[DanteV]

Does anyone know how much public school teachers make for a first year teacher? I'm currently working for a hagwon and make 2 million a month. I only get 10 days vacation, but it seems like the public school jobs get close to 3 months with all of the breaks and whatnot. I had heard they get paid less, but I was just curious by how much.

[ginger]

Does anyone know how much public school teachers make for a first year teacher? I'm currently working for a hagwon and make 2 million a month. I only get 10 days vacation, but it seems like the public school jobs get close to 3 months with all of the breaks and whatnot. I had heard they get paid less, but I was just curious by how much.

Are you talking about with SMOE or GEPIK/EPIK? Also, it is very different depending on your degrees.

A person with NO experience and NO English/Edu-related BA can expect 1.8 million on their contract. HOWEVER...most of us at middle/high schools teach after school lessons a few times a week, which raises our salary by about 300-400,000 won. At one point, I was making an extra 600,000 per month, making my pay 2.9 million won as a first year teacher. Plus, I had tons of vacation--three weeks in the winter (plus three weeks of camp, but the camp was only 3 hours long and I went home at noon every day) and four weeks in the summer. I also had random weeks off do to testing/student trips.

BUT...it all depends on your school. Some schools will require their NET to come into school even during the students' vacation. Most don't, but plenty do.

-ginger

[DanteV]

Are you talking about with SMOE or GEPIK/EPIK? Also, it is very different depending on your degrees.

A person with NO experience and NO English/Edu-related BA can expect 1.8 million on their contract. HOWEVER...most of us at middle/high schools teach after school lessons a few times a week, which raises our salary by about 300-400,000 won. At one point, I was making an extra 600,000 per month, making my pay 2.9 million won as a first year teacher. Plus, I had tons of vacation--three weeks in the winter (plus three weeks of camp, but the camp was only 3 hours long and I went home at noon every day) and four weeks in the summer. I also had random weeks off do to testing/student trips.

BUT...it all depends on your school. Some schools will require their NET to come into school even during the students' vacation. Most don't, but plenty do.

-ginger

So I gotta ask then. Why would anyone try to work at a Hagwon when you get all those benefits as a public school teacher? I teach 38 classes a week compared to roughly 20 that everyone else teaches and if they teacher more you get paid more O_O!

Sorry I don't know what SMOE/GEPIK/EPIK are. I just kinda made a rash decision to come here. The whole ignorance is bliss thing is really making sense these days

[kennesu]

My only advice for those thinking about teaching in Korea is make sure you talk to a native english teacher who is currently working at the particular institution you are looking at. I've heard numerous horror stories where people fresh out of college just go to any ole random hagwon and they get screwed big time. If you cannot get a recommendation from someone, it's better not to risk it.

[ginger]

So I gotta ask then. Why would anyone try to work at a Hagwon when you get all those benefits as a public school teacher? I teach 38 classes a week compared to roughly 20 that everyone else teaches and if they teacher more you get paid more O_O!

Sorry I don't know what SMOE/GEPIK/EPIK are. I just kinda made a rash decision to come here. The whole ignorance is bliss thing is really making sense these days

Why do people choose a hagwon over public school?

1) They didn't do any research and ended up signing with the first school that offered them a contract, thinking it was a great deal.
2) They don't like the idea of working alongside many other Koreans or with being (most likely) the only foreigner at the school.
3) They don't want to teach large classes.
4) They are not morning people and would prefer working from 4-10:30 PM (I know many people like this).
5) They want to work with their friends, so they all sign up to work at the same school.
6) They wanted to come over at a different time than February or August. Feb and Aug are the ONLY hiring times for 99% of the public schools.
7) They chose location over job quality. I know some people who would have rather knew their exact location in Seoul (like working in Gangnam) than go with SMOE's blindfolded process, where you don't know where you'll be living in Seoul until you show up at orientation.
8) They can (occasionally) make more money.


