Korean Job Discussion Forums

[cwaddell]

Firstly let me apologise in advance for questions I'm sure have been posted all up and down this forum. I would normally do a search but the engine isn't bringing back any keyword so either it's broken or I'm stupid. Anyways, this is my first time heading off to Korea so I'd appreciate any advice you veterans can give!

I sent out applications to around 15 companies and have since heard back, and been fielding offers from around 10. Has anyone had any dealings with them before? YBM SISA (Ben Ha), WorkNPlay (Ann), Little Campus, Planet People, GIA (Gina Kim), ESL job Bank (Kyle Jeong), RBI (Bridgette), Duff Recruiting (Michael Duffy), or Tefa English (Jolie)??

I was hoping to go to Busan (the beaches would be nice), but was also wondering what people thought of life in Gwangju, Daegu, Cheongju and Daejeon? All I can really find are their official pages which I know won't tell me much. While we're at it, how is Seoul? Dunno why I hadn't really considered it, maybe TOO big??

Is a settlement allowance basically just a bonus you get when you step off the plane to start you off?

One thread I found that was interesting was the Public Vs Private one. I was offered a public position being told it was only 22hrs per week. This sounded OK as a lot of posters cited the longer hours in Hagwons as one of the negatives. However it transpired that while it was 22hrs actual class time you were still reguired to be there 9-5, mon-fri. That to me sounds like a 40hr week (plus the pay was a measly 1.7mil). Is this the same in most schools? That, outwith your actual class time you are there for basically 8 hrs a day anyway?

That's all (for now haha!) Hope some of you more experienced folk can help, and again, apologies for posting certain things, probably for the 1000th time!

Cheers! Chris

[peppermint]

Okay, spent a year and a bit in Cheongju, and have worked in a public school for two years, so I'll try to help.

1. don't worry about the recruiter, just make sure you research any school they try to get you to sign with- that's what counts.

2 I really liked Cheong ju for my first year here. It's a university town so theres a ton of movie theatres, coffee shops, bars, etc. Lots of foreigners in the city, and fairly centrally located, so it's good for travelling around the country.

I've visited the other cities, and they all seem to have a decent foreign scene, but I'm sure others can tell you more.

3. I suppose it is, though I haven't heard of many schools offering it.

4. Most public schools do require that you be on site from 9-5, though they're flexible. At my school, I can sign out after classes to go to the bank or whatever. Depending on the age group, and how comfortable with teaching, you might spend a lot of the extra time prepping lessons anyway. ( Hagwons generally don't require much prep)

[doublejeopardy]

I work for a YBM school. It is a huge chain with many schools; conditions will vary at each so check out the school you're offered. I've heard good things about WorkNPlay, though I don't have actual experience with them.

I've only lived in seoul, so I can't help you with the other cities. I like seoul. I've mostly gotten used to the crowds and I can find just about anything I want here.

A settlement allowance usually means that there is nothing in the apartment other than exactly what is stipulated in the contract. Unless the previous resident has left you something, you will have to buy cutlery, plates, cups, pots and pans. The settlement allowance is usually not enough to cover this, let alone anything like blankets, towels, toaster oven....

[cwaddell]

hey thanks for your reply, the YBM schools on offer are in Daegu, but also one in Seoul so you might know of it? It's the ECC Yeongdeungpo in southwest Seoul. Looks a bit far out of town on the map, do you know anything about the school/area?

[Rteacher]

As far as schools in the greater Seoul area, they can be on the outskirts yet still be conveniently located as long as they are near a subway station. Find out if a particular school is, get the subway line number that it's on, and check it out on a Seoul subway map:http://www.smrt.co.kr/english_smrt/cyberstation_smrt/cyberstation.jsp

I work at a public high school, but because I had three years experience at hogwans in Korea and a TEFL certificate (worth taking a 120 hour course with practice teaching) I started at 2.2 million won plus lots of opportunity to teach community classes to adults or kids for overtime pay. I think I'd recommend starting at a hogwon first if you don't have teaching experience - at least for a year - and take a TEFL course (I took mine in Thailand - TEXTandTALK Academy- 5 or 6 weeks in winter...) I think with one year experience and a TEFL the pay scale for public schools (in Gyeonggi province) is 2million won and for two years and TEFL 2.2 mil....You get around the same -or more - at a hogwan, but a lot of them are not financially stable, and you often get paid at least a little late if they're struggling...

[Squid]

ECC Yeongdungpo is misleading, it's actually in Daerim, which is about 20 minutes from Yeongdungpo and is famous for toilet manufacturing, just look at the moniker next time you go. It's an area of light industry and not very nice.

I worked there for my first contract and the pay is poor and the housing iffy. The staff at the school were fantastic though, which is the reason I stuck out the 12 months.

Not the worst starter for a newbie... keep looking.

[SeoulShakin]

Very off-topic here, but do you happen to have a brother name Colin?

[cwaddell]

Nope afraid not......spookily I do have a Dad called Colin!

[SeoulShakin]

That is kind of strange.

Oh well, it was worth a shot in the dark I guess.