Korean Job Discussion Forums

[helpadviceneeded]

Well I've gotten all my documents and I have two job offers! Yay! It's going to be a tough decision since both the schools are very different. I would love some feedback. What do you guys think?


The first one is a well established hagwon. From what I've been told, the job is quite easy. Foreign teachers only have to practice conversation with the kids. There is no grading or quizzes, exams, or homework. The Korean teachers do that. The teacher just plays games with the kids and gets them to practice their English. Foreign teachers can work as little as only 20 hours a week! This job would be cake.

The other job is at an international school. It actually used to be a hagwon but the owner turned it into an international school. I'm pretty sure this is the only school he has. He says he keeps class size small, 2-6 kids. But that seems extremely small. It makes me wonder if he's having a hard time getting kids to enroll. The other teachers say good things about the job, but they say they work a lot of overtime because the school is short on teachers. There would be more lesson prep and grading. On the positive side, I would get to teach subjects other than English - math, social sciences, history, etc. Which would be great experience and probably great for my resume if I want to go into teaching.

The wages are around the name. 2.3 for the hagwonand 2.1 for the international school. But at the international school I would be able to work overtime and make more money if I want. Which is a nice option. The international school also has 22 days of vacation, while at the hagwon you get two one week vacations. They are both outside of the city. The hagwon is at Beomgye Station (line 4) and the international school is at Jeongja (Bundang line). The hagwon would be evening hours and the international school would be during the day.

So, I don't know how to choose. They both have their advantages. I would like an easy job, but also it woud be nice to teach something other than English. I don't want to to be too stressful. It would be nice to have the extra money, but I also want to explore Korea.

What do you think?

I can't decide.


Feel free to email me - [email protected]

[HBCCanuck]

fyi... job offers here are easy to get... so dont fall in love with the first one or two that come along.

btw... those salarys seem low given the current economic situtation here... teachers that are in seoul are able to negotiate a higher salary. most people here that i know are working in the higher 2.o's (2.5-3.0) for the standard job....

what would you hours be? i make 2.2 for 60 hours month (15 hours a week) which works out to about 35,000/hr.

i would go for the int. school if i were you... sure it is just a glorified academy... but probably still better than a hakwon.

make sure u check thew working hours and office hours as many hakwons will make you stay there for 8-10 hours on days when you only teach 5-6 hours.

[TheChickenLover]

Anyone who still works for 2.1 is being takenfor a serious ride. People can easily get 2.5 nowadays due to the shortage and constant problems. However if you feel you have enough experience, I'd go for 2.7 and 'settle' @ 2.5 if you can. 2.1 is peanuts for an 'international' school.

Chicken

[helpadviceneeded]

Ok, Ok, I'll ask for more money. But which school? 20 hours a week at a hagwon with no prep and no office hours or 8 hours a day at an international school with possible overtime but the ability to teach subjects other than English.

[bassexpander]

True international schools are flooded with applicants. The fact that the guy at the school claiming his school is an international school sounds very shifty to me. In fact it sounds like a hagwon that uses "international school" in its title, when it's really not. You'll see that sort of thing, as well as schools that use "Harvard" , "Yale" and "University" in the title of their piss-ant little hagwons.

Rule #1 of Korean hagwon promotion is to tell everyone your school is the best in the world, a real learning institution, and that there are so many students who are on the list to get in. It's generally fabrication in an attempt to scam parents (and teachers) into joining the charade. DO NOT fall for it. They'll act like your best friend, feed you total bullshit, promise you the world, and it all turns out to be lies. Not all Koreans are this way, but I'll tell you -- many of them have NO problems whatsoever with telling you a lie. In fact, many of them think rather highly of themselves for their ability to con someone into doing what they want. It's a face/pride thing.

Also, be advised that foreign teachers OFTEN lie about a school because they are worried they won't get paid, or will suffer other consequences if they don't lie about the school being great. In fact, I would say as much as 50% of the time, you can't trust what foreign teachers say about their own school. I've experienced it from both ends, and let me tell you, just because a foreigner says it's a good school doesn't mean jack squat.

My best friend called me a few months ago, because his Kids Herald hagwon was so terrible (he was the only staff member remaining after 10 months -- INCLUDING a Korean & Waygook staff of 16 who left), and the director asked him to talk to (in other words, dupe) a teacher into coming to the school. My friend was upset because he didn't want to lie to the new teacher, but he was worried his boss would know if he said a bad thing. Also, he was worried about getting his Letter of Release unless another new teacher came in. This is a VERY common situation here.

That small number of students is far too small to make a profit. I would only work for such a school unless I were paid daily or weekly, because in my experience, a school like that often sticks around for a few months at best.

And I do have such an experience. I found myself here, without a job, and living in a hotel while I had to front a lot of my own money for living expenses during a job search (and I was earning nothing). This was because the new school, which the director told me was the "biggest new things in Korea" and "he had so many students coming" when he actually didn't. Thanks to him, I lost a LOT of money, and found myself taking a job at a really horrible school on short notice. NEVER believe what they say. Hagwon directors here are worse than used car salesmen.

If you had to take either of the two, I'd go with the first school. I'd keep looking, though -- try to get a public school job.

[umpittse]

I hate to kill your high, but, don't be overjoyed by the job offers. Everyone gets them in Korea. Sorry dude.

Second, that international school sounds rather shady. Why such a low salary? Why such a low student population? A low student population means potential for school closure, which means, you may show up only to find a few months later you're out of a job. Why are the teachers doing so much overtime? Maybe they can't keep or attract teachers. Be weary of so called 'references'. This is an international school? I'm assuming that you don't have any teaching experience or a Bachelor of Education degree (i.e. certification). A real international school only hires those with B.Ed.'s or at the very least, many years of acknowledged and respected teaching experience to attest for skills and knowledge in the field. That doesn't sound like a real international school.

If you are considering applying to a B.Ed program and practicing as a certified teacher in North American later on in life you are better off getting a job in a Korean public school. They offer you experience working in a public school, alongside nationally certified teachers. Additionally, they usualy offer 7-8 weeks of paid holidays, 15 sick days, paid accommodations and flight, as well as, a contract that is more secure than with private schools.

Don't take either contract. Apply to a public school.