Korean Job Discussion Forums

[autoseal89]

Cheong ju city
Chain Affiliation
The school has a set curriculum and program you will follow.
Salary
KRW 2,100,000 - 2,300,000 / month
Required Teaching
30 teaching hours a week( Monday to Friday )
Teaching Schedule
Weekdays (Mon - Fri),
2:00pm -9:00pm
Housing Single Furnished APT. Modern.
Benefits Severance pay provided by the school upon completion of 12 months employment and roundtrip airfare provided. Medical insurance.
Vacation 10 vacation days according to the school's vacation + Korean National Holidays.
Current Teachers
Native English teacher :1
Korean English teacher: 3
Students
Elementary - Middle school students
Classes range approx.12.
Date of Arrival Late November-Early December,2010
Comments
The school is well organised and stable.

Hello guys, this is a job offer from PLUS ACADEMY that i have accepted but not signed anything yet. I will be replacing the only English teacher there, apparently the Korean teachers speak fluent English but i will be the only English teacher there, because of this do you think i should tell them i have had 2nd thoughts?


This would be my first teaching job, i will be the only teacher there but i do feel i have the skills to do the job. I have been impressed with the agency and the school who i have spoken to quite a lot. There is a curriculum and they said they will provide me with assistance and basic training, i am panicking a bit because i don't know if that will be enough, just stuck between a rock and a hard place. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[DosEquisXX]

That's not a contract. That's information about the vacancy (equivalent to a classified ad).

I interviewed for that job on Thursday. The academy said they were choosing between me and somebody else. I didn't get the job.

I guess you did

Anyway I wouldn't have taken the position. The interviewer literally told me that they fired the previous person because he was boring and she was losing students because of that. Appeared to me that the place was more interested in retaining customers than teaching them. Doesn't sound like a place I wanted to work at. They chose you going for your first teaching position over me with experience (though only a year of it).

Plus, being the only foreign teacher is a lonely experience. If you are in need of socialization, perhaps a bigger hagwon would be better for you.

Post the actual contract in the stickied thread to get opinions on it.

[nomad-ish]

i wouldn't choose it just because of the location. but if you're interested, you should post the contract in the stickies above before you accept. nothing sounds wrong with it, but the contract could change all that.

[Reise-ohne-Ende]

30 teaching hours a week sounds like a heck of a lot to me O_O

[coryallan]

120 teaching hours a month is quite a bit, I am currently working 116 teaching hours, but am getting overtime pay...my girlfriend is working 126 teaching hours, even with the extra money she is making she is always tired. Also you should look into whether they provide pension...its a big bonus to have.

[nomad-ish]

i think pension is tied to health insurance, so if the employer is paying one, he is getting nailed for the other too. 30 teaching hours a week is standard for hagwons, and if you already have a fully planned curriculum it probably won't be too difficult.

[DosEquisXX]

[fugitive chicken]

[ttompatz]

It is NOT a job offer or contract. It is simply a job listing.
ASK for more, look at the contract and THEN decide.
The devil IS in the details.

IF the contract doesn't scare you off then talk to them about your concerns.

Being the only foreigner is not a big problem or deal breaker if the staff is well organized (for Korea) and/or they have a decent enrollment (and can afford to keep you) while you go through your learning curve.

.

[DosEquisXX]

[autoseal89]

'Interesting?' You don't think this position is safe for a year then?

[some waygug-in]

Who knows?

I've been told that when a haggie gets a new teacher, enrolment always drops. I don't have any stats to back this up, but I think it's probably true
in many cases.

If they are losing students, that's a bad sign.

Why are they losing students?

If they are blaming the foreign teacher, then there's a good chance that the new teacher will be blamed as well.


I wouldn't take this job, but I'm a bit old for the hagwon game anyway.

Hope this helps.

[autoseal89]

Thanks for all your advice, appreciate it. I have just been offered this position:

[b] Location: GwangMyeong city, Kyeong ggido (ktx station)
working hours:9-6pm
teaching Kinder-elementary
salary:2.0 -2.2
housing:Single
start date:Mid November
there are 5 foreign teachers
although this is teaching kinder-elementary positions, its different with regular kinder-elementary positions
they are quite grown up, so you won�t have lots of difficulty
I have some photos of the school and its very nice and fun.
The school is located in the train station of GwangMyeong city, so it will take only 10min. by train to Central Seoul
If you look at the subway, the train stop is right next to Guem cheon gu office station.
Geum cheon gu office station is Seoul region, so its right next to that stop.[/b]

Although i haven't signed anything with the school or sent any documents away BUT i have accepted the job, and would feel bad on the director if i turned around and let them down now. However i am tempted with this position, i am really stuck and only have so much time to decide!

[plato's republic]

OP,

Firstly, don't feel pressured into signing anything before you're sure it's the right job for you. Also, ask for the email address of a current and/or former teacher in order to get the skinny on how things really are at the school. If the school refuses to give any contact info. for a current teacher, that should be a red flag. If they've got nothing to hide, it shouldn't be a problem for them.

Recruiters will also try to pressure you about signing a contract ASAP. They're only interested in picking up their recruiting fee. They don't owe you anything. Use them as much as they use you.

Finally, changing your mind on an offer before you've sent your documents off, is better than doing it after. Don't feel sorry for the hagwon director. He/She will be able to find another warm body soon enough. Especially in this tight market.

Best of luck!

[ttompatz]