Korean Job Discussion Forums

[baedaebok]

Which is better: private or public school job in Korea? I'm situated in Seoul and deciding which offers to accept.

Pros of private:
1) Smaller class sizes
2) Teaching by yourself (IMHO: even though no readily available Korean translation, Ss try harder to use English & don't rely on Korean teacher)
--> What is your experience?
3) Curriculum/materials freedom: don't have to follow set stuff but use own creativity (e.g., www.waygook.org) --? Your opinion?

Pros of public:
1) Less capricious boss (more stable contract/hiring&firing decisions not based on if boss "likes" the teacher or not)
2) Sharing a wealth of commonly-held curriculum/materials (e.g., www.waygook.org).

What are your thoughts? Which offer would you accept: private or public teaching job (middle/elem)?

Thanks. BDB

[IPayInCash]

Youve been registered here for six years and you still dont know the answer to that question?

Anyways neither. I work less hours than university professors, get paid more, and do half the work as anyone else in Korea. A quarter ofthe work as anyone working at Poly or SLP.

"IPC"

[NYC_Gal 2.0]

Personally, I preferred working at a hagwon to public school, but it was one of those good hagwons that aren't advertised and don't need recruiters.

@IPayInCash, what kind of vacation time do you get?

[YTMND]

[IPayInCash]

University jobs are very overrated. The glory days of uni gigs are long over. Smh@ people with masters and phd's that work in Korea on a lower salary than someone starting out at a hagwon with no experience.

[IPayInCash]

My friend left his job in Seoul making good money for a uni gig in the middle of no where.

Now hes making 1.9, bored as hell since hes in Bumblef*** Korea, and the babysitters playing pattycakes with toddlers are making 500k more than him. Was it worth it? From the way he talks about the socalled coveted uni gig Id say it wasnt.

Give the unis credit man. Getting masters and phds to boast about and pay them peanuts. Lowballing perfected.

[NYC_Gal 2.0]

Most of the people I know working at uni jobs makes more than 3 million a month, before overtime or privates.

Vacation isn't to flaunt. Some of us are studying and/or like to visit our home countries or go on vacation for more than a week or two. I was just curious, because that's a selling point to me.

[IPayInCash]

Classic Daves: everyone at a uni is making over 3 million and has 5 months of vacation a year.

*rolling eyes*

[young_clinton]

[IPayInCash]

I dont get why anyone with a masters or phd would work at a uni any length longer than a year just to experience a different culture, bag some hot asian girls, et al. If I spent tens of thousands of dollars on a phd only to teach English in Korea Id be pretty disappointed some guy with half the qualifications is making more money than me and works less hours.

I always thought the point of post grad was to apply that to a career relating to your field of study. I guess people are either really lazy or bored since they dont mind wasting thousands of dollars and years of studying to get paid in peanuts in Korea.

[Skippy]

[transmogrifier]

[IPayInCash]

Job description
1. Position: Full-time Foreign Professor (teaching English Conversation)
2. Contract Period: 1 year starting from the first day of fall semester, 2013 (renewable)
3. Teaching 15 hours per week
4. Teaching Summer and Winter sessions may be required

Qualifications
1. Master's degree + two years of full time college level teaching experience
2. Bachelor's degree + four years of full time college level teaching experience
(part-time teaching and lifelong education class will not be considered)

Salary and Benefits
1. 2,100,000 KRW / month (before tax)
2. Paid vacation : 8 weeks / year
3. Housing : Studio type on campus housing or 300,000 krw for housing allowance
4. Office : Shared office equipped with a computer
5. Teacher's pension : 50%
6. Medical insurance : 60%
7. Airfare for visa: 500,000 krw

Despite the "every uni teacher I know is making 3.0 with five months vacation!" crowd, let me actually post a REAL job ad to support my claim.

Lowballing checklist:
- 2.1 crappy peanuts wage. Check.
- 2 months vacation which is half of what the norm used to be. Check.
- Lower housing allowance than the standard. Check.
- Only covering airfare for the visa run (all other costs: food, hotel, et al. at YOUR expense). Check.
- Notice the bold. So instead of 8 weeks its actually "We're going to go ahead and ask you to work during your vacation because you made a bad deal."

I GUARANTEE some shmuck with a master's will take this job then go on his facebook saying he "hit the big time."

ROFL.

Like I said, give these unis credit. They've mastered the art of lowballing.

[NYC_Gal 2.0]

I said most, not every.

Again, how much vacation time do you get?

[young_clinton]