Korean Job Discussion Forums

jplau · Joined: 27 Jan 2010

Hi guys. I'm new to these forums. My plan was originally to go to China (to learn Cantonese and teach English) but because I have student loans to consider (around 25k USD) I thought about going to Korea where I was told I'd make more money and where I'll be more likely to get hired - I'm Chinese-American and I hear that Chinese employers discriminate more against non-Caucasians. I have a friend in Daegu who saves up to 2k a month, at that rate, I'd be able to pay off the debt in a little more than a year. On the other hand I'm also applying for the Peace Corps and they require 3 months of teaching experience, minimum, for prospective ESL teachers. So I may make some headway on my loans without getting as ripped off as I would in China and then get them deferred because of the PC.

Anyway I have some questions about Korea and some things I've noticed on this forum:

1) When should I start finding job listings for the Fall semester? I want to go to Korea in either August or September. A lot of the current listings are for February and March this season.

2) What are the warmest places in Korea? I lived in Harbin, China for a year and it sucked! It's just below the belly of Sibera and since then I've hated winters bitterly. I hear that I wouldn't make much money on Jeju Island, but that year round warm weather would be awfully lovely.

3) I hear a lot about Hagwons and B.S. contracts. Is that private schools and bullsh*t contracts? Could you explain those a little more?

4) I've asked this before: is it safe to send photocopies of one's passport? I was advised to black out the passport number, but is that necessary? What could they do, really?

fishstick · Joined: 24 Jan 2010 Location: Portland, OR, USA

I am also looking for a job in Korea, for teaching ESL. I am looking to leave in mid-June, after the school term is over, and have been told by a few recruiters that I should wait until March to apply because it's too soon to be looking right now. Maybe that will help you.

sheba · Joined: 16 May 2005 Location: Here there and everywhere!

Private schools (hagwons) are available all year round... I guess there is more BS compared to public schools because public is a govt system whereas private is a private business. But remember there are also benefits (eg smaller classes). If you want to go private, then make sure you do a lot of research, talk with previous teachers etc and you will be able to find a decent job with minimum BS.

Ive seen a few ads here on daves offering applications for public schools for the fall semester... they say placements are based on a first come first severed basis. Most jobs (both public and private) are advertised about 2-3 months before the starting date, so you have plenty of time to look around. You prob wont find a whole lot before May though...

The further south you go, the warmer it is in Korea... however, there is no place that is warm all year round. Even Jeju is bitterly cold in winter (but not as much as up north and I guess not nearly as much as where you were before!)

Ive never had any probs sending a copy of my passport... nor have I heard any warnings about it...

joltaxt · Joined: 24 Oct 2009 Location: Seoul

ChilgokBlackHole · Joined: 21 Nov 2009

Hakwon work is a completely different animal from public school work. I crack heads and kick chairs, but at the end of the day, I give them a little more than they're used to. I have a great Monday schedule these days, and they have kind hearts, which goes a long way with me.

But there's no real vacation to speak of, everything's a major hassle. You see the people here working Universities and Public schools, and you hear them whining and complaining about desk warming when all they need is a copy of Grand Theft Auto and a good book.

You pick your numbers, you take your chances. Good luck to ya.

Hightop · Joined: 11 Jun 2003

If you wanted to go to China I say go there. The extra money you will save in Korea is offset by having to live here. If you want to learn Cantonese you should be going to Guangzhou. It should not be hard to find a position paying 12,000 - 13,000 with no experience. Saving $2000 usd a month in Korea in your first year, forget about it. That is about 2.3 mil won a month which means you would have to be earning about 3.3 mil, very rare in your first year. Go to China for 18 months, learn Cantonese and pay off the same amount as you would have in a year in Korea and you do not have to put up with Korean workplace culture.

yellowdove · Joined: 19 Aug 2009

1) When should I start finding job listings for the Fall semester? I want to go to Korea in either August or September. A lot of the current listings are for February and March this season.

Start applying the end of March, beginning of April. I applied for my job in July, started in November.

2) What are the warmest places in Korea? I lived in Harbin, China for a year and it sucked! It's just below the belly of Sibera and since then I've hated winters bitterly. I hear that I wouldn't make much money on Jeju Island, but that year round warm weather would be awfully lovely.

Try Busan, although like one of the other posters, there really isn't a warm place all year round. Daejeon, where I'm at, is pretty good too, because it's in a valley and we don't get that much snow.

