Korean Job Discussion Forums

[robot]

I was browsing through faculty lists of schools like SIS, SFS, YISS, KIS, etc and noticing pretty talented rosters of teachers.

I'm curious to hear what international schools gigs are like. In what way would they be preferable to other teaching jobs? Can one make a career at one specifc school in this kind of position?

I'm imagining the salary is similar to that of a well paying public school position, though with fewer hours. Is this accurate?

[koreatimes]

[jrwhite82]

[ForeverWanderlust]

IS are just like schools back home.

Nothing like a public school gig.

You actually have a curriculum to follow on REAL subjects.

Pay is better, benefits is better.

[lalartu]

it depends on the school

international schools come in several types in Korea

"fakes" - so called international school , but most students are korean and pay/benefits are crap. a lot of them are Christian for some reason. so it's more of a private Korean school than it is an international school (there are two in Ilsan that I applied to long time ago)

"fancy schools" - that's your SIS types. basically like working for a private school back home. good pay (from what I remember reading about BIS, they start with 65k Canadian a year, SIS is probably more as it's American), long holidays, lots of free time..but you obviously need to have an education degree and on top of that be talented like you said:)

but basic requirements for these schools are:
B.Ed or M.Ed (if you want to teach high school)
2+ years of experience in a western public school (Korea doesn't count...trust me I asked hehe)

with these credentials you don't have to stick to korea though, you can pretty much apply and work anywhere in the world. choose a place, find a school, apply. places like philippines and thailand are obviously more competitive since you get the same pay, but can live like an Asian king

[koreatimes]

http://www.gsis.sc.kr/programs/boarding-program/boarding-staff/

Wow, I didn't realize the Christian influence. That probably explains the salary. I have yet to see how it is a better job. Time off could simply be replaced with Christian camps.

I am not attacking any religion here, just trying to be neutral. I could say a lot worse things, but that's not what this thread is about.

Does anyone have a similar link to non-Christian faculty who didn't have to study the bible?

It would be interesting to get a comparison of salaries to better see if it really is a better job.

[ttompatz]

^^^^^ what he said with the addition that YES, you CAN make a decent career out of working in REAL international schools.

Pay is usually about double what you get at a K-PS. Holidays are MUCH longer (180 instruction days per year (12-16 weeks off) compared with 215 + camps), and you get real benefits (full medical, airfare, housing (or allowance), family relocation assistance, free tuition for your kids (1-2) and subsidized for any more that you may have, you get the picture.

Look at things like http://www.ibo.org or http://www.tes.co.uk/jobsHub.aspx?navcode=6 (pick your continent or country of choice) to name but 2.

There are lots of others.

.

[Chaucer]

Hey Robot,
I didn't find the KIS teacher credentials very impressive, after a quick look. Could check other schools.
These schools have great facilities.
What you'll be interested in is what they don't have: focus on getting kids into top 25 unis.
Faculty spend two or three years in country, only, so they often don't get to know students very well and can't write/aren't available to write recs. There's no SAT/AP focus--students are often limited in the numbers of APs they can take, and no help with SAT.
College counselor also rotates out often, and so doesn't know seniors well. No help with college essays, mediocre counselor reports.
You know my situation--crap facilities, huge classes, BUT top 25 teachers who are there for recs/SAT/essays and a counselor whose sole focus is getting kids into the top, heck, 10!
Combine our ethos with their facilities and you're gold. Surprised you didn't PM me!

[FMPJ]

Please go to SIS, SFS, or KIS and be awesome. I teach a lot of these kids on weekends and their school teachers are not up to snuff (with a few exceptions).

[EverGreen212]

[quote="robot"]I was browsing through faculty lists of schools like SIS, SFS, YISS, KIS, etc and noticing pretty talented rosters of teachers.

I'm curious to hear what international schools gigs are like. In what way would they be preferable to other teaching jobs? Can one make a career at one specifc school in this kind of position?

I'm imagining the salary is similar to that of a well paying public school position, though with fewer hours. Is this accurate?[/quote

I've looked into these jobs for a while now and the problem I'm having isn't the fact that they're picky (I have the credentials/experience) but that they just don't have openings! =/ I understand though. If I landed an awesome job and love it, I guess I wouldn't want to quit anytime soon...
I've found that this is the same with private elementary schools (not hagwons).


Although.. now I'm having this thought... I'm going to Korea to enjoy the country/culture and therefore wouldn't want to be in the same school environment as the ones I'm used to teaching here in the states. It's very rewarding, but long hours, lots of work load, and a lot of responsibility...

[lalartu]

the reason I said you'd be living like a king in Bangkok/Philippines is because you make pretty much the same amount you would make here, but the costs of living are so low that you would barely spend anything.

In Korea or especially Japan, working in an international school to make/save money is not as easy

I remember reading a IS forums and apparently Bangkok International School was like the most desirable place of work a few years back.