Korean Job Discussion Forums

[beckysue6662006]

I just want to say, after spending the time going through reviews of countless places to teach in Korea, that working at Daegu Gyeongbuk English Village is a good place to work.

I have learned to cope with minor personality conflicts with other teachers and staff members. Those who enjoy their time here have done the same. I think living in Korea is difficult for people, so there are always going to be initial complaints.

Now that I have been here for two years, I thought a change would be good. But looking at the competition, the only thing that beats working at the village is getting a sweet Uni job somewhere--which is something I can train for at DGEV because we also have several Uni programs that come through throughout the year.

I am lucky to have started working at this job because it has given me the opportunities and experience to grow as a teacher. I can teach all grade levels--as they come through--even adults and kindergarten.

Just like any job, YOU get what YOU put in. It can be enjoyable experience if you decide to change your attitude about it. So many people have left here jaded and it is their own fault for being negative and hopeless.

Hawkwons are no competition for working at the village. The end. I've heard my friends' horror-hawkwon stories, and have never experienced things anywhere near that at the village.

I am not saying that this place is perfect--every business makes mistakes--the difference is if you are willing to make corrections--which they have.

The teachers and staff who have stayed at the village for years (4 or more) are some of the kindest people I have ever known.

I want those who are looking for a job to consider working here because, from experience, I can tell you that it would be worth your time.

It is not an easy ride--this is not a hawkwon where you drill students with vocabulary, and force them to take meaningless tests. Be a professional and stay that way and you will be respected as one.

It is different. It is situational learning--that takes time to get used to, but when you get a feel for it, it is really fun. And you can teach academic classes, but keep in mind that these should include lots of student talk, otherwise you will bore yourself, and the students, to death.

For those of you worried about the living situation--yes--I get it--you think you can live in a dorm without an issue--I did too. But, 80% of people living at the village long to be living out in the world. And guess what--you can do it yourself. There are countless "One-rooms" that you can get near YJC (in Daegu where the shuttle bus starts its way to the village) for yourself at a reasonably low cost and still have that dorm on campus when you want to stay there. There are always ways to work around discomfort if you are willing to pay a little extra.

If you stay between 6 months and 1 year or more, it is likely that you will be given your own furnished apartment by DGEV. People leave every year for their own reasons when their contracts are up, but if you stick it out and stay, getting an apartment off campus will cure most of your at-work woes. You can tough it out--you just need to be patient.

The other option is to buy a car. You can get one for about 1,200,000 won and that car will be your salvation--the highway is close enough to kiss and Waegwon (a nearby city) has a train that takes you to Daegu in 20 mins. Amazing right?! Drive your car there or take a taxi there and be downtown in 30 minutes.

Of course there is a shuttle bus, but think of other modes of transportation, like the train option, as the traffic in Korea notoriously awful.

I just want to end with: yes I am a real teacher at this place, and NO, I was not asked to say anything on behalf of the village.

Those of you who want to teach children, have fun with them, and get experience you just can't get anywhere else, should apply here.

Do yourself a favor.

[mandrews1985]

I visited this place last summer. The plane is cool, I think the problem most people see/think they see is students go there for maybe a week you do all the fun things and then they leave. Then new students come, stay for a week you repeat and they leave. And so on! Can get very boring.

One of the best things about teaching students twice a week for a year or two is the relationship you can build with them. That's something that's missing from these villages right? Plus the repetitive classes and the fact it's in the middle of nowhere (why would a teacher who's on a one year contract commit to buying a car?) doesnt help and paying for your own place outside of the village isnt an answer at all.

I'd say, like most jobs, there are advantages and disadvantages to Village programs, but it's not for everyone.

[beckysue6662006]

I see your point about the relationship building that you normally get with a public school job, or maybe a hawkwon, which is why I was looking elsewhere because I studied to become a teacher. I miss seeing students on a regular basis. Yes. that is a drawback.

