Seriously considering a move to Korea..... - Page 2 - Ajarn Forum

jimbo · 19th March 2008, 10:34

No. Korea and Koreans just weren't his gig. You should prolly ask him for more detailed info.

We only hung out a small handful of times....and didn't live THAT close to each other.

Capricious · 19th March 2008, 10:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by MisterStretch

2.4 is tops, providing you have 2 years of verifiable teaching experience. You should also get an additional 100,000 if you choose a rural location. If you work in more than one school then you get additional money. I work in three and my base salary is 2.65 with the opportunity to add another 240,000 by teaching one double class once a week in one of my schools.

How about additional work on top of that? How easy is it to find extra work through privates and other things in rural Korea? I enjoy both city life and rural life for different reasons, but it seems that for pure money saving purposes that rural Korea might be better?

MisterStretch · 19th March 2008, 12:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by Capricious

How about additional work on top of that? How easy is it to find extra work through privates and other things in rural Korea?

That depends on how rural you are. I'm very rural and I don't think there's a great deal of money to be made from privates as these people don't have the salaries that successful businessmen from the city make.

In any city...or any city that you could get to quickly from a small town...there is lots of opportunity for privates. And getting from 'the country' to the city isn't really that difficult. For instance I'm less than 20 minutes from a very large city. But taking privates in the evening would mean that I would need my own transportation as the buses don't run that late.

Capricious · 19th March 2008, 13:14

Good info. Probably a balance between the savings of rural life with the higher earning potential through extra work in the city.

traveler2 · 20th March 2008, 01:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by Capricious

Probably a balance between the savings of rural life with the higher earning potential through extra work in the city.

Rural (although depending how rural) is probably better because it gets you out of the concrete jungle. As long as its close enough to get into the city, I prefer it.

phuketbound · 21st March 2008, 16:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by traveler2

I refrained from considering Korea for the longest time since I heard all the negativity about Korea but then I reconsidered since I have taught in Japan previously which is similar.

Well I decided to bite the bullet and went ahead and posted my resume on a competitor's site (starts with the letter "D"

) just to see if I get any action, suddenly I get 10 emails and 5 phone calls from recruiters. I was a bit skeptical with the response I have to say; how many of these recruiters are legit?

Anyway, the highest offer I got so far was 2.4M. I know the best thing for me to do is fly over and see for myself what I am getting into before signing my life away for a year.

That said, I am wondering what some good provinces are to live in South Korea. I would prefer a mix of the countryside and city life.

Also, how much can I expect to spend on a weekly basis on day to day expenses generally (I am assuming its comparable to Japan, maybe $100 or less usd)? night on the town?..etc..

Other input is also welcome

.

Thanks

Hey,
You can live in the suburbs of Seoul, and still be able to get into the happening part of Seoul in an hour. Cities like Daegu and Daejon are smaller, and I've heard good things about them. I have some friends that live in Suwon, and that is a small city, but with a lot of history. It would take you about an hour and a half to two hours to get into Seoul. The good thing is that it is on the subway line. there are many small cities still on the subway line.

There are so many recruiters out there. I have a few good ones that I can recommend, that I've used. Pm me and I can send the name to you.

2.4 is a good salary. Korean food is cheap. If you eat Korean food, you can get by on fifteen to twenty a day, depending on what you eat. Galbi is more expensive. I was making 2.4 last year, and I could save about half of that if I didn't buy clothes or other souvenirs. I also ate out at foreign restaurants around once or twice a week. Those western restaurants will cost you about 10-25$ per meal. How much you can save depends entirely on how you live.

If you need any other specific information, feel free to contact me. I taught there for two years, and I'll be heading back there to teach in four or five months.

traveler2 · 22nd March 2008, 15:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by phuketbound

Hey,
You can live in the suburbs of Seoul, and still be able to get into the happening part of Seoul in an hour. Cities like Daegu and Daejon are smaller, and I've heard good things about them. I have some friends that live in Suwon, and that is a small city, but with a lot of history. It would take you about an hour and a half to two hours to get into Seoul. The good thing is that it is on the subway line. there are many small cities still on the subway line.

