Korean Job Discussion Forums

[philomath]

I’m writing this review about ICEV to give a fair evaluation of the school. The people who seem to write reviews, do so because they personally had a bad experience and they tend to be way more bias, leaning towards the negative side. I wouldn’t say that what they experienced was untrue or not accurate. The experiences that people have are different for all and usually specific to them.

English is big business in S. Korea, hence the reason why foreigners can find employment in S. Korea. The opportunities for foreigners to travel, make money, and further their skills are abundantly available. But with any industry that is profit driven (like English in S. Korea), at the end of the day the main focus is to have a business/product that generates a profit/gain. Furthermore, the businesses are run in S. Korea not our country of origin, thus the rules, customs and expectations are somewhat different. So as a foreigner who expects the environment to mirror the experience to that of a company back at home will have to adjust.

Having said that, it’s time to get on with the review. There are positives and negatives to consider when picking a school to work for. I will avoid interjecting rumors or unsubstantiated facts that I haven’t personally experienced or seen for myself.

Curriculum:
(Positives) ICEV is a unique environment when compared to public schools, hagwons, or even other English village jobs. There are a variety of subjects to teach such as music, art, cooking, architecture, game developer just to mention a few. You will also be teaching group activities like soccer, American football, swimming, quiz games, yoga and many other activities. The curriculum is set but teachers are given enough creative license to incorporate their experiences/character into the classroom. The school also has numerous different programs running simultaneously which gives you more options to choose from. You will teach a variety of age groups from kindergarten to college students to adults. As well as, you will also teach Russian students, Japanese, and Chinese students during summer/winter camps.

(Negatives) The curriculum is very repetitive because it is only a week long program. The students change each week so the teachers use the same lessons to teach the new students the following week. You don’t get as much of a chance to bond with the students like you might in a public school or a hagwon. However, there are ways this can be done through the other programs. And on the topic of other programs (both positive and negative), the negative is that sometimes you don’t have a choice which programs you will be a part of. Also, with all these programs going on teachers are kept busy. You will have to be able to teach students of all age groups, mainly elementary students though (negative if you don’t want to teach a particular age group). One more thing, as a teacher you must be flexible because the schedule can change quickly.

It is an activity based teaching environment (the main program, there are other programs which are more focused using western curriculum) so if you are hands on and like to get involved with the students it will be a good fit for you. However, if you prefer to teach from a sitting position, directly out of a book or teach to an exact page, then maybe a hagwon or public school would be a better fit for you.

Teachers:
(Positives) You get to work and live with people from all over the world. People from countries like USA, Canada, UK, AU, NZ, S. Africa, and of course Korea. So you get a built in community of people who speak your language and who are more familiar with your customs and experiences. Teachers work, travel, and hang out together.

(Negatives) Not much here. Teachers are your best resources and generally all get along. There is always the annoying personality or bad attitude but that is to be expected with any work force.

Accommodations:
(Positives) The school does provide accommodations. It is a dorm style living environment with about 26 rooms. Half of the rooms are filled with teachers from ICEV and half from the sister school. No utilities need to be paid and the school is walking distance from the living quarters. However, a bus is provided to and from the dorms. In the addition to the dorms, ICEV also has apartments which half of the other teachers live at. As new teachers arrive and move into the dorms, dorm teachers then move into the apartments. The apartments are in a convenient location but the travel time to school is longer. A bus is also provided to and from school.

(Negatives) The dorms are not big and you do have to share laundry facilities and a kitchen. Also some of the rooms view directly into a scrap yard. As for the apartments you do have to pay utilities (but you are given extra pay to help cover this cost) which can be expensive if you use you’re A/C or heat too much. Both of the residences do not come with bedding or utensils. There is some furniture in the dorms but the apartments aren’t furnished expect for bed, closets and kitchen appliances (many items are passed down from teachers who are leaving otherwise you need to bring or purchase your own items).

Vacations:
(Positives) Vacations are one of the best benefits at the school. You get 4 weeks of paid vacations per contract. You are able to combine vacations to get 2 or more weeks of paid vacation. In Korea most jobs don’t offer consecutive weeks off. You also receive 5 sick days with a doctor’s note. If unused you are paid for those unused days. Also, you can earn comp time, which can be added to the vacations.

(Negative) 3 out of the 4 vacation weeks are set so you must plan around those times. Also we work on national holidays including Christmas, Halloween, Easter etc…

Pay:
(Positives) The pay is as competitive as any other school. It all depends on your experience and qualifications. Overtime is available and is often needed. Everyone works 40 hours a week. Payday is on the 5th of every month. And contrary to what I have read in other posts, it was always been on time or early if the payday falls on a weekend or holiday.

(Negatives) You actually have to work for your money.

I’m sure I haven’t stated all the positives or negatives aspects of working at ICEV. But there should be enough helpful information to make an informed decision. I can definitely say things like being fired right before the end of your contract for no reason just doesn’t happen. Or that they purposely try to cheat anyone. But if people had a bad experience at ICEV it unfair to just blame the school, people need to look at their actions too. There is no such thing as a perfect job. But each experience is what you make of it. I personally had a good experience at the school. Granted there were some difficult times with a few of the decisions and decision makers but I felt I got out of it what I put in.

So in closing, ask yourself first why you want to work in Korea. What attracted you to this position? And, am I ready to work in a foreign environment with different rules and expectations? If you are comfortable with your answers and comfortable with yourself as a decision maker, than ICEV can be a great experience for you. But if you still have some growing up to do (meaning immature) and living on your own in a foreign country may not be the decision you are ready for.

[wanderkind]

Interesting post.

May I ask what your position is at the English Village?

[DaeguNL]

[Weigookin74]

[Sesame]

LOL at the living quarters being identical to military boot camp. I WOULD NEVER WORK THERE. NEVERRRR.