So there are lots of reasons why people could chose a hagwon over a public school. In some ways, working at a hagwon is a great way to get your feet wet, since you're working with smaller classes. In the public school system, you're just tossed in 36 classes, a handful of co-teachers that you hope will show up, and expected to be your school's token foreigner. That being said...I love public school, would recommend it to almost anybody wanting to teach here, and would do the whole process over again if I had to.

-ginger

[Psyche81]

Sorry I'm posting this again. >< But I'm still curious about the whole orientation process. ^^

*cut and pasted*
This is a question for any ESL teachers out there currently with SMOE teaching in Korea. I was wondering for the week-long orientation, what do you do at the orientation? I'm just curious. Oh! And I heard that teachers won't know what school and what grade they'll be teaching until the last day before school starts? If this is true, then how and when did you start preparing your lesson plans for the year? The schedule seems pretty tight.....

Also, if orientation day is set for Aug 25th, what day should I leave my home country? I mean, if we leave our home country a few days earlier before the 25th, will SMOE guarantee us our apartments then? Or would we have to stay at hotels until two days before school starts?

Thank you soooo much for answering! ^^

[Amber Jayne]

Why do people choose a hagwon over public school?

1) They didn't do any research and ended up signing with the first school that offered them a contract, thinking it was a great deal.
2) They don't like the idea of working alongside many other Koreans or with being (most likely) the only foreigner at the school.
3) They don't want to teach large classes.
4) They are not morning people and would prefer working from 4-10:30 PM (I know many people like this).
5) They want to work with their friends, so they all sign up to work at the same school.
6) They wanted to come over at a different time than February or August. Feb and Aug are the ONLY hiring times for 99% of the public schools.
7) They chose location over job quality. I know some people who would have rather knew their exact location in Seoul (like working in Gangnam) than go with SMOE's blindfolded process, where you don't know where you'll be living in Seoul until you show up at orientation.
8) They can (occasionally) make more money.


So there are lots of reasons why people could chose a hagwon over a public school. In some ways, working at a hagwon is a great way to get your feet wet, since you're working with smaller classes. In the public school system, you're just tossed in 36 classes, a handful of co-teachers that you hope will show up, and expected to be your school's token foreigner. That being said...I love public school, would recommend it to almost anybody wanting to teach here, and would do the whole process over again if I had to.

-ginger

Wow, public school sounds like the way to go. I have no problem being the only foreigner. I have some student teaching experience where I worked with big classes, so that's not a huge issue. (I'm not studying to be a teacher, but in high school I student taught for one of my classes)

Question- My BA will be in English, but not teaching. Will this still give me a leg up?

[freezia]

Has anyone go through TESOL/TEFL Program with Oxford Seminars? Was it worth the cost your money and time? Any recommendation on Programs like this?

[saraluv7]

Greetings from Seattle! Hope everyone's been up to good times in this nice weather. It's so beautiful outside when I wake up- I look forward to every day of my life now that the sun is out!
I appreciate every insight Ginger has to note about teaching. She's so real- yup you know you are!
So, I'm applying thru the Seattle Consulate office for the TALK program. Since I don't have a bachelor's and only a 2 yr degree.
I just received my degree this past winter. The benefits are the same as any other like GEPIK/EPIK but a little less pay. Has anyone else ever had experience with this particular teaching program? I want to know so I'd be better prepared for this venture.
For more info, go to---->talk.go.kr
the deadline is June 10th.
Benefits include: paid vacation (7 days for 1 yr), insurance, sick leaves, paid airfare to and back within contract, about 1,500,000 won. 15 hrs per week....
any other info, post up here plse! and any comments would be appreciated~

[jurassic5]

1.5 million for only 15 hours a week (25 an hour)? that's not bad at all when compared to hakwons (2.0 for 30 hours of teaching). i guess it won't be for everyone since you will be in the shigol. but hey...it's an experience. that's pretty good IMO if it's only 15 hours. If they add on to it..then, not so much.

[juicycouture]

Hey all,

I'll be flying out to Korea next weekend to teach at a SAT hakwon for 2 months. I was told that I don't need a visa but can just enter with a stamp on my passport (and renew this again after 30 days). Does anyone have any recs in terms of what I should bring, etc?

