Korean Job Discussion Forums

[anners]

Hi,
I just submitted by initial application to Korvia and they want to interview me for a certain program. They were talking about GEPIK program in Gyeonggi province, the suburban area of Seoul. I looked at the map and this place seems really far from Seoul.
Should I be upfront with them and state that I want to teach in Seoul?
I did some research regarding salary range, but do you have any opinions on what i should expect/ask for based on my qualifications.
BA Psychology (ranked in the top 10% school in US), a lot of current and past volunteer time with elementary school students in classroom (do they even care?), but I don't plan on getting a TOEFL certificate.
Also, is there any question you recommend I ask the recruiter.
What questions should I expect in this first interview?
Thanks for any help

[sirius black]

The program for Seoul has the acronym SMOE. Find a recruiter who places people there. Some recruiters have stronger connections with cerain schools in certain areas. Korvia has strong connections outside of Seoul, they want to get paid so they are going to place you where they can place you.
Let them know. No sense in wasting time interviewing somewhere you're not going to be happy. There are some great places to live and work outside of Seoul such as Bucheon that are very close to Seoul, easily accessible and so on.
I've heard they like a person to have a 3.0 GPA or better for SMOE and the school doesn't matter but if you went to a school that has a rep in Korea it helps (top tier Ivy league - Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, UCLA). Some factors help as well like being a young, blonde, white female. It is what it is. They like a certain look.

[SCAshley]

Gyeonggi-do is the rest of the province that surrounds Seoul. It really depends on where you are. I live a pretty straight shot South of Seoul (in Gyeonggi-do) and it takes me an hour flat to get to almost the center of Seoul. You can live in Seoul and it can take you an hour just to get to another part of Seoul. It's really not bad, but it you want to be IN Seoul, do what the other poster suggested and ask for SMOE. As far as pay, I work for GEPIK as well, GEPIK uses a pre-determined pay schedule, so your degrees/certificates determine where in the pay schedule you fall (you cannot request a specific salary, they set it, no negotiations)-I'm not sure if SMOE works the same way? Good luck whatever you decide!

[dyc]