There are so many recruiters out there. I have a few good ones that I can recommend, that I've used. Pm me and I can send the name to you.

2.4 is a good salary. Korean food is cheap. If you eat Korean food, you can get by on fifteen to twenty a day, depending on what you eat. Galbi is more expensive. I was making 2.4 last year, and I could save about half of that if I didn't buy clothes or other souvenirs. I also ate out at foreign restaurants around once or twice a week. Those western restaurants will cost you about 10-25$ per meal. How much you can save depends entirely on how you live.

If you need any other specific information, feel free to contact me. I taught there for two years, and I'll be heading back there to teach in four or five months.

I appreciate your generosity and info PB

. I will contact you soon.

Ever since I posted my resume on Dave's I been getting phone calls and emails from recruiters non-stop.

jimbo · 22nd March 2008, 18:20

I believe it.

traveler2 · 24th March 2008, 09:20

Would it be better to teach at a Private or Public school?

jimbo · 24th March 2008, 09:38

Depends on the management versus the admin. at each particular place.

Generally though, public means paid vacas....private is not necessarily so.

Public could mean extra-curricular activities (i.e.; after-school activities), whereas that is unheard of with most private schools.

Lots of +'s and -'s with each...but it's all in the air until you contact said school directly and probe these things.

With the given situation, I probably wouldn't consider going through the process until I talked with at least 3 current employees.....foreigners......2 by email and one by phone.

traveler2 · 24th March 2008, 12:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by jimbo

Depends on the management versus the admin. at each particular place.

Generally though, public means paid vacas....private is not necessarily so.

Public could mean extra-curricular activities (i.e.; after-school activities), whereas that is unheard of with most private schools.

Lots of +'s and -'s with each...but it's all in the air until you contact said school directly and probe these things.

With the given situation, I probably wouldn't consider going through the process until I talked with at least 3 current employees.....foreigners......2 by email and one by phone.

Thanks Jimbo

, still a bit indecisive. What I would like to be able to do is get a tourist visa and be able to check these schools out prior to signing on the dotted line. From what I have heard it is not easy.....

jimbo · 24th March 2008, 12:51

I think that would be easy, PROVIDED you had the cash to return home after the "tour" for the consulate interview.

phuketbound · 24th March 2008, 17:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by traveler2

Would it be better to teach at a Private or Public school?

It depends on what hours you want to work, among other things Jimbo mentioned.

I've worked in both. Private schools, you usually work afternoons till 7 or 8pm. You work very hard, with little breaks. Vacation is usually two weeks. One on the summer and one in the winter. A lot of hogwans are corrupt, and will work you to the bone, change schedules at the last minute, and try and take you for a ride. Research the school, and talk to past employees.

If you want to work in a public school in Seoul. You are placed in any school. You can give them an area you want to work in, but you aren't guaranteed that area. You will be told the first week of orientation where you will be placed. Again, you can get a great school, or you can get a school that may not treat you well, or care about education. My friends had an awful experience, and left half way through. I had a great school, and was well taken care of. A lot of it depends on the type of principal you have, and if you are the first native teacher at the school, or not.

---
If you get a job from out of country, your airfare will be paid to Korea, which is really nice. If you go there, and look for a job, you may have to leave Korea (new rules, that I'm not so sure about). Things have changed there, but they still really need English teachers. The new government has 'English Teachers,' on the top of his agenda.

I'll get back to you soon regarding your pm.

traveler2 · 25th March 2008, 00:53

Thanks PB and Jimbo for your input

.

This visa thing seems like a pain in the ass. It would suck (costly too) to go to Korea to check out the schools then return home for the interview with the embassy. They should be able to arrange it so I do not need to return home to finalize everything.

jimbo · 25th March 2008, 05:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by traveler2

They should be able to arrange it so I do not need to return home to finalize everything.

They the school, they immigration, they the Korean government, or they the Korean consulate in......LA (for example)??

Lotsa' "theys" involved.