Korean Job Discussion Forums

[PresleyTCat]

So after over a month of nothing, I all of a sudden have 4 job offers. Anyone have any advice/recommendatons they'd like to share?

Job 1: Busan small chain hagwon 1-8:30pm

Pros:
-Warmer weather, close to the beach
- Cool big City, best area (Haundae)
-Good hours
-American school-based curriculum
-Foreign teacher only had positive things to say

Cons:
-Only foreign teacher
-2.1- average salary
-Far from Seoul (the big major city)
-Sketchiness in the contract ("unpaid time required"), I'm getting this looked at
-Staff does not seem to speak as much English
-30 hours per week
-bare bones apt in contract

Public school in Ansan

Pros:
-Public school- I know it's reliable
-Month vacation
-22 hours per week teaching
-Coteacher
-School has 1 good internet review I've found
-Best hours (8-4:30)
-1 other English teacher at school, several in city

Cons:
-2.0 salary (can possibly raise to 2.1 with online TESL during the year)
-Coteacher
-Have to buy my airline ticket (will be reimbursed)
-Furthest from a big city (over 1 hr)
-Cold

POLY in Anyang

Pros:
-Well established school chain
-Some good internet reviews from current teachers (of different branches than this one)
- Students are largely already fluent
- Highest salary- 2.4
-Lots of training
-Very, very close to Seoul
-nice ritsy area of Anyang
-Large foreigner community at school
-Established curriculum, easy for new teacher

Cons:
- Known for really working their staff hard- often people who work at Poly don't have much social life, no real OT, several hours of unpaid grading
-1-9:30 hours, likely 30+ hrs
- Intensives
- I know some people have mixed feelings on Poly- they're pretty regimented

Bundang hagwon

Pros:
-Great conversation with the director I interviewed with
-Young female staff, staff hangs out, small staff with other foreigners
-2.4 salary
-nice city (if small)
-director offered a contact teacher- a first! Contact teacher seems to really like school.

Cons:
-medium distance from Seoul: 30-40 minutes
-2-9pm hours, 3 intense days, 2 not-so-intense days
-Teachers are all friends
-not much internet presence to research
-some common contract issues (high tax, deposit on apt)

Alll of these options sound pretty good to me. Any advice?

[andrewchon]

Bundang hagwon

[PresleyTCat]

andrewchon- Thanks for replying! Any reason why you're saying that one (besides the hot chick on chick teaching action)?

[andrewchon]

I chose Bundang because tha's what I'd have chosen if I have any choice. It's based on my personal preference/prejudice. No 2 and 3 are no-brainers. Busan is a personal thing for me. (I'd be unwelcome there as my roots are in the province to the west).
I'd thought there'd be more responses by now. Just wait awhile, there'll be more rational responses coming along.

[winterfall]

I'd take Anyang. Commuting really isn't that bad. My daily commute is around 4 hours. Yes it does suck that I have to be out of the city by 10:30 or I won't make it home. But, the air is cleaner and living expenses drop. 200,000 is more than enough for me.

The hard work schedule? Well it is 2.4 million won a month. And they have an established curriculum. It seem like it'll be a plug and play kind of thing. Lesson planning takes a hideous amount of time, especially for someone new. Not having to do that is half the battle.

And teaching high level students means your already easy learning curve is the size of a goose bump.

Grading comes with teaching. Don't expect to get paid for it.

Wanna pm the anyang offer? If you won't take it. I will.

[Triban]

Give me the Budang hagwon for August 2010 please.

[Draz]

Bundang hagwon is the best out of those. Sounds like a good job for a newbie.

[PresleyTCat]

So I decided on Busan- mostly because I liked the hours the best, I worked out the contract issues, the old teacher was positive, and I really want to live in that city.

I can't PM yet, so I'll just reply:

winterfall- You can apply to POLY directly- just go through this site: http://hr.koreapolyschool.com/. The guy I talked to was David- he was very nice and thoroughly answered my questions. You interview for POLY as a whole first, then the school. I'm not sure if they're still looking for someone but it's probably worth it to contact them.

I'm not going to give out the name of the really cool-looking Budang hagwon, but my recruiter was Tei at TEK.
http://teachengkorea.com/ He was the nicest recruiter I talked with and I'm happy to send him some more business. The school is only looking for female teachers, but you should definitely ask him about it if you're female and looking.

[SeoulMan6]

[conbon78]

I would definitely take Bundang - my friends that live there have only positive things to say about it. Plus - you are still off the Seoul subway line, so its easy to get downtown if you want.

[Whitey Otez]

+1 for Bundang.

You do NOT under any circumstances ever want to be the only foreigner at a small hogwan.

One thing you might want to ask each employer is in regard to their enforcement and discipline procedures. My boss yesterday told me to be more strict with my classes, but as the only foreigner, I have no one backing me up. I put a kid in the director's office the other day, and the kid was reprimanded and back in the classroom before I was with a fake apology.

Again, I repeat, do not ever go to work in a small hogwan as the only foreigner.

[DWAEJIMORIGUKBAP]

Public school in Anyang without a doubt for me.

22 40 min classes a week most of them with at least 1 or 2 hr breaks in between.

Plenty of random days where school is closed or having ceremonies etc.

More vacation days.

No chance of getting conned, gypped or ripped off. Barely any chance of getting fired before first year is up.

No one is making money off of you so less pressure to do the Barney the Dinosaur act and less likely to let the kids run roughshod over your classes.

Treated like a real human being.

Great hours.

Only thing better than Public School is uni.

Depends on what you want out of life though and yes 2.1 is low. But get one private for 35,000 an hour twice a week and that puts you on close to 2.4 a month.

I can't believe others are reccomending you take a haggie job!

Only downside to Publlic school is you're the only foriegner at the school. That's no big deal and in the 3 ps jobs I've had, all in rural or semmi rural areas, I've made plenty of new friends in the local area.

[Draz]

[Murakano]

Bundang hagwon. Express buses to Seoul as well. Nice area to live. I would look into those high tax issues though....3.3% is the independent contractor rate so you should be getting taxed LESS.

Either that or the Ansan PS. Maybe more inclined to this.....

. I`m sure there must be express buses into Seoul too from there that will take less time than a subway (?). You will get lots more holiday, wont get ripped off. Safer bet.

[DWAEJIMORIGUKBAP]