Korean Job Discussion Forums

xpat · Joined: 13 Mar 2008 Location: Kangnam baby

I'm hearing mixed things about working at a university, but the thing that attracts me are the hours and vacation.
There is a new ad for Hanseo University, which is, according to the ad, "is located in Seosan Question

, on the Korean west coast 1hr 20 minutes south-west of Seoul."
Here is part of the ad:

bassexpander · Joined: 13 Sep 2007 Location: Someplace you'd rather be.

Find out what "research day off" means. That could mean they expect you to take work home for some kind of project.

I have a similar contract in Seoul, but I get 2 days off by virtue of how they schedule... not common for most jobs at this level. Actually, right now, I have 1 day off at the moment (was just given a 1 month "enrichment" class at 8am for 1 hour twice a week).

Also, find out what the exact vacation is. Working 3 weeks summer or winter vacation isn't bad. That's why I do, pretty much.

seosan08 · Joined: 10 Oct 2008 Location: Korea

Seosan itself is fairly boring. It's an old farming town that the Korean government declared an "economic zone" and is pumping money into it. It's morphing into a crowded small town that has middle sized town traffic problems. It could be solved by moving the bus station, city hall, etc... to outside the city (lots of countryside here). But businesses are fighting it tooth and nail. It will happen sooner or later, but more later than sooner at the rate things are going.

That aside, it's one of the prettiest parts of Korea, lots of beaches, 1 1/2 hour to Seoul and Daejun. The campus is located in a small town outside Haemi and is beautiful. I've done summer camps there and like the rest of the area, it's beautiful. Very rural, lots of mountains and rice fields. Seosan city and Seosan county are considered the same thing, but Seosan county has lots of small towns around it.

I haven't worked at the uni, but a couple instructors I met there seemed to like it. Hope that helps.

xpat · Joined: 13 Mar 2008 Location: Kangnam baby

Thanks Seosan08
One thing that the ad does not state is if the winter/ summer classes are paid, and if so, how much?
I'll find out soon enough as I sent them an email.

Heifer · Joined: 29 Sep 2005

I worked there. It's a very laid back environment. There is almost nothing to do outside of the job. Almost all of the students go home every weekend. The campus really clears out on Fridays, and they come back on Monday mornings. You can take a bus to Seosan to buy food, but there isn't much to eat around campus otherwise. There are some Mom and Pop shop type convenience stores. There is one good restaurant that sells chicken. You have to go to Seosan to get anything decent to eat for the most part, but I just went to Seoul for that. It's a great gig if you like to meditate a lot because there isn't much else to do. Everyone is very nice there.

The contracts are based on hours per year. If you work more hours per year than your contract says, then you get more pay.

xpat · Joined: 13 Mar 2008 Location: Kangnam baby

Heifer · Joined: 29 Sep 2005

I'm not sure what the overtime rate is because I never went over the 630 hours per year that were in my contract. It looks like they have lowered the hours now to 477 or so; so I doubt that the 3-week summer or winter classes are considered overtime unless you do both. I never did a summer or winter class, but I was offered a class. Some people did those classes to meet the hours in their contracts.

In addition, most faculty member don't stay in the area on the weekends. Several of the native English speakers had real homes in other towns. I did because I got bored to death sitting in my bedroom all weekend with only 1 or 2 TV channels in English. I spent a lot of money on hotels until I got my apt.

If you go for an interview, you should know that it's hard to see the campus from the bus stop, and the people on the bus close the shades so that you can't see where you are. The stop looks like country convenience store. You have to walk down the road and up the hill to get to the univerity.

seosan08 · Joined: 10 Oct 2008 Location: Korea

It's pretty bad when you have to go to boring old Seosan for something to do!!!! Laughing

Heifer · Joined: 29 Sep 2005

Yeah, I only went to Seosan to go to the bus station, Pizza Hut once, and to Popeye's once.

I lived at Academia 7 K from campus, so there were hardly any buses to anywhere on the weekends. If I went anywhere on Saturday, I had to be back home by 5 PM due to the bus schedule. One day the "last bus" never came, and I had no way to get to my room until Sunday!

seosan08 · Joined: 10 Oct 2008 Location: Korea

mishlert · Joined: 13 Mar 2003 Location: On the 3rd rock from the sun

PRagic · Joined: 24 Feb 2006

For that pay and those hours, I'd suggest taking a crappy university job in Seoul for starters. At least try to find one that gives fully paid summer/winter breaks (so that your 'camp' or class is paid in overtime).

Since you have your MA, you qualify for some of the jobs out there. Why stick yourself out in the boonies at a no-name school?

xpat · Joined: 13 Mar 2008 Location: Kangnam baby

I sent my resume to a few unis, Hanseo being one of them.
I've got some interviews set up in, and near Seoul, but no word from Hanseo yet.

PRagic · Joined: 24 Feb 2006

Good luck. Let us know how things pan out.

Heifer · Joined: 29 Sep 2005

Yes, Academia is an old hotel that was bought by the university for student housing. It's 7K from campus down the road on the left. It's not possible to walk to and from campus due to the roads. Sometimes the local buses went through there so fast that they didn't see me waiting and didn't stop, but there are not many buses on the weekends. There is nothing near there, not even a convenience store. Most of the students left every weekend. It's a great place to be if you want to spend lots of time alone in your bedroom.