Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Heejin23]

My recruiter said they liked my resume and would like to have an interview with me so I'm going to do the interview but I would like to know if anyone has worked for them or currently is working for them? It's the branch in Dongdaemun, Seoul that I would be working at.

I've searched it on google and it seems to be a Christian school... or at least that's what the results came up with so I'm not sure... does anyone know if it is or not?

Anything anyone could share with me would be greatly appreciated. This would be my first year teaching in Korea so I don't want to choose a school that is not a good one to work for.

Thanks!! ^_^

[ttompatz]

[Heejin23]

[Skippy]

[Kaeden]

I worked for the chain years ago, my first gig. Not sure how it works these days but the hours were pretty bad back then. I worked from 7 am to about 10 pm with breaks in between. Adults in the morning, kids in the afternoon then adults again in the evening, all for a measly 1.7.

Most everything else was great, never had a problem with actually getting paid or anything of that sort. Also, they were very supportive.

My advice, check your contract carefully before your sign. Look for the small things. For example, they were picky as hell about the dress code. I was reprimanded by email for not wearing a tie to class one day.

[cheolsu]

I worked at an SDA elementary school in Seoul. Through my coworkers, I met many Adventists who taught at SDA hagwons in Seoul. Since they are considered missionaries who happen to be teaching on E2 visas (I personally never came across people on missionary visas who were teaching), they do ask a lot of their teachers and don't treat them very well. I wouldn't work there if I was you. I would go with another chain hagwon.

[RangerMcGreggor]

SDA schools can be a crapshoot. I worked at an SDA school once and it was awful. They forced us to make textbooks, be involved in prayer and banned coffee (which is pretty extreme even by SDA standards). I've been told they've had runners every year since I left, even though it is a private middle school with public school working hours and vacation.

Near our campus, the elementary school was ran completely differently and teachers loved it. They had several open atheist teachers and they didn't care. I have a friend who currently works at an SDA school in Seoul and he loves it. He is also openly atheist and they don't give a crap.

[andy202]

I worked at SDA for a brief spell earlier this year and what I have to recommend against them could fill a warehouse.

The training program is a two-week unpaid ordeal consisting of all but having your bottom wiped for you, since it is presumed you are a newbie and haven't clue how to survive in Korea.

You will most likely find yourself lumped in with 40 other mugs, condescended to from 9 till 5, 6 days a week, by "trainers" who clearly get a kick out of pretending to be the expert.

What you won't get is any understanding that you are an individual with needs that don't necessarily fit with what is expected. For example, I have 5 bank accounts already. I didn't need to be frog-marched to KEB to open yet another one. On the otherhand, a day or two to settle into my new abode before starting the job would have been great since I have 7 years' worth of possessions and not, as is presumed, just a suitcase.

Hard work drilling this point into SDA's overly centralised operation in Dongdaemun.

My real issue, however, was that the job was not 6 hours per day Mon-Thurs as described in the interview but, in fact, 6am-11am and 6pm-9.30pm Mon-Fri, plus a couple of hours of Conversation Club/Holy Communion on Saturday mornings to "make up my hours". And this for 2.2m won.

I left after 2 months, amicably.

Though my experience has left me with a disproportionately scathing view of SDA. For you, it could be perfect. If you are a tee-totalling non-smoker who goes straight to bed after class, finds jewelry distasteful, needs no more than 6 hours sleep, doesn't eat meat (in Korea?!) or shellfish, loves singing, dancing, praising, preaching to students at the start of every class and floating about in that floppy-armed, lilty-eyed pious way that the "enlightened" so often do, then you've found your dream job.

Myself, I now work back in the realm of the unapologetically profiteering cut-n-thrust hagwon. It's familiar, unforgiving, brutually honest and unpretentious. It's lovely.