Korean Job Discussion Forums

delad · Joined: 16 Jan 2006 Location: Dublin

I've been applying for EFL jobs in Korea for 2 weeks now and I have received all kinds of potential offers. Applied for a public school job via email 1-2 days ago. I've heard they're the best gigs. Received a call out of the blue a few minutes ago from ******** recruiting agency offering me a public school teaching position in a big city. I said I was very interested. She said she'd send on the relevant information.
Is this too good to be true Question

Cheonmunka · Joined: 04 Jun 2004

May work out well. Why not consider the contract exactly and see if it suits.

SPINOZA · Joined: 10 Jun 2005 Location: $eoul

I spent a couple of months looking for a job. Looking for a good job in Korea is perhaps akin to searching through raw sewage to find a sandwich. If you've lucked-out and got cool stuff very soon, exploit that opportunity. Public school is not a bed of roses. Well, it is for me, but not necessarily for others. What seems beyond dispute, however, is that PS is less of a gamble.

peppermint · Posted: Fri Jan 20, 2006 3:38 am Post subject:

I'd say that a good hagwon is better than a public school for a newbie- mainly because of class sizes and support from peers,but it's not always easy to find one of those.

before you decide on the position, ask the school a few questions:
- will you have a co teacher? ( it's more important for younger kids, because they generally have lower English skills, but it would be good for you to have someone to discuss teaching techniques with too)

- who handles discipline? Koreans generally use corporal punishment in schools and that can be rough to see, nevermind dish out.

- will you use the standard textbooks? Not all schools do, and if you've got to develop lesson plans from scratch, it might be a big challenge

- has the school had a foreign teacher before? If so, they'll probably know how to handle immigration issues, and will probably be wiling to help you get settled in ( help set up phone, cable, etc).

None of these questions should be deal breakers for you, but they are things you'll want to consider.

delad · Joined: 16 Jan 2006 Location: Dublin

thanks for the advice Very Happy

skconqueror · Joined: 31 Jul 2005

and the most important question

Will your co-teacher be hot

cruisemonkey · Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2006 9:56 am Post subject:

Peppermint is right.

While many on 'Daves' will represent their public school position to be the pinacle of ESL teaching in Korea, all benefits come with drawbacks.

What has not been said is - much will depend on your age, sex and experience. Ask yourself these questions:

Are you prepared to be the only English speaker in your place of employment?... How much Korean do you know?

Can you control 40+ students?

Discipline in public schools can be (to Western eyes) brutal. Are you mentally prepared to stand by and not say anything while a kid is literally beaten with a cane?

I can almost guarantee you will have a co-teacher. He/she could turn out to be your best ally, or your worst, back-stabbing, two-faced, enemy. What if the latter turns out to be true?

Korea is a 'Confuscian' society and Western norms do apply. Hierarchy (and knowing your place within it) is everything. For a first job in Korea, if you're an older male with teaching experience, you may do well in a public school. If you're young and inexperienced (male or female), it could be a disaster.

Good luck... only you can decide if you'll 'fit'.
CM

Yu_Bum_suk · Joined: 25 Dec 2004