Korean Job Discussion Forums

[ellie]

Getting started- teaching in south korea!

Culture
its amazing here. Some say that the K in Korea is for Kind- and yes I believe this to be true. Life is what u make it- thought creates ur reality. I was once told that u will experience every emotion teaching english in this country and they were right- all growth opportunities :s I feel that in this country u can go out and b and watch the pleasant sweet things that go on, especially how people interact with each other. It can be innocent similar to the 70s or 80s. Little ones r allowed to walk to skool or play in the street!

City and country cultures r different and thus ur experience. U can be famous in the smaller cities- people always saying hello to u followed by a shy giggle and I found the foreigner community really strong. Easy to c a new person has arrived. The city seoul is huge and I believe if it tickles my fancy its here somewhere!

Language Basics
If its ur first time over seas it can b a little scarey but hey feed ur faith and ur fears will fade away. Definitely throw a giggle or 2.
spelling wrong buts sounds like

Un-yong Ha-say-o Hello
Gam-sa-me-da Thankyou very much
Un-ni-o No
Neah Yes
Yogi-yo Come Here or stop restaurants and taxi
Chic Chin Straight (taxis)
Hen-na One
Do-gey Two

:s close enough


Expenses
Saving money b4 u come? Ud be safe with 2.000 dollars. That can make ur house ur own and allow for a learning curve to cheap eats etc. Monthly bills don�t tend to extend past 100 dollars. That would be computer 40, telly 10, gas 15, electricity 15. Keep in mind u can save a lot here s: and spend a lot Taxes usually 50ish

Phone
oh and phone can be 50 second hand and mayb go on prepaid- 10 network access and whatever u want on international crd- I get 20. Theres a great guy in itaaewon who looks after the foreigners- really hand. Also sometimes the exiting teacher will pass on theirs if the wish not to return.

Food
Lunch can if ur lucky be served at skool. I get this- sometimes u have to pay but this time I don�t. Dinners can be average $4. A very healthy feed in dead. I think most of us go to the orange place- tis a chain cheap eat across the country. International foods or fast junk foods r much higher.

Important
First things to do- get ur skools and ur apartment address from ur directorl- written in both korean and english mayb. This can help with opening bank accounts, getting home with a taxi and getting food delivered to ur house- which is quite large in this country- so convenient! Bugger no aircon!


Resourceful links:

Handy hints for the teacher�et al�
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2450087206&pwstdfy=3708e6a8e23183ccb1e1b5527527ff3d
I put the group together so that we can share ideas of how best to educate our kids and create a better life for us all- including the bugs that the kids love to step on!


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Korea
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/destinations/asia/south-korea