[jurassic5]

Hey all,

I'll be flying out to Korea next weekend to teach at a SAT hakwon for 2 months. I was told that I don't need a visa but can just enter with a stamp on my passport (and renew this again after 30 days). Does anyone have any recs in terms of what I should bring, etc?

you will be working on a tourist visa? have fun.....just don't let immigration catch ya.

[juicycouture]

you will be working on a tourist visa? have fun.....just don't let immigration catch ya.

yeah, I found that to be quite strange as well.. I was trying to get a work visa but was told by the hakwon that I didn't need to get one. I believe I will ask the school again because I don't want any immigration or any issues arising when I'm abroad.

[B0hemian_Sprite]

yeah, I found that to be quite strange as well.. I was trying to get a work visa but was told by the hakwon that I didn't need to get one. I believe I will ask the school again because I don't want any immigration or any issues arising when I'm abroad.

You should get a work visa or else you're not getting your registration card, that you need to live here

[coompi]

Hi all!

Since there are quite a number of you who have experience in Korea... I have a question.

I have recently been in contact with a Korean company about going to teach English to one of their Korean corporate clients. The quaint name of the company is Carrot English. I haven't found anything about this company on this board, and, in fact, I cannot find much comment about this company on the Web at all (except info produced by the company itself - oh, I searched through eslcafe.com as well of course)... so it could be quite new - although archive.org has a record of carrotkr.com since Feb 2001.

Here is their telephone number (+82 2) 518-0036. Here are their Korean websites [ http://carrotkr.com/ ] and [ http://www.carrotenglish.com/ ] - seem to be mirror sites. Doesn't seem to be be much info in English there, except if you google then you can find a bunch of English pages, for example [ http://www.carrotenglish.com/eng/who/info.html ], but there doesn't seem to be any access to these pages from their main websites.

An opinion from other people who have previously got to know something about this company is more what I'm looking for. Anyone? Thanks for reading... and I'll update you on how I get on with Korean teaching jobs in general.

[juicycouture]

You should get a work visa or else you're not getting your registration card, that you need to live here

I live in the DC area so I plan on calling the embassy this week to get it all figured out. Problem is, I'm scheduled to fly out on Sunday
I wish I had checked out this forum sooner so that I could have figured out my visa stuff earlier! The director of the hakwon kept telling me I didn't need any visas (I'm there for just 2 months) but I don't want to risk deportation or anything like that!

On another note, is anyone teaching in the Apgujung area this summer?

[ginger]

Wow, public school sounds like the way to go. I have no problem being the only foreigner. I have some student teaching experience where I worked with big classes, so that's not a huge issue. (I'm not studying to be a teacher, but in high school I student taught for one of my classes)

Question- My BA will be in English, but not teaching. Will this still give me a leg up?

Yup, you'll get the starting rate of 2.0 million (I was an Eng Lit major, as well). If you complete an online course to be TESL certified, you can start at 2.3 million, I believe.

Sorry I'm posting this again. >< But I'm still curious about the whole orientation process. ^^

*cut and pasted*
This is a question for any ESL teachers out there currently with SMOE teaching in Korea. I was wondering for the week-long orientation, what do you do at the orientation? I'm just curious. Oh! And I heard that teachers won't know what school and what grade they'll be teaching until the last day before school starts? If this is true, then how and when did you start preparing your lesson plans for the year? The schedule seems pretty tight.....

Also, if orientation day is set for Aug 25th, what day should I leave my home country? I mean, if we leave our home country a few days earlier before the 25th, will SMOE guarantee us our apartments then? Or would we have to stay at hotels until two days before school starts?

