Korean Job Discussion Forums

[rteazee]

Hey,

I am planning on going to korea to teach in sept. and was hoping you guys could help me out a bit as I am new to this. I have been offered a few jobs and was hoping you could tell me if any of these schools are ok.

Thanks a lot

Rob

Job #1
Pukdaegu Foreign Language Institute (Pukdaegu ECC); a Korean company having its office at 877 Dong chun dong Pukgu Daegu, Korea

Job #2
Wonderland English Language School.
Gum-Song Building ( 4th Floor)
937-6 Dong-Chun-Dong
Yoen Soo Ku, Incheon South Korea

Job #3
ETS/CAIS(Calvert & American International School)
112-2 SuAnDong DongNaeGu Busan S.Korea / 1479-3 JoaDong HaeUnDaeGu Busan, S.Korea

Job #4
Seo-Jeon Institute in Busan

Any help at all would be appreciated!!!

[kat2]

Oh my god. Run from #3. PM me for more info if you want it.

[ttompatz]

Here's my 2 cents worth. This is a repost from myself in another thread.

If you are seriously looking at a contract and a school then may I suggest your consideration of the following (quoted from an embassy website):
-------------------------------------------------------
Nature of Contracts in Korea

Koreans see business less as a legally based interaction than a relationship. Consequently, there is a much weaker sense of law in Korean business relations than in international business. For many Koreans, a contract is part of the symbolism involved in beginning a relationship, and "beginning" is the important word. The contract thus is only as binding as the personal connection. It is not surprising, therefore, that foreign instructors in Korea occasionally have contract disputes with their employers. The employer may, indeed, consider the contract a simple working agreement, subject to change, depending upon the circumstances ���� and usually after the foreigner has arrived in Korea. Most Koreans do not view deviations from a contract as a "breach," and few Koreans would consider taking an employer to court over a contract dispute.

Instead, Koreans tend to view contracts as infinitely flexible and subject to further negotiation. Furthermore, the written contract is not the real contract; rather, the unwritten, oral agreement with an employer is the real contract. You should bear these factors in mind when you sign a contract.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The portion that I highlighted is so very, very true. I can attest to this first hand on more than one occasion.

The contract is ONLY as good as the school you are in.

A well written contract is only a piece of paper. A bad school will still ignore even a well written contract and you are usually in no position to fight.

A good school (even with a bad contract) will make your time here so enjoyable that you may end up staying for more than one year and will never even look at the contract for the entire time.

TALK to the teachers at the school. Talk to MORE than one. Get their e-mail addressses so you can ask questions when the boss is NOT looking over their shoulder. If the boss / recruiter is unable or unwilling to provide this, then move along to the next one.

No reference means trouble for a newbie. Either it is a bad school and cannot /will not provide a reference OR it is a new school.
new school + newbie teacher in Korea = receipe for disaster


Ask specific questions about:
a) Salary (on-time, deductions),
b) overtime (do they actually pay it?),
c) pension and medical (are they subscribed to the national plans or does the employer just avoid it?),
d) how many classes (per day/week/month), how long are the classes,
e) What is the class schedule like (blocks 2-9?, kindy/elementary 10-7? am/pm splits 6-9am and 6 - 10pm?),
f) housing - what is it really like, what do they live in?
g) vacations (when, how, blocks or scattered days?)
h) anything else that may be important to you in terms of quality of life or employment.

When YOU are satisfied that the conditions offered by a particular school are acceptable to you then sign the contract based on that.

Grand negotiations from abroad are for the most part useless.

They will either ignore you and move on to the next candidate because they see you as difficult to deal with.
OR
They will promise you the world to get your signature on the contract and your butt on the plane and then NOT deliver after you have arrived.
(this was my circumstance with Kangdong SLP for example).

That's my nickels worth of free advice on the subject of contracts.



.

[bnrockin]

I can't remember if I heard something bad about wonderland or if that is the place that I saw that did not offer any paid vacations other than Korean holidays. Either way, I remember that its best to stay away from wonderland.

[rteazee]

hey thanks for the replies and help. So this kinda sucks that all the schools arent reputable. Could someone help me or lead me to reputable schools. I dont really know what to look for or what im doing. I would love to work in Busan or Seoul so any help would be great.

Thanks
Rob

[bnrockin]

I don't know about any specific school but if you go to people like worknplay, gia-consulting or ask I've not heard bad things about them so far. They are recruiters.

[Yu_Bum_suk]

Um, if you've done any research whatsoever you should know to stay well clear of number 2. You very appropriately labelled it number 2, I see.