Korean Job Discussion Forums

[mdickun83]

I was wondering what the typical apartment looks like that people stay in when the room and board is covered. I imagine it's just a pretty basic apartment but it's better to know for sure (pictures would be great!).

Also, I have never taught abroad yet; I am 27 and have a college degree but no TESOL cert. I was thinking of doing the EPIK program but I've read some mixed reviews. But all of the info on the sticky on the FAQ board is pretty old. I was wondering what the current experiences are with the program. Are the apts nice? How much money can I send back to the states if I'm in it?

It appeals to me because they offer the training aspect of it. Are there other programs that are similar?

Any and all info is greatly appreciated.

[thegreg52]

You can do a quick youtube search of "Korean apartment" or something of the sort. Many people take short videos of their apartments.

[air76]

There really is no such thing as a typical apartment here...it varies greatly depending on where you're placed and how kind your school is. Apartments are much nicer than they used to be, but you should count on getting a tiny studio apartment with a single bed and next to nothing in it, and then be happy if you arrive to find a bigger/nicer place with extra furnishings.

How much money you can send home relates directly to how much money you spend....a first year teacher generally is going to be spending about 1/2 of their salary because they will want to travel around Korea, buy things for their apartment, and generally go out and enjoy themselves...the longer you stay the lower the minimum amount is that you need to spend each month (if you choose)....even in your 2nd year you will be able to send a lot more home (if that is your goal) after you've set yourself up, gotten into a routine, learn the ropes, and so on. But yeah, I think that around $1,000/month is a reasonable goal for a newbie to send home each month.

Don't count on much from the training....Koreans have nothing to teach you with regards to how to teach English. I highly recommend "How to Teach English" by Jeremy Harmer....I think that it touches on all of the basic methodologies for doing this job.

[lovebug]

when moving to korea, i think the best way to approach it is to know that at least a few very crappy things will happen to you, or at the very least, some surprises. no amount of research of housing or school options is going to prevent this. living in korea can be a really valuable lesson in problem solving and conflict resolution.
as the other posters said, there's no typical type of housing. some people get lucky and some get not so great places. if it's downright unlivable, you can try to figure out a plan with your school. especially with the public schools, they have signed a year long lease for that place so it's difficult to change midyear. i know a number of people who've managed to do it, though.
when you say epik, are you talking about the 'new' epik, which includes seoul (formally SMOE) or the rural epik? either way, for every person who's had a horrible time with them, there is someone who had a wonderful experience - so it will always be a mixed review! please realize that EPIK will not be involved with your day to day functions as a teacher and you will have very little to do with them after orientation. how you like your 'EPIK' job will depend on your coteachers and your principal and VPs (and how well you're able to deal with them).
as someone who is part of the public schools, i am glad for them to have my back when it comes to getting paid on time and whatnot, but the notion that it's this big support network and 'program' is very misleading. you deal with your school if there's a problem. and in your contract, it says anything not explicitly addressed there will be up to your school.

even with small hagwons, personal reviews can be really skewed; some native teachers get better treatment than others (for a myriad of reasons) and some teachers who are leaving try to make it sound great because it's their job to find someone to replace them.
i think the people who thrive here are ones who can take a lot of curveballs and roll with the punches. you need a lot of patience, nunchi (google it), resourcefulness, and ability to adapt to succeed.
'training' is a week long orientation. the best thing to do is to find the best teachers at orientation and network with them. they are a resource.

if you definitely want to do public schools, i hear that they are only considering those with a tefl/tesol/celta first now. if there are still openings, they start to look at BAs. a recruiter would be able to clarify that.
good luck!

[ttompatz]

[mdickun83]

Thanks for all the help everyone.