3) I hear a lot about Hagwons and B.S. contracts. Is that private schools and bullsh*t contracts? Could you explain those a little more?

Some hagwons are really BS, this is true. But as in life, there are ALWAYS going to be aspects of jobs that are BS, no matter what the job. Just read over any contract carefully, as some hagwons will definitely try to sneak in some stupid clauses and stuff, post it on the Contract thread to get any advice, and ask to speak to teachers who are currently there. The teachers who are there can definitely give you the heads up on what's happening.

4) I've asked this before: is it safe to send photocopies of one's passport? I was advised to black out the passport number, but is that necessary? What could they do, really?

I didn't have a problem, and neither did my husband, or anyone else I've come across.

noobteacher · Joined: 27 Nov 2009

dosed_neurons · Joined: 23 Nov 2009

look at gov't english resorts...you can save practically all your money because they provide everything.

ThingsComeAround · Joined: 07 Nov 2008

If you work in Korea, you will not save 2K a month. Your friend in Daegu is lying to you, or doing illegal work (you could get deported for teaching on the side)

If you want the Fall semester, try looking a month or two before. Korean employers do not plan in advance. Everything is done at the last minute, and they expect you to be ready for their BS yesterday

Warmest places in Korea? Busan, Jeju, Kwangju, but remember that Japan and China have places that are more tropical than the areas I mentioned

Hagwons are businesses first and places of education second. If they have to downsize, they wouldn't come right out and tell you- rather make an excuse "You aren't teaching well enough", etc to make them look good and let all the blame fall on you

Normally you shouldn't have to mail a copy of the passport. I can't remember if I had to do this while applying for a job, however I do know that once here some places (bank, employer) wants to have a copy.

thegreg52 · Joined: 31 Jan 2010 Location: Seoul, Korea

I got a contract recently through EPIK and I'll be in Daegu next month. I started the whole process in late June/early July. I worked through a recruiting agency, which I think was great. I know a lot of people have very different views on recruiters, but mine guided me through each step and really guaranteed me a position in Korea.

I used Reach 2 Teach (www.reachtoteachrecruiting.com) and I was very happy. Of course there were a few hiccups but I think that will happen everywhere. I've also heard that KorVia is a good agency also.

I'll be in a public school. I've heard hagwons are basically wild cards in what they will/can do to you.

Best of luck to you!

jplau · Joined: 27 Jan 2010

thank you for the great replies. I'll be weighing Korea against a place that I also hear has dishonest business practices so the complaints against Hagwons of sort off set by my intuition about China.

Thanks for pointing some recruiters out. So far Aclipse is the only major recruiter that's been brought to my attention as well as YBM ECC. I've sent out apps to all sorts of employers including ones in China and I haven't gotten any replies.

ttompatz · Joined: 05 Sep 2005 Location: Kwangju, South Korea

I know this may sound moot but does anybody read the FAQs anymore?

For those who aren't "learned" in the internet, FAQ = frequently asked questions.

Getting a Job - Korea Vs Japan, Taiwan and China
http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?t=20658

Getting a Job - Things You Need to Know
http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?t=20656

Getting a Job -Hagwons, Unis, EPIK & Public Schools
http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?t=20655

Alien Registration Card (ARC)
http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?t=20654

the information may be old *but when necessary they are updated.

GTG09 · Joined: 03 Jul 2009

Don't start looking for a job thinking you are going to be able to save 2k a month. You will be lucky to be making 2k a month as a new teacher there.

jplau · Joined: 27 Jan 2010

Update: I got a reply from Reach to Teach saying they accepted my app within 10 hours of having sent it. Thank you, thegreg52 for pointing them out to me. The sample contract they linked to me didn't look bad (http://www.epik.go.kr/ has one).

According to the website (http://www.epik.go.kr/) my qualifications (BAs in Linguistics and Chinese, some classroom experience but only during a semester long ESL internship) won't even get me to the bottom second level of pay. But I get a co-teacher and only work on the weekdays. I get 22k overtime pay...generally a nice contract if the sample contract is at all a good representative of the actual thing.

Few more questions:

What's the difference between applying though a recruiter like Reach to Teach and applying directly to EPIK?

When I went to China, I seemed to miss two products the most: ziplock bags and tampons with applicators. Are either of these available in SK?

I saw the FAQ and the posts are quite out of date.