Korean Job Discussion Forums

[chasingdreams]

Hi there everyone,

I have been reading through the posts on here for quite some time now but have yet to post one of my own until now. Now that I have decided to show myself I'm not entirely sure what I would like to ask.

Anyway, I am hoping to come to South Korea mid April to teach English. I have a BSc degree in Applied Psychology from the University of Durham, UK...no teaching certificates...but an open mind and enthusiasm. Presently I am liaising with Angel Recruiting with regards to my job preferences and I have just completed a self-evaluation form that they sent to me. I have also had contact with flying-cows.com but as yet have not heard anything from them.

I am hoping to land a job with the following specification...

Minimum 2 million Won.
Around Sinchon area.
Single furnished apartment (in reasonably close proximity to the school).
No weekend work.
No agonising split shifts.
Teaching kindergarten.
Round trip airfare.
Severence bonus.
50-50 Medical Insurance.
5 days summer / 5 days winter vacation + Korean national holidays.
A couple of foreign teachers that I can contact to get a bit of background.

So I guess what I would like to know from you guys is;

Do you think I am aiming too high?

Do you think I can acheive a position like this?

Do you have any information on the recruiters I have mentioned (good or bad?)

Would anyone be willing to scan over any contracts I get?

Does anyone know of a fantastic job opportunity that I can start around April 19th, that fits my job criteria exactly, and that you simply cannot take on because you already love your own job so much? (Ok, I know i'm asking to much here! Worth a try though )

Finally, before you all attack me for wanting to teach kindergarten - I really like kids. I have heard all the stories about how teaching kindergarten is more like being a nanny and I don't really mind.

Thanks in advance for any feedback.

[plato's republic]

Don't expect to get all of those things. You'll do well to find a school willing to pay the correct amount of tax, health insurance, pension etc. Search around the job boards and contact more than one recruiter. Don't trust anything a recruiter tells you, mostly they're only interested in collecting their recruiting fee and then they'll drop you like a bad smell. Sorry to be the harbinger of negative news but that's the reality. You could land a great job at a a great school, though chances are you could end up at the hagwon from hell.

[Demophobe]

I think what you want sounds fairly standard, save perhaps a couple of hundred on the pay. You shouldn't have a problem getting that...the weekends and/or splits could be an issue...

[TOGirl]

Definitely contact other recruiters and job postings like mentioned before. I also like kindy so I wont bash you for that, but one thing I want to mention is that schools that have kindy and elementary/middle school often have a split-shift where you teach kindy in the morning and elementary in the afternoon with a break between. This isn't always the case but you should watch out for it.

If you really want to teach kindy you should look for a school that only teaches kindy, so when they go home so do you.

I don't think your list is unreasonably but I don't think you will get more than 2 mil, unless you are working more hours.

And what about looking at another area other than Sinchon, I'm not sure why you chose this area but there are lots of other areas that are good. This might help you get closer to what your looking for.

[ontheway]

What you're looking for is a standard contract for about 30 class hours with prep on your own time. Many jobs for untrained newbies do offer less money though. 1.8 to 2.0 million is standard. Teaching young kids is a gas if you like young kids. (Some posters here are averse to rugrats.) However, if you limit yourself to one small location, you might have trouble getting all you're looking for.

Good luck. Welcome (soon) to Korea.

[fusionbarnone]

Your contract points will make a good negotiation starting point. Grill the personnel intermediaries, make em work for you.

Double check recruiting agencies reps with EFL law and ask qs with them as well.

May your experience in the ROK be to your satisfaction. Good luck.

[chasingdreams]

Thanks to everyone so far. I really appreciate the advice.

The only reason I have picked Sinchon is because I know someone who lived there a couple of years ago and loved it and so this is the only area that I have concrete information on.

As for the split shift - kindy in the morning, elementary in the afternoon - I could handle it. I'm not afraid of hard work and I'm not expecting this experience to be a walk in the park. I suppose I'm just trying to make the whole experience as smooth and enjoyable as possible.

Once again thanks for the feedback and please, if anyone has any more advice I'd be very grateful.

[Son Deureo!]

Change "Shinchon" to "Seoul metropolitan area", and I would say you have a very reasonable list of criteria.

[daniellelievre]

I am fairly new here as well but can second the opinion to be flexible on the Shinchon request, especially if working with recruiters. It's great that you know of a nice area in Seoul to go to, and sure, you might get a position there, but the odds are very slim that you will get all the things you want and a nice location such as Shinchon. It could take a really long time to find. I found that if you tell recruiters "something in Shinchon", they'll find something there just to get you to sign, but it'll be a horrible job . I started off the same way, only looking in Shinchon and Gangnam, but the offers I got there didn't offer the things I wanted, so I ended up going somewhere else nearby. There's a great subway system to get you around. What I'm saying is, don't turn down a great offer just because of an unknown location. When you get an offer, just type in the part of town in the Search function and you'll find a lot of information that'll help you make a decision. Best of luck, have patience.

[princess]