Korean Job Discussion Forums

[plato's republic]

hi everyone, i'm new to the korea forum and there are a few questions i'd like to ask some of you experienced korea teachers. i'm thinking about teaching english in korea. i'm a british male and i've already got three years of teaching experience in japan and six months in italy and was kinda curious about korea although i must admit that the sheer number of bitter and negative reports posted on this site about korean hogwans scares the hell out of me!
well anyway, here goes...
1)is seoul a good city to live/teach in?
2)has anyone got any positive info about PAGODA language school based in seoul/busan? anyone worked for them?
3)can anyone tell me the name of a good, reliable, trustworthy british recruiting company? i've heard HUNTESL mentioned before.
4)can anyone from personal experience recommend me a good hogwan in the seoul area, preferably one that doesn't shaft it's teachers?
5)with a BA degree and three and a half years of teaching experience(no teaching certificate)how much would i be looking to get per month?
6)is it possible to teach in korean high schools with my experience? is it better than teaching at a hogwan?
7)how much would a single fully/semi-furnished apartment in seoul cost in rent per month?
i ask this because i heard that BERLITZ will give 300.000won per month towards rent and five million won for key money, is this a good deal?
well that's it for now, you can private mail me if you want about any good schools and bad schools to avoid. i really would like to hear especially from teachers currently teaching in korea.
thanx!

[plato's republic]

sorry, just one more thing i forgot to ask...
i've heard that the majority of teachers in korea are american/canadian because american english is more popular there, right?
so is it difficult for an australian/british/kiwi person to find a teaching job or are there plenty of opportunities for all native-english speakers?
thank you.

[canuckistan]

Seoul is a decent place to start for the first year of working here as it has good services/entertainment/wide range of foreign goods available. It's a good place to become acquainted with Korean culture before you fling yourself off into the boonies where the aforementioned things are limited or unavailable.

Any decent school should provide you with a decent rent-free apt. Give that a go first before you plunk down key money to rent your own place ie: rental allowance offered by some schools that's a good option for your second year once you become acquainted with all things Korean and if you've decided you'd like to stay on.

[gochubandit]

if u can handle 3 years in japan, korea shouldn't be too much of a problem. less stable, but more money. u'll be fine.

it's a better idea if u fly over and look for a job in person than if u do it online from ur home country.

u'll have a harder time because ur a brit and have an accent, but it'll be pretty insignificant.

[Milwaukiedave]

This is just my one experience, so don't take it as the word. My school has been looking for a replacement. I overheard a phone call in which a British foreign teacher inquired about the job.

My director told the person specifically that they did not want someone from England becase of their accent. I actually found it quite obtuse.

[John Henry]

I too have been looking into Pagoda in Kangnam (Seoul). It seems that they do not have rent free places to offer teachers, but they offer 5 mil key money, and something like 250,000 mo. housing allowance. I'm not sure, but I don't think one can rent a place in Kangnam at that price, esp something partially furnished.

But besides that, I've heard Pagoda is a good place to teach adults.

[Demophobe]

[just because]

[plato's republic]

ok guys thanx for your help, i am currently looking into going back to japan but i am keeping korea open as an option. that's why i wanted to get more info about teaching in korea first. i think japan is generally more secure job wise, there are of course plenty of dodgy schools in japan as well, i guess it's pot luck at the end of the day. but at least with a three-year visa in japan, if you get fired you can go find another job, but in korea it sounds like once you get fired(if you get fired?)you have to leave the country and it'll be harder to find another job.

[plato's republic]

can anyone else help???

[ajuma]

Korea is NOT like anywhere else you've ever been or taught. It's a culture all to itself.

If you really want to learn about Korean culture, I'd suggest NOT choosing a big city for your first place. But if you need the comfort of a lot of other foreigners, then Seoul, Busan, Daegu or Daejon should be ok for you.

If you're coming for the money, a smaller place is best...less to do and spend money on!

Some schools really want only American/Canadian accents, but others don't care one way or the other.

If you want familiar, go back to Japan. If you want a challenge, come here!

[Neil]

I used Your Choice Recruitment a British based firm for my 1st contract here.

They sorted me out with a decent job. Maybe I got lucky but it could be worth getting in touch with them.

[plato's republic]

i can't seem to find Your Choice Recruitment on the net, i've done a google/yahoo search but no luck. what about tefl2korea? anyone have any experience with them?