Korean Job Discussion Forums

[korea.teacher]

Over the years complaints about the same topics keep cropping up from teachers: pension, contracts, taxes, housing, etc.

So the question is, why haven't conditions improved (or have they)?

[young_clinton]

Teachers keep thinking they are not going to be the minority of really unlucky ones.

[YTMND]

[Deja]

It's called Capitalism at its best (for the rich).

Things improve when the alternatives are all more expensive. That won't happen any time soon.

[sirius black]

I actually thought in this electronic age that things would be better. I think they are for those who properly take the time to vet the school.
You can still get screwed but your chances of being screwed are greatly reduced if you try and do some homework. Talk to someone who is at or was at the school. Ask people on forums such as this and there are others, about the school, recruiter, etc.

The vast majority of the problems I've seen over the last year or two about teachers getting screwed they didn't properly do research. They were naive. People still go to Wonderland for example. There are decent ones among the many but would anyone who has done any modicum of research even chance it with all the other hogwons around?

Over time I've also gotten a little sympathy for schools. Having gotten to know a few directors and owners and I tell them the plight of teachers. They or someone they know has gotten screwed by teachers as well. People agree to come and a few weeks or even a few days before say they are not coming or some simply don't even tell them. They sometimes do the best they can to make someone comfortable and someone skips out after a few weeks or months for reasons most would say are not worthy of skipping out on a contract. Some of us complain a bit too much about stuff that doesn't matter or really isn't that important.

I've been lucky but I did my research so I created my own luck.

[sirius black]

I actually thought in this electronic age that things would be better. I think they are for those who properly take the time to vet the school.
You can still get screwed but your chances of being screwed are greatly reduced if you try and do some homework. Talk to someone who is at or was at the school. Ask people on forums such as this and there are others, about the school, recruiter, etc.

The vast majority of the problems I've seen over the last year or two about teachers getting screwed they didn't properly do research. They were naive. People still go to Wonderland for example. There are decent ones among the many but would anyone who has done any modicum of research even chance it with all the other hogwons around?

Over time I've also gotten a little sympathy for schools. Having gotten to know a few directors and owners and I tell them the plight of teachers. They or someone they know has gotten screwed by teachers as well. People agree to come and a few weeks or even a few days before say they are not coming or some simply don't even tell them. They sometimes do the best they can to make someone comfortable and someone skips out after a few weeks or months for reasons most would say are not worthy of skipping out on a contract. Some of us complain a bit too much about stuff that doesn't matter or really isn't that important.

I've been lucky but I did my research so I created my own luck.

[Moondoggy]

you can always go back to your home country and try to find a better job instead of whining on dave's esl board.
let us know how differently you get treated in your home country.

[Julius]

[Deja]

[ontheway]

[PatrickGHBusan]

[Julius]

[PatrickGHBusan]

[Dodge7]

You guys expecting that wages should just keep rising are just dumb. What do think we should be pulling? 3 mill? In the next 10 years? 4 mill? We are freaking ESL teachers who get paid well for just trotting on over here and talking. You aren't going to get paid more than what we are now unless there is a shortage of teachers. The market has reached equilibrium and employers would lose money if they started paying us more. It's not happening.

[PatrickGHBusan]