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PeterDragon
Joined: 15 Feb 2007
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 Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2007 9:17 pm Post subject: Going to Korea: Is it really that easy? |
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nt
Last edited by PeterDragon on Tue Jul 24, 2007 5:34 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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rawiri
Joined: 01 Jun 2003
Location: Lovely day for a fire drill.
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| Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2007 9:22 pm Post subject: |
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| Yeah, i got an email on a monday with my visa issuance number, went to the embassy with my passport and got it back on a thursday, flew out saturday. Easy as pie, as to whats going to happen when you get here, noone knows, thats what makes it so cool. If you happened to take the first contract that came along and didn't do any research on the school before hand then you may have dicked yourself. |
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kat2
Joined: 25 Oct 2005
Location: Busan, South Korea
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| Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2007 9:23 pm Post subject: |
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Don't accept until you can talk to a current teacher and a former teacher. And not on the phone. On the phone, the director is likely to be standing right next to them.
Its not unusual for things to happen so fast. Just don't forget to do all of the normal checks to be sure everything is good. |
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PeterDragon
Joined: 15 Feb 2007
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| Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2007 9:31 pm Post subject: |
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nt
Last edited by PeterDragon on Tue Jul 24, 2007 5:35 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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kat2
Joined: 25 Oct 2005
Location: Busan, South Korea
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| Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2007 9:51 pm Post subject: |
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You should tell the recruiter to get the teacher's contact info from teh school.
Google your school's name. That should bring up any of hte blacklists it might be on. Or you could just post something on ehre to see if anyone's heard of it. |
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JZer
Joined: 13 Jan 2005
Location: South Korea
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| Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2007 10:16 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
Don't accept until you can talk to a current teacher and a former teacher. And not on the phone. On the phone, the director is likely to be standing right next to them.
Its not unusual for things to happen so fast. Just don't forget to do all of the normal checks to be sure everything is good. |
Things often go fast in Korea because Koreans like to do everything at the last minute. It is probably more difficulot to line up a job two months in advance than two weeks unless it is at a university and even then they sometimes only find someone a few weeks in advance. |
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ttompatz
Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea
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| Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2007 11:41 pm Post subject: Re: Going to Korea: Is it really that easy? |
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| PeterDragon wrote: |
This is a follow up to my Korea: Should I go? Thread, which someone suggested I repost anyway.
So, I decided to go. Called a recruiter on Tuesday afternoon, interviewed with a school Tuesday evening, offered the job a couple hours after the interview, and now I'm supposed to Fedex my documents this weekend and to fly out from Minneapolis to Seoul in about two weeks. The cotnract I've been given seems to be on the up and up, the recruiter I went through seems to be on the up and up, and the school is in the general Seoul area, which is where I want to be. Everything seems cool, but I'm quite shocked at how fast the recruiter and the school moved. (They wanted me there sooner, but I really do need to give my employer two weeks' notice, I've got a nice job here that I'd want to reapply for when I eventually return to the states.)
My question: Is it normal to get hired this quickly? Were they eager because I have a social work degree and domestic ESL teaching experience, or is there a catch I'm not seeing? Should I worry that the school may significantly amend my contract once I arrive? Is there anything I should be wary of or try to figure out in the next couple of weeks, so that in case things are not all they seem, I can renegotiate or back out? Or am I worrying about nothing? |
Talk to MORE THAN ONE of the foreign staff and ask POINTED AND SPECIFIC QUESTIONS (*when the boss is NOT listening over their shoulder).
-What are the hours? (start time / stop time / breaks).
-How many classes per day, week, month? NOT hour many hours per month. 30 classroom hours can mean anything from 1350 -1800 minutes per week standing in front of the class. The difference can be up to 7.5 HOURS in front of the class EACH WEEK.
-Do they ALWAYS pay on time?
-Do they pay at the end of your month or do they have a hold back period (5-10 days after your month end) to prevent runners? (no=red flag 1)
-Do they really pay overtime or avoid it with creative book keeping?
-Do you get credit for classes on the national holidays or do you get the day off but still have to work your 120 hours before you get overtime? (no=red flag 2)
-Do they have national medical (with the little booklet)? (no=red flag 3)
-Do they pay into pension? (no=red flag 4)
-What about the holidays? 10 or more WORKING days? (legal requirement here) (no=red flag 5)
-When and how do you get your holidays?