But, I will say that we run several special programs throughout the year that give us the opportunity to know our students very well--and good thing about that is that these students come back for extended stays (3 weeks) year after year.

Not to mention, teachers who have an MA/E1 visa have the opportunity to teach Purdue classes and get the experience necessary to easily find work at a university.

I will list the programs we run throughout the year to give you an idea of what you can do at the village:

1. ESL intensive program--3rd-6th grade and middle school; Summer and Winter programs. 3-weeks each.

2. TEE--teaching English to Educators; 2 week program teaching adult Korean teachers teaching strategies and techniques for teaching English in their own classrooms.

3. Winter TESOL--3 weeks--a government sponsored program which Korean teachers sign-up for to become more qualified to teach speakers of other languages (such as immigrant families in Korea, or mixed families which are becoming an everyday sight.) As I've heard, this is a highly competitive program and is well sought after. Must have an MA TESOL or equivalent to work in this program.

4. Government Officials Adult Program--each month, government workers come to the village to learn practical business English skills. This program is great for meeting people from all walks of life--firemen, biologists, and EMTs.

5. DGEV Kindergarten--kindergartens from around Gyeongbuk come to our kindergarten nearly every day and we teach them Art, Cooking, Science, Reading, Math, and P.E. We have several kindergartens that come on a regular basis, so this would be the best option for someone looking for year-round student consistency.

6. Middle School Program--several times throughout the year we have large groups of middle school students who come to the village. We teach them a curriculum based on Korean national standards and they receive our workbook, made by our teachers.

7. Hi Five Program--this program is a government program for students from lower income levels who need more exposure to English. Teachers develop the curriculum from the Korean standards. So, the curriculum changes every month.

8. High School Program--about 3 times a year, high school students visit the village. We usually make a workbook catered to the school's needs.

9. Saturday Field Trips--this is the best opportunity to make extra cash with the nicest students--I have never had a terrible time working on a Saturday. The best part is that you get paid a great price for your time.

10. 5 day 4 night--the general program. Students come for 5 days and 4 nights and take several different classes throughout the week. This is the largest and most common program we have at the village--it goes on every week.


Next thing to address is the issue of being "in the middle or nowhere." Absolutely, yes, that is true. I believe you must have been with the group of teachers coming for the TALK program last summer. I think you stayed 2 or 3 nights? So, you can see how far away it is from the metropolitan areas you are accustomed to. Yes, very true, but the advantages and opportunities of working here out-weigh the problem of the location.

In fact, 18 out of 48 teachers live off campus, and if you wait your turn, when people slowly move out for a Uni job, or go back home, you can get into an apartment after about a year--some of us, like me, got off campus after 6 months.

We have had 8 teachers with cars who lived at the village, and from what I heard, it was completely worth it, and helped fulfill their lives--because, let's be real, living in an adult dorm will eventually get on anyone's nerves. Getting a car is a pretty easy solution to the problem.

The other option is getting a little place for yourself. Yes, you are right, if you are only staying for one year, there would not be a point to that. But, where I work, staying for 2 or 3 years is common and is an average stay, so getting a place is a lot more plausible.

Getting a "one room" for 250,000 a month is completely doable and affordable if you are way down on the apartment list. I think you would need a 1,000,000 won deposit for that size of a place, but you will get it back at the end of your lease.

In the end, the advantages are too great to settle for a hawkwon job that will just go under a month after you get to Korea. I have heard it all--there was a teacher who came to us after not being paid by her hawkwon for months and lost all of her hair; another one where the recruiter lied to him and insisted there would be no "Split shifts" and no required Saturdays, and then he got to the job and it was exactly the opposite--he worked split shifts every day and every Saturday expect once every 2 months.

How many people can say that several of their co-workers stay at their job in Korea for 3 or more years? Staying for 1 year at a job looks bad in any country.

If you really want to stay in Korea for a while, and get lots of unique experiences with several age groups, this is the place to work--hands-down.