Korean Job Discussion Forums

[noguri]

I am a very lucky teacher. I had a university job interview the day after I arrived in Korea and two subsequently. The two subsequent ones seemed to balk at the fact that my university teaching experience is not ESL and my degree is totally unrelated to TESOL. However, the first university decided to hire me because they happen to want someone with teaching experience in my field. Chance put me in the right place at the right time.

After being told that I am being hired, I have waited two weeks for the uni to emit a formal job offer. Today a professor called and told me that I will meet with the dean on Thursday to sign the contract. I tried to ask the professor some questions about the contract, but he professed not to know anything about it.

So, I pressed him and explained that I'm concerned about housing. He said that he thinks housing is not written into the contract, but it is simply given to all foreign teachers at this university.

Is this a red flag for me? The job advertisement I responded to said that family housing MIGHT be available. If it isn't in the contract, how do I know that I'll get it?

I know the salary isn't so high but I am pleased as punch to be offered this teaching position and I really liked the faculty members who interviewed me. It seems like a good school, and my title will be "professor." I like all of this. However, I wonder why they are not letting me see the contract until I go before the dean and she places the pen in my hand to sign it.

Are university contracts ever nogotiable? Am I rude if I tell the dean, "ahem, wait a minute, may I please read this and discuss it with you?" I know the dean is a busy person and the uni is a prestigious place to work, but shouldn't they let me speak with someone about the contract details first?

any suggestions for me are very much appreciated...

[RobinH]

Call and get in touch with someone you'll be working with and ask them.

You have some definite red flags. If they won't let you see the contract beforehand--that's a big problem. At the very least, even if the contract is perfect, it shows they don't repect you as a person.

[noguri]

so Robin, it is definitely not normal for a university to treat a new hire this way?

[RobinH]

I have only worked for one uni in Korea and am going through the hiring process for another one right now. My last uni hired me from the States, same as now. They had to mail me the contract so I could do the Visa paperwork. I had time to read it over carefully before taking the job. I also spoke to several current and past teachers before I actually got hired. They told me how the contract was actually implemented.

This time I have been unable, thusfar, to email current teachers, but I'm still working on that. The guy is emailing me the contract this week and I'm going to check it over carefully and ask for clarification, in writing, of the things that are vague, such as the maximum number of teaching hours per week, etc.

It is ok to ask for time to review the contract. If they press, there's a reason, probably bad. Feel free to post the contract in the contract thread, or here, and get some feedback from the old hands on the boards. You may feel more secure if you don't include identifying details about the uni in question or yourself.

Bottom line is any new job is somewhat of a crapshoot. Even the best/worst reports about a school can become nothing but hot air over time. Just remember that if you take it, that's a year you can spend looking for something better if you don't like it.

Edit: I didn't address your question, did I? No, it is not normal for a uni to treat you this way, it's insulting.