Concerning two recruiters and Public vs. Private schools

[Mitwyatt]

Greetings, I'm new to the forum and I'm seeking a little peace of mind since I have been considering teaching in Korea. I have been to the official FAQ forum and did some reading on there, but I noticed some of it is a few years old (and some boards did not load).

-Here are my qualifications:

I have a 4 year bachelors degree in fine arts.

I have around 2 years of teaching experience from teaching children art at an after school program. (Classes are around 10-18 students)

I also have been substituting at some local schools.

-Why I want to teach in Korea: (I'm sure these are pretty ubiquitous)

Earn more educational experience and credentials.

Save a little money(if possible).

off topic: I'm an artist, so I would like to get involved with some sort of community during my stay. Also, I would like to some how work this into my teaching curriculum, if I'm allowed to.

Adventure, I've never lived in a large city before, Seoul or somewhere close to the city seems attractive.

Furthermore, I have been in touch with two recruiters, they seem to be "nice" and both have replied to all of my e-mails and have answered the phone when I've called to ask questions.

My first question is concerning the reputation of Hoya English. I've read on another forum they are apart of G'day Korea (a sister company?) and they maybe a scam. The recruiter I've been speaking with (on the phone) through Hoya Enlish is a woman by the name of Joan. She's said that she could place me in a Hagwon and I will be paid around 2.3-2.4mil won (given that I have some teaching experience) which after doing some research, this seems a little excessive for my qualifications. Anyway, something seems almost "too good to be true about this."

2ndly is a recruiter is through WorkNPlay Inc. Her name is Mina and she has replied to all of my e-mails with sincerity, always attaching certain documents with helpful information etc. She said public schools can be a good idea (possibly less stressful) and has offered me information on some positions through SMOE (Seoul Metropolitan of English). The payment she was suggesting considering my credentials seemed more legitimate, estimating around 2.0-2.1 million won. Mina also claimed that she recruits teachers to work at a Hagwon called SLP Korea at Janghanpyung station, which supposedly has a good rep.

So I have to make some important choices to make, being a potential ESL teacher, with "okay" qualifications.

1st is finding a good recruiter.

Teach at a Hagwon or a Public school, seeing that they both have their ups and downs.

Though Hagwons could pay more and I'll probably work with other foreigners and have smaller classes. I could score a rotten one if I don't do my research. I definitely do not want a bad experience through a Hagwon during my stay.

The other, (public school) around 40 students per class, no other foreigners, less work hours, teach only one grade level, more vacation time, a little less pay.

Does anyone know the credibility behind these two recruiters? A Hagwon or Public school, which one is best for starters? Hopefully I seem to be approaching this in some sort of "right way". Anyway I would gladly appreciate any feedback.

-M

[bjohnson38]

I know this is an old post, but I also went through Hoya English and I am currently here in South Korea. My contact was great, although she didn't do the best job of keeping me informed of everything. I mean, I knew what was going on, but my friend and I were waiting a lot of the time with no idea WHEN things would happen. In the end, though, we got connected with a great school, and I'm currently making 2.1 million won a month. This is not excessive, as it is only about $1600 dollars a month, or about $10-12 an hour American. Hoya may not be the best recruiter, but they got me out here and I'm very pleased with my placement. Feel free to email me or check out my blog if anyone wants to ask some questions or see what Korea is like.
-Brian