Korean Job Discussion Forums

[mysterious700]

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2009/10/117_52813.html Guess I'll stick with EPIK and stay away from SMOE. I just keep hearing too many bad thing about these people. Geeze.

[Bibbitybop]

Despite the ongoing and growing list of problems SMOE has these days, I'd recommend you change the title of the OP. Gangnam is in Seoul, but the Gangnam district office of education does not fall under the same SMOE umbrella. They operate independently.

[Morning_Star]

One of those Gangnam teachers could switch with me if they hate it so much. I would gladly take the 900,000 won.

[cruisemonkey]

It's all really pretty simple - someone working in Gangnam has three choices:
1. Sign the amended contract and move.
2: Sign the amended contract and stay where they are by coming to an 'arrangement' with their landlord.
3: Don't sign the amended contract (and 'move' when the contract finishes).

900K/mo. is not a bad deal. However, I must question whether this is just a 'pot sweetener' used as an incentive for the initial 'push'... and people will find at contract renewal time, this amount will be reduced. The Ks aren't stupid and one must consider the foregone opportunity cost of 'key money' - at 6% interest you can get 100K/mo. on 20 mil. - so that 900K is really only 800K.

[halfmanhalfbiscuit]

They'll find people either prepared to or are foistered into a goshiwon/ long term love motel deal. people will come over thinking 900K is good but having no idea about key money

If staying with family 900K would be pretty good. There's no way I'd agree to any contract change like that if it meant losing my accommodation though.

I wouldn't want to get involved with key money if it was my first time here. How would I know I'd get it back before having to leave the country?And where will most newbies get 5-10 million from?

It's a thoroughly unreasonable expectation

[mysterious700]

I had hear that in most areas of Seoul, a new one room would run you around 500,000 won a month and 10 million deposit. So, that would be ok if you could manage the deposit. But, if not, that's rough. Gangnam is run seperately from the rest of SMOE? I didn't know that. How do people apply for that? (Through SMOE?)

[iggyb]

I too think the 0.9 is just initial window dressing. I bet by next year's hiring cycle, it will be around 0.5 like adult hakwons in Seoul.

I give it 50/50 SMOE will follow suit. If the primary motivator is budget cuts due to the global economy, which I bet it is, then it will look too good to drop the key money. At some point, the Korean government will have to decide how much it really wants native English speakers (1 at a time) in each school... If I'm a principle, I'd have a hard time tying up 10.0 long term while cutting department budgets in science and math and English or cutting out what little extra-curricular things Korean public schools offer the kids...

From the TESOLer perspective, this will alter the industry pretty good if it becomes standard in the rest of Seoul. It will drive non-veterans out of Gangnam and perhaps many veterans.

Newbies simply will not have key money. Period. They also won't know about the alternatives. Many won't accept the alternatives.

And even if you are a veteran, if you are only thinking of remaining in Korea one more year, are you going to plop down 10.0 in key money at a new place?

I wouldn't. If I can't be hear to fight any legal battles to get all of my money back, I couldn't risk losing any sizable portion of 10.0 million...

This could counter that massive influx of new prospective TESOLers we've seen this year... I don't know how it will end up influencing veterans. Maybe for the good. Maybe for the worse...

I can picture shared housing making a comeback. Easily...

[littlelisa]

Gangnam will get more applications from people who've already been in Korea, and who are planning to stay more than a year this way. Better for them, and if they don't drop the housing allowance, it's a good deal for experienced teachers planning to stay a while too.

[iggyb]

If they do drop the allowance, however, I don't know if I'd take it.

I also wonder how cost-effective 0.9 for all those teachers is going to be long-term compared to key money? I mean - if you are going to have to keep the supply of teachers at a certain level for years and years and years --- how could signing long-term key money deals with landlords work? You still have all that money tied up in housing not doing anything for you ---- beyond interesting qualified teachers to work for you ---- but you are no longer shelling out about a million a month....for years....

Your basically renting a TESOLer instead of purchasing a TESOLer outright and counting on future savings...right?

[halfmanhalfbiscuit]

I agree that it would be reduced to 500K soon after which makes it far less attractive.

As for living in Gangnam, who cares??I see zero real attraction.

But...they'll get newbies to live in goshiwons who'll just put up with it for 3,6,12 months at a time.

[Bibbitybop]

Yes, the Gangnam office of education makes its own contracts and finds its own teachers. People who apply for SMOE do not get placed in Gangnam office of education schools.

Unless something has changed. For a long time, PS teachers have known Gangnam is run more professionally, pays more, and highers teachers with more qualifications than SMOE.

That's why the OP title is a little misleading.

[iggyb]