classes a day depending on your schedule
5. Vacation days are really up to the school... Work with them to negociate a time that is good for both of you... My school pushed the start date of my winter camp back a week so that I could take two weeks vacation over Christmas... As for the periods... The school year runs from Feb - December, with a break during the 3rd week of Febuary, a break in the summer, and a year end break for all of January... Your camps will run 2 - 3 weeks in length (but again, that's totally dependant on the school)
6. You must go through a recruiter to apply for the SMOE... They don't have a great interview process themselves, so they rely on recruiters to weed out the poor applicants first...
Hope that helps  |
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