Joey�s ESL Room
http://www.joeysesl.com/teacher-ideas/index.php

~~~~~ I AM AN EXPAT ~~~~~
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2502320856

Daves Esl Caf�
http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/

Learning Resources for kids- printables
http://www.kizclub.com/

Yoga in Korea
http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=2377248248&topic=2891&pwstdfy=4147f9a34c0d29c6e47ea7bc2e078ea7

guide to EVERYTHING Korea.
http://wiki.galbijim.com/Main_Page

ESL Teaching job site.
http://www.myesljob.com

Teaching English in Korea- Guide series blog
http://janesdailyblah.blogspot.com/search/label/Teaching%20in%20Korea%20Guide

Seoul Subway system in English
http://english.tour2korea.com/01TripPlanner/Transportation/subway_main.asp?kosm=m1_4&konum=4

Bus service
http://english.seoul.go.kr/residents/transport/trans_05bus_01.html

The tour2korea is general info
http://english.tour2korea.com/index.asp

care

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Jobs
theres such a wealth of info out there isnt there? i tend to work out what i want eg location, money, age group and accomodatiom size and aircon etc then i post the resume. sometimes the recruiters send outside this criteria but restate them or delete them. they tend to push the urgency button u just need to stand by what u want and not stray too far from ur selection criteria. There is soo many jobs here its not funny!

Couple jobs
post or apply as a couple- if u wanna work in the same skool! or get individual jobs in the same area- that way u get two houses i think the directors- wel the ones that advertise the couple positions are conservative- couples usually get a house- master room and have another room sometimes for another teacher- it depends really! dont let them squeeze u into a bed sit together- ull go crazy. Students tend not to know u r a couple

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is this ur first offer?

Recruiters
The recruiters usually press the urgency button and give u anxiety. asking u to came asap or asa the visa is ready or can u come now and do a visa run to japan- paid for- is standard and not necessarily sketchy. i think there is a possibility that all recruiters will really like u- they make often over a thousand dollars for recruiting u, and cing that u have been recommended well sure that would be exciting- theres a bond already!

Contracts
all contracts have a standard medical insurance, round trip airfare, housing, bonus at the end of contract, 10 day vacation period, 3 sick days, approx 12 public holidays and mayb 2 million won per month pay.
- Medical insurance is 50/50 I hardly know anyone who has opted to contribute to this. A visit to the dr will cost u aprominately $8 plus pills same as alternative medicine- traditional Korean practitioners.

Questions to b asking on the phone or email
Can i speak to the current english teacher or one that has worked there in the past- email or phone? �suss out the directors reputation and workplace culture?, what age students am I teaching?, what r the hours? How many classes do I teach a day? Is this a split shift? What skool books will I be teaching from? How strict is the schedule- can I develop my own ideas? Do u serve lunch or dinner every day? Do u have any photos of the skool or the apartment?

What to wear?
i would believe that most teachers wear casual jeans and a t-shirt. i never wear jeans but once when i did i got all sorts of compliments. Jeans r highly fashionable here! i tend to wear comfy clothes- things that i feel i look good in! u definately dont have to wear a suit! The ideas of restrictions on what u can wear would have applied 3-5 years ago. This culture is changing rapidly and becoming more tolerant.


good luck

[garykasparov]

Questions go alot further than serving lunch and dinner every day.

Questions for new teachers to ask the current and past foreign teacher (if possible) at the school.

( 1 ) Work hours:

( a ) When does your workday start?

( b ) When does your workday end?

( c ) How many preparation hours do you work before the first class?

( d ) Does your employer force employees to work at other schools without permission from Korean Immigration Officials? Yes = Red flag

( e ) Does your employer provide you with time to take breaks during working hours that you can use freely? If so, then how long are your breaks?

( f ) Does your employer count time spent teaching in class including preparation between classes as a "work hour?"

( 2 ) Wages:

( a ) Are you always paid on time? No = Red flag

( b ) Does your employer pressure you or force you to give access to your bank account as well as your cash card? Yes = Red flag

( c ) Does your employer pay you in cash or deposit your monthly salary into your Korean bank account? Cash = Red flag

( d ) Does your employer provide you with pay receipts on payday stating the nature and amount of all deductions, taxes, and salary? No = Red flag

( e ) Does your employer give you holiday bonuses that are deductions from your monthly salary for income tax, pension or medical insurance? Yes = Red flag

( 3 ) Overtime wages:

( a ) Does your employer force employees to work overtime hours? Yes = Red flag

( b ) Does your employer pay you overtime wages or avoid paying them with creative book keeping? Avoid paying them with creative book keeping = Red flag

( 4 ) Paid annual leave:

( a ) Does your employer make deductions from your monthly salary on or during days of paid annual leave? Yes = Red flag

( b ) How do you use annual paid leave days?

( c ) When do you use annual paid leave days?

( 5 ) Korean National Holidays:

( a ) Does your employer make you work on Korean Nation Holidays? Yes = Red flag

( b ) Does your employer make deductions from your monthly salary on or during Korean National Holidays? Yes = Red flag

( 6 ) National Health Insurance Plan:

( a ) Does your employer provide you with a health insurance card? No = Red flag

( b ) Does your employer respect your medical privacy? No = Red flag

( 7 ) National Pension Plan:

( a ) Does your employer pay into pension? No = Red flag

( 8 ) What else do you do that's not written in your contract?

( 9 ) Is the school in financial trouble? Yes = Red flag

( 10 ) Paid sick days:

( a ) Does your employer let you take a paid sick day if you where unable to teach due to illness or injury? No = Red flag

( b ) Have you ever taken a paid sick day? What was your employer's reaction?

( c ) Did you ever have to make a paid sick day up at a later date? Yes = Red flag

( d ) Did your employer ever make deductions from your monthly salary for a paid sick day you took off? Yes = Red flag

( e ) If you used a paid sick day, did another native teacher work your classes during?

( 11 ) Does your employer have a history of firing employees for the sole purpose of not providing severance pay, wages and a plane ticket home? Yes = Red flag

( 12 ) Does your employer have a history of being verbally or physically abusive? Yes = Red flag

( 13 ) Does your employer have a history of "pocketing " deductions for taxes, pension and medical insurance? Yes = Red flag

( 14 ) Housing & accomodations:

( a ) Did your employer provide you with the furnishings stated in your contract when you moved in? No = Red flag

( b ) What were the overall conditions of your apartment including the furnishings when you moved in? Poor = Red flag

( c ) Does your employer make deductions from your monthly salary for housing deposits provided you signed a labor contract without a housing deposit clause? Yes = Red flag

( d ) Are all the utilities in your name or your bosses name?

( e ) Were all the utilities paid from the prior teacher before you moved in? If they were not, did you pay for them? You pay for them = Red flag

( f ) Does your employer walk into your apartment when you are in your apartment without your consent or do apartment searches when you are not in your apartment?

( 15 ) Did you get your passport, degree and transcripts back after receiving a work visa from Korean Immigration Officials? No = Red flag

( 16 ) What are the English speaking abilities of the Korean Teachers and your employer like? Poor = You'll have a rough year

( 17 ) Does your boss deduct income taxes from your monthly salary correctly? No = Red flag

( 18 ) Have there been complaints filed against your employer at the local labour office within the last year or two? If so, then what was it for? Yes = Red flag

( 19 ) Are there banks, gyms, train stations, subway stations, hospitals and airports close to the school?

[ttompatz]

I hate to be a bore BUT... to get the facts straight it is ALL in the FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions).

Getting a Job - Things You Need to Know
Getting a Job -Hagwons, Unis, EPIK & Public Schools
Alien Registration Card (ARC)
Getting Organised to Come to Korea
Choosing a Location in Korea
Contracts - Health Insurance, Pension, Severance etc.
Money, Tax, Credit Cards & the Economy
Visas
Help! Important Contacts, Embassies & Advice
Useful Teaching Links
Dealing with Homesickness, Culture Shock, and Going Home
Learning Korean
Shopping, grey markets, Housing, Travel Agents, Driving, etc
Health: Medical, Dental, Counselling, Saunas, & Mosquito

just to cover a few of the MAIN thread headers. There are hundreds of subtopics and threads within those that cover everything you could possibly want or need to know about life as an ESL teacher here.