Korean Job Discussion Forums

[ruwen]

Hi guys,

I've recently been successful with my Epik application, however I also have an offer in China Guangzhou.

Has anyone here taught in both countries, and generally how is the working environment? This is my first contract as a teacher, I'm honestly just trying to weigh up the teaching environment,locations/life outside of work and savings.

Also, I'm trying to compare possible savings between the contracts. Epik - 2.1m Won with housing Vs Guangzhou 13000RMB without housing.

Any tips at all would be appreciated, or vote.

[CentralCali]

What type of school is the one in China?

[metalhead]

I'd swing towards the China job, however be aware that you can do better in China, and that they speak Cantonese in Guangzhou, and that it is hot and humid there (which is the deal-breaker for me really).

The EPIK gig is not good - bad salary, probably a crappy location and of course it's Korea, yuck.

[Mr. Pink]

13000RMB without rent isn't that good IMO.

I'd take the Korean job if I were you.

[ruwen]

Thanks for the tips, it's a public school job Guangzhou. I think the offers aren't that great as it's my first contract as a teacher, no previous experience except for part-time.

That's why it's a tough decision, with Epik I have no idea where I'm going to land up teaching, but I feel it would be easier to save each month with Epik, right?

[ruwen]

Mr pink, what would be considered a good monthly income in Guangzhou?

[ttompatz]

Come what may, a year spent working as an EFL teacher in a Korean public school will always look good on a resume if you choose to head elsewhere in Asia afterward.

Whatever else may be said about the Korean education system it still ranks in the top 10 of the PISA scores (something that other employers in the region pay attention to).

The same is not true for those with experience in a Chinese school (unless you were working in a top 10 school in Shanghai or Hong Kong).

.

[ippy]

And somewhat ironically given Ttompatz' comment, its actually far less demanding working in a public school in Korea. Youre not necessarily there to teach... well, you are... but youre also not. In China you definitely are. This means a LOT of textbook work with your 'co-teacher' sat on a desk at the back of yoru class of 40-50 students watching drama or grading. Worse still you might get the very very pushy back seat driving teacher. I had one of those. Adds nothing to the class but will scowl at you any time the class goes above absolute silent and then recommend (insist) that every class is just textbook writing work.

Still, Chinese students are arguably the nicest kids to teach. Theyre amazingly respectful, enthusiastic, energetic, and all round fun and cheerful. Far and away, they were the best thing about living and working in China. I love Korean students as well, mind you, but they can be a little rude now and again.

Regarding other features: pollution and the internet are HUGE issues. Youll find them both diminishing your enjoyment considerably. But to balance that, youll be living in a mega-city. So shouldnt really be stuck for things to do. And down the road is Macau and Hong Kong. Temperatures are also nice throughout the year and the rainy season is hardly much worse than youd find in japan or korea. EPIK in korea suffers from the unkown location and the very very very near certain chance you wont be in a big city. On the flip, you should have fresh air, a solid net connection and very easy going public transport that should get you into a decent sized city within an hour or two regardless of where you live. Driving in korea is also a LOT safer (and significantly less intense).

Pay. On teh face of it, korea is winning this round. With benefits (housing, pension, vacation etc etc) on epik you should be around 2.8-3.2 million which works out around 16,000Yuan according to coin mill. So youre losing around 3000 yuan/month. Cost of living is a little lower though. I think i was working my way through about 3000-4000yuan/month (not including rent). You can drop lower or go higher, but thats a nice general day to day living budget. On the same cheap lifestyle in Korea id say im spending about 1.2mill won/month. Which is about 450,000 won more (around 3000yuan) thus making up the shortfall.

So money is a bit of a wash to be honest.

Basically i think it comes down to age and what you really want to get out of this. If youre up for weekend partying then sure you can get the train or bus into seoul/busan/daejeon/daegu. But itll eventually get old paying for trains and hotel rooms. On the other hand you can be in a massive city, have a nice night out, and get a nice cheap taxi back to your own bed to sleep it off. You lose a couple of serious (dont underestimate just how serious) quality of life features (fresh air and internet). On top of this, the job will LIKELY (ESID) be more demanding and youll have to do a bit more planning. The kids are lovely though.

[isitts]

[isitts]

Bear in mind also, that even if you have a bad work situation in a Korean public school, you will still get what’s on the contract. I haven’t heard the same for Chinese contracts…though that may not have been in reference to public school contracts.

Also, if housing isn’t provided, you will have steeper start-up costs in China…from what I’ve been told. I haven’t taught there yet.

[ruwen]

Thanks for the info guys...

I guess I'm leaning more towards the Korean job - just job security/no fear of contract issues etc. I think the main deciding factors for me is possibility to save/no contract nightmares/social life etc.

There aren't any financial perks with the China job to be honest. Two options, 9000RMB with housing, or 13000 without housing.

Just the teaching environment, settlement allowance, pension, bonus at the end of contract etc make me lean towards Korea as a good starting point for a career.

Social life- Guangzhou wins
Contract and savings - South Korea probably
Start up costs - South Korea

[ruwen]

How easy is it in china to pick up private/part time weekend work?

[isitts]

[JohnML]

[ruwen]

Damn, that's one insightful post isitts...thanks!

Yes that's true, with the china contract, the only perks in the contract are the flight reimbursement and medical insurance....so that's a downside!

Cost of living, I think you're right...I guess I would have to live quite frugally in China, which will be hard in Guangzhou. (Temptation of partying...on a budget!).

Haha! I think I've been leaning towards Korea for some time, just wanted to be sure, might of been missing out on something in Guangzhou, maybe my future ex wife...

Korea it is

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