Korean Job Discussion Forums

[barbbui]

I have a phone intv with a GEPIK elementary school in Yongin. This is all new to me. Any advice on what I should expect / questions I should be asking? Thanks.

Is it normal for GEPIK schools to intv the teachers? I thought they just assign you to a school.

[dean_burrito]

Remember in Korea ther is no norm. We all end up with a different experience.
I'll give you this advice about Yongin though, it's a bit rural and if you can atleast learn to read Korean before you get there it will be of great help making your way around or reading menus and what not.
Give it a go here,
http://www.catcode.com/

[reveuse261]

hey, hope it went alright. i thought it was random assignment too, but then i had an interview this evening! they asked me what i knew about korea, if i had ever been there, to introduce myself, what kind of experience working with kids i had, why i would want to work with high school kids, etc. it may or may not have gone well.

[andrewchon]

They want to make sure you are an English speaker. There has been cases where the accent wasn't acceptable. Interviewer's English levels vary quite a bit. If they seem to be struggling to ask you questions then take the offensive and ask:
1. How many other foreigner teachers are there?
2. Contact of the previous Native English Teacher, if any
3. Which grades will be your students, class size,
4. Is the curriculum already in place or are they starting from the scratch?
5. How far is your room from the school?

Yong-In is a kinda mix of affluence and poverty place. Suwon is easily reachable by bus and then train to Seoul. It's a pretty good location.

They may ask you:
1. Why do you want to teach in Korea
2. What do you know about Korea
3. All the questions your recruiter has asked already
4. Will you be coming alone or with family
5. Do you like children?

GEPIK is desperate for NET so unless you make a catastrophic dumbass mistake they will take you. After that you have to meet the approval of the principal and then the parents committee but those are just simple test to see if you have manners.

[barbbui]

Thanks for the info everyone.

I had the intv. It was a big strange. The Co-Teacher asked if I can speak slower so I did but she kept cutting me off.

Anyway, she handed the phone to the Foreign Teacher.

I think I may have scared the Korean teacher by talking too fast. Needless to say that they went with someone else.

[dean_burrito]