Korean Job Discussion Forums

[canadianeh]

Over the last two weeks I have been contacting multiple recruiting companies found on this website, and two have gotten back to me. One being "Think Outside Recruiting" and the other being "Premier ESL Korea". I am simply wondering if anyone has any experience or knowledge of either the recruiting agency or the school/cities themselves

Think Outside Recruiting offered me two interviews with one in Incheon and the other in Paju. In Incheon I was offered:

English Village _ Global Education Center
-Location:Incheon City
-School website: http://www.isgec.or.kr/
-Salary : 2.0 ~ 2.3 Mil Korean Won
-Starting Date: 2014, Feb
-Working hours: 11:00 am – 8:00 pm, Mon-Fri
-Students Type : Kindie - Middle High School students
-Housing: Single Studio at dormitory building
-Vacation: 10 days + National Holidays
-Current foreign teachers: 15

Private Institute in Paju, Gyeonggi
-Location: Paju, Gyeonggi
-School website: www.childu.co.kr
-Salary : 2.1~ 2.3 Mil Korean won
-Starting Date: Early March
-Working Hours: 1:00 pm ~9:00 pm
-Students Type : Elementary~Middle School students
-Housing: Furnished Single Studio
- Vacation: 10 days + National Holidays
- Current Foreign Teachers: 1

I had expressed in a Skype call that I would like to be in either Seoul or Busan, but she told me it would be hard for me to find a job there because I have zero experience. That's fine with me, but I did some digging around on this forum and found negative reviews of both from ~2006. Wondering if anyone can vouch for it now?

From Premier ESL Korea I received an offer for an interview outside of Busan in Gimhae:
School : Seokwha E-kids campus in Changwon and Gimhae( near busan)
http://www.changwon.go.kr/main/main_1.jsp
Area website- http://english.gimhae.go.kr/main/
www.seokhwa-kids.co.kr
Salary :2.1M-2.2MTeaching hours: 9-6pm Monday to Friday
Teaching target : Kinder and Elementary students
Round trip airfare, Housing : fully furnished a single one room house, 10mins walking distance from the school.
Pension: yes
Medical Insurance : yes
Severance pay : one month bonus at the end of one year contract
Visa sponsored
Paid vacation : 10 days, sick day : 3 days
Starting date: End of February

I could not find any info on this school, but I would greatly appreciate any info on any of them.

Thanks

[young_clinton]

Just from very briefly looking over it, I think door #2 is the one that I would choose. Paju is actually kind of a neat place, close to the DMZ and what I saw was pretty. Also you'll be teaching Elementary students. Although it says Middle students also, at least some of the classes are Elementary. Elementary students are the best. I would avoid the Kindy job.

[canadianeh]

Ya, that's the one I was leaning towards. I don't think I would like to live in a dorm. Is it possible to live comfortably on 2.1-2.3 KW/month?

[young_clinton]

[Hokie21]

[CP]

Living in Seoul isn't necessary.... You have offers in Incheon and Paju, which are both close enough to Seoul. Both have frequent bus and subway connections. Depending on which part of Incheon or Paju you are living in and where you are going in Seoul it will only take about 30 - 90 minutes by bus or subway to Seoul.

[Hokie21]

English villages tend to be dorm style don't they? You don't want to live in a dorm...sure it was fun for a year in college but you're a grown up now. You do not want to share living arrangements with people you will be working with 8-9 hours a day.

[Chaparrastique]

Two offers and you're holding back?

[SeoulNate]

Has anyone ever met people that have worked in English Villiages that have actually enjoyed it? I for one never have. I used to live by the Suyu one and would meet poor suckers who worked there all the time and hated their life.

[Chaparrastique]

[Troglodyte]

I don't know any of those schools, although I've heard of the EV in Incheon (but don't remember if I heard good or bad stuff).

Ask them about the apartment in Incheon. See if it's really a dorm or if it's actually an apartment. Ask for photos. It's a lot easier to get from Incheon to downtown Seoul than to go from Paju. From Paju, you have to catch a bus to the edge of Seoul and then catch the subway downtown. Same thing when you go back home BUT you also have to consider that the buses stop at a certain hour. Between Incheon and Seoul, there are other cool places with lots of foreigners to hang out. Plus there are a lot of foreigners IN Incheon itself.

Whichever you choose, you should first ask to speak to a couple of the current foreign teachers AND (most important) a couple of former teachers who have been gone for a few months (but not more than a year). They will give you the least biased opinion of the place. The EV should have plenty of people you can talk to. With 15 foreign teachers, you can bet that there will be at least a few who have finished up in the last few months.

[Hokie21]

Regarding the English Village, they have a Facebook page with a bunch of photos of current/former teachers. So I'm sure it wouldn't be too difficult to send them some messages regarding the school

[canadianeh]

Wow!

Thanks everyone for all of your great responses. I suppose I should mention some background. I am a 25 year old male from Atlantic Canada. I am not blonde or American as suggested by one previous reply, but I am enthusiastic to teach ESL in Korea as it has been my goal for a while now.

Hokie21 do you know the URL for the Facebook page?

Troglodyte, how would I ask to speak with former teachers of the schools in a polite manner? Would I ask the recruiter or the employer when I have the interview?

I don't think I would feel as though the English Village would be beneath me (I've worked at a dollar store, cleaned up vomit and stopped a knife attack), but I don't think the dorm style is for me, but as Trog suggested I will have to ask if things are shared or if it is a single studio.

Can anyone give me an idea or pics of what an apartment looks like in SK? I understand it's a one room, but are the bathrooms shared normally or the kitchens? I really am a noob when it comes to this.

Again, thanks for all the replies!

[Troglodyte]

[Hokie21]

Here is the FB site...I believe this is the school you are talking about?

https://www.facebook.com/IncheonEnglishVillage


And yes as Trog has pointed out there is a vast array of apartments in Korea, but it is not common to share a bathroom or kitchen. In fact, the only people I've heard heard of doing that are English village teachers. The majority of apartments have your own bathroom and kitchen.