-What extra stuff do you really have to do - mentioned or not in the contract.
-Then consider the quality of life issues - things that are important to you that aren't mentioned here (housing, furnishings, THE BATHROOM, access to recreational facilities, shopping, banking).
Do they take additional deposits in addition to the delay in payday? (yes=red flag 6)
Most newbies are all starry-eyed when they do their interview and DON'T ASK the right questions then get burned when they get here. |
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Sincinnatislink
Joined: 30 Jan 2007
Location: Top secret.
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| Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2007 3:50 am Post subject: |
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Are you expecting the board to make a decision for you to go?
And if so, why did you sign something?
And if you signed something, why the hell are you posting this question? |
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PeterDragon
Joined: 15 Feb 2007
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| Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2007 5:24 am Post subject: |
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nt
Last edited by PeterDragon on Tue Jul 24, 2007 5:37 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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ttompatz
Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea
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| Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2007 5:42 am Post subject: |
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| PeterDragon wrote: |
| Haven't signed anything yet. Won't even have all my paperwork for a few more days. Please tolerate my ignorance ofthe process, I honestly have no idea how to research the school, and a short window of time in which to back out formthis particular job. All I'm asking from the board is how to properly research the school. I reiterate--- I have not signed ANYTHING. I also reiterate--- how does one get ahold of the school's foreign staff? |
There is NO shortage of time and NO shortage of available jobs in Korea.
Do NOT under any circumstances allow yourself to be rushed into anything.
There are 10 hakwon jobs for every qualified applicant.
There are still HUNDREDS of unfilled public school jobs as well.
The job is not going to disappear if you don't jump at the chance. Unless you get a job that is too good to be believed and 100% for sure that you will be paid everything that is promised (read government job) then take your time and find a position that is:
a) a good fit for you
b) meets your financial and quality of life requirements
c) has references that check out.
d) enrolls you in the government medical, pension and collects taxes properly. |
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Jizzo T. Clown
Joined: 27 Mar 2006
Location: at my wit's end
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| Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2007 6:26 am Post subject: |
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Once I'd posted my resume on the web, my inbox was flooded with offers and interview requests. 95% of these were not what I wanted as far as pay, working conditions, location, or start date.
From start to finish, it took me nearly two months to get an offer that I was happy with. I know I'm pretty new on this board, but I agree that taking the first offer (or ten) isn't a good strategy. |
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PeterDragon
Joined: 15 Feb 2007
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| Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2007 6:28 am Post subject: |
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nt
Last edited by PeterDragon on Tue Jul 24, 2007 5:38 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Ya-ta Boy
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: Established in 1994
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| Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2007 6:37 am Post subject: |
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| My question: Is it normal to get hired this ana quickly? |
Yes, it is normal. The demand is high right now. The government wants to put a native speaker into every elementary,middle and high school in the country. They don't have a REAL reason to put one in those situations. If you ask, the 'answer' is: We want kids to speak to a foreigner'. This is not an educational objective. |
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michi gnome
Joined: 15 Feb 2006
Location: Dokdo
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| Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2007 8:09 am Post subject: |
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dude,
in reply to yr other thread:
at the risk of alerting the bill collectors of my identity, i will just say that i am from the Sha, as we call it, further south of appleton
also, i will amend my previous statement--
it is entirley possible, undoubtable actually, that there are places in iowa, missouri, & illinois, that blow a lot harder than c. wisconsin
now about yr job search...
you've already received a lot of good advice
i would stress the part about talking to one of the foreign teachers there
some schools might have a website w/ pics, though that may be rare
for yr first contract, i wouldn't recommend being the only foreign teacher at yr school
also, save $$ as much as you can for yr first few checks, so if the situation does go bad, you are in a better position to find another job or get the hell out. after yr first job, if you decide to stay, you will know how things work here & more of the right questions to ask when looking for yr next job, & definite red flags to avoid
for my first gig, i had an offer in a couple hours & was on a plane in about 5 days, so it can happen quick. but then i was canned in the 10th month & screwed out of the bonus, so lesson learned
anyway, good luck
its a leap into the unknown, but you gotta go for it dude
you gotta get yr azz outta wisconsin |
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Real Reality
Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Location: Seoul
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