Korean Job Discussion Forums

baedaebok · Joined: 27 Feb 2007 Location: Seoul, South Korea

Should I have taken the GEPIK job or the after-school job? I decided last Sept. to take the after-school job b/c.....

1) higher salary
2) no office hours
3) smaller class sizes
4) freed my mornings so I could volunteer at a charity school twice a week

But...did I make the right decision? After-school classes are more like hagwons (expectations of students, parents, and manager) and not much careful or thoughtful lesson-planning or learning happens (or is expected to happen). It's all about keeping the customers happy with games & candy.

Reason 4 makes the after-school job worth it. If it wasn't for reason 4, I would have taken the GEPIK job.

What do others think? Who has done both kinds of jobs?

BDB

World Traveler · Joined: 29 May 2009

Public schools look better on the ol' res. For that reason, I'd switch to public (middle or high school) at the end of your contract.

Hokie21 · Joined: 01 Mar 2011

Emark · Joined: 10 May 2007 Location: duh, Korea?

I liked my GEPIK job. Prepping 2 classes (and teaching them 10 times each that week) was no-stress. But it came at the expense (or lack there of) of salary.
Stress or salary. What one can you love with more or less of is a personal choice.

YTMND · Joined: 16 Jan 2012 Location: You're the man now dog!!

The main negative to after-school positions is lack of management or conflicts with management. I agreed to certain conditions, and different managers replaced the first one. Eventually, one wanted to change the rules, and considering they were recently hired the owner trusted them. Either you end up with a terrible experience from then on or you have to leave.

A public school position is usually set for a full year and they don't want to give the impression of something going wrong, even if there is. A hagwon is what is, more money upfront but you often get screwed near the end or hassled. At least you know what you are getting into. After-school jobs are more chameleon like.

World Traveler · Joined: 29 May 2009

I heard about so much sketchiness with the after school jobs.

There is a poster on here who had a good experience with them though- augustine (although he said the bosses tried to cheat him out of money), but overall he said it was a good deal and what kept him in Korea.

Hokie21 · Joined: 01 Mar 2011

I've worked for two hagwons and have had nothing but a great experience at both. Great co-workers, both foreign and Korean, and an owner who frequently brings us gifts and food and a lesson play which requires us to actually teach and not babysit.

The management has always been very supportive and actually expelled two students in my time here after frequent complaints by myself and a co-teacher. Imagine that, a hagwon taking a foreigners side and expelling a Korean kid and losing their families business.

I hate sounding like a broken record (youngben88) but good after hours schools do exist.

Speck7 · Joined: 05 Sep 2012

ive had to threaten my after school employer with my Korean wife with the labor board to get back all the 1000's of dollars he stole from inflating my taxes and pocketing the money. Never again. If I wasn't married to a Korean I would have never seen taht money again.

After school jobs are sketchy beyond all doubt.

baedaebok · Joined: 27 Feb 2007 Location: Seoul, South Korea

Do the big after-school companies (e.g., Brown, DK, etc.) more stable than a small outfit (e.g., Mr. Kim's one or two school-contracts)?

BDB

World Traveler · Joined: 29 May 2009

How is the behavior of the kids so far? (The latest Miley Cyrus interview made me think about teaching in Korea for some reason.)

"I don't love kids," she told W magazine, on newsstands now. "I don't love them because, I mean, I think I was around too many kids at one point ... They're so f---ing mean."