Thank you soooo much for answering! ^^

I'm with SMOE, so I can answer your question. During the orientation, the first two days will be dedicated to getting-to-know-you activities, as well as sessions/activities about Korean culture. On the third day, you'll start to have big lectures on the Korean school system and then, you'll be divided into sections (elementary/middle/high). In those sections, you'll have more specific talks on classroom management, how to lesson plan, how to work with a co-teacher, and so on. You will be given an assignment to complete, such as "create a 15 minute lesson plan." You'll be expected to sign up for a time slot. While others present (I think you're given the assignment a day or two in advance), you'll just hang out and do whatever. Frankly speaking...I had just come from an insane 6 week camp and was too tired/bitter/careless/annoyed...and I didn't even do the presentation. No one called me out on it and I didn't get in trouble for it. I wouldn't recommend it, however, as they try to keep tabs on all the people at the conference.

One day, they also took us to the National Museum of Korea, but I had just gone the week before with friends, so a couple of guys and I peaced out and wandered around Yongsan for a few hours.

You won't know where you're teaching until a few days before, but you WILL know what level (elem/ms/hs) when you arrive (it'll be on the name tag that SMOE will try to force you to wear 24/7).

Don't worry about lesson planning. Most of us are given a full week to observe the the school life/class. If your school tries to make you work on your first day, politely saying, "I'm sorry, but I would like to have more time to observe the students/class life so I can be better prepared" usually works. Also, you don't want to make your lesson plans in advance because 1) you haven't consulted a co-teacher and 2) you haven't seen the material the school is working with.

You won't be staying in an apartment when you get to orientation--all teachers will be staying at a conference center. I think some people have showed up a few days in advance and it hasn't been a problem, but I'm pretty sure that there is a specific day SMOE wants you to fly in. That way, they can pick you guys up from the airport and drive you out to the location at the same time. If you guys are still going to be conferencing at the Hyundai Learning Center, that place is way far out in Bundang, so it's much more convenient for SMOE to have people come in on the same day.

I live in the DC area so I plan on calling the embassy this week to get it all figured out. Problem is, I'm scheduled to fly out on Sunday
I wish I had checked out this forum sooner so that I could have figured out my visa stuff earlier! The director of the hakwon kept telling me I didn't need any visas (I'm there for just 2 months) but I don't want to risk deportation or anything like that!

On another note, is anyone teaching in the Apgujung area this summer?

Ahhhh, your hagwon director is definitely lying to you so you won't have proper papers. Sounds shady. You need to get a C-4 visa if you want to work short-term in Korea.

I don't teach in Apgu but I go there every weekend. If you like drinking/clubbing/shopping, get in touch! Oh, and where in DC are you from? I went to college at CUA so I lived in Brookland for 4 years. My boyfriend also went to Gonzaga.

-ginger

[juicycouture]

Ahhhh, your hagwon director is definitely lying to you so you won't have proper papers. Sounds shady. You need to get a C-4 visa if you want to work short-term in Korea.

I don't teach in Apgu but I go there every weekend. If you like drinking/clubbing/shopping, get in touch! Oh, and where in DC are you from? I went to college at CUA so I lived in Brookland for 4 years. My boyfriend also went to Gonzaga.

-ginger

I agree that the hakwon director sounds shady. I'm going to do all that I can to get a visa before I leave but if it doesn't work out I'll go with my tourist visa Eek! Maybe I can even try getting a visa while I'm there in the worst case scenario. I'm calling the embassy tomorrow so I guess they'll tell me what I should be doing, lol.

I will definitely contact you once I get in Korea! I love drinking/clubbing/shopping etc etc..maybe too much! I'm actually from the NOVA (Fairfax) area and went to college in NY. Can't believe I graduated already!! Anyway, I'm busily packing all my stuff atm but it seems like I'll have to buy a lot of home/bedding stuff once I get there. I hope Korean stuff is cheap or else I'll quickly burn through my cash supply (and I don't get paid till the end of the month!).

And thanks for your advice on the visa! I'm crossing my fingers and hoping everything works out

[Amber Jayne]

Yup, you'll get the starting rate of 2.0 million (I was an Eng Lit major, as well). If you complete an online course to be TESL certified, you can start at 2.3 million, I believe.

Awesome! Thanks!

I want to fast forward to graduation.

[koreanballads]

If your parents no longer have their family records, how do you obtain a F-4 visa?