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What about recruiters or "headhunter" agencies?
I'd advise against them if possible. Of course there are reputable agencies out there but buyer
beware. Number one, they are making so much money that many will fabricate information to get
you to sign with a school. Recruiters usually receive a large sum of money to 'find' you. Don't pay a dime to a recruiter and make sure you get the phone number of the school
he/she is setting you up with. Sometimes they will try to block all communication between you and
the school until he/she is paid - which is usually after you have arrived.
An other way to find jobs in Korea is to get a copy of the Korea Times or The Korea Herald. Look
for job advertisements and do the paperwork yourself. Look in your country's major newspapers for
advertisements directly from schools. I praise the Internet for finding both my jobs here in Korea
and they have both been experiences I wouldn't trade the world for.
If you are able, come to Korea. If you really want to work here, it will be a great investment. Visit
several schools. First visit the director and inquire about a job. Then try to talk to the teachers
working there. They will be able to tell you the going rate for that area, and sometimes even point
you in the right direction for a good job. Also, everyone you talk with seems to know someone
working in Korea. Get their address and phone number; send them your resume; make yourself
known. Most teachers are happy to submit a resume in for a fellow foreigner.
I had it good. Near the end of my first contract I was working only 18 hours a week, I had no
morning classes, and I had weekends off; but I only had 4 days of vacation. Now, (at the
university) I work maximum 18 hours a week, and every 7 weeks I get a 16 day paid vacation.
A lot of schools mean no harm, but have no idea how to make you feel at home. They will often
fail to provide you with certain items because they arbitrarily decide that you don't need them.
Another problem is that directors often copy contracts from other schools because they can't read
or write English themselves. In my experience, my director did not know he was to pay my air fare
or that his foreign teachers even had a vacation period. But once he was informed of this he was
very accommodating.
Now some schools will actively use your confusion to take advantage of you. They will refuse to
provide even basic items in your contract. I have even heard of one school that kept a key to a
teacher's apartment and would come in unannounced snooping around when she wasn't there.
If you do get stuck in a bad situation like this simply leave. TAKE A STAND!! This is the number
one problem with foreigners - we let ourselves get walked on. You can make or break a school. If
you tell your students that you are leaving they may leave also. This is a lot of lost revenue for the
school. Even if you boss is being really nice, do not continue teaching.
The most important thing is to make friends with as many foreigners as possible. We're all in the
same boat and will look out for each other. I know of two guys who were being shafted at their
schools so they left. They stayed in a Yawguan for a few months, taught privates and tended bar.
As it turns out they were working 1/3 their former hours and made almost double what they were
earning at the school.
Most schools will attempt to take your return ticket, and understandably so. They want a guarantee
that if you get homesick, you won't wait for payday and then bugger off. If you decide to leave
without notice, you could have destroyed the school and possibly the director's livelihood. Simply
neglect to bring in your return ticket and they will eventually forget all about it.
Bring a copy of your contract as modified.
Even in the good schools, there will be many problems. It is a lot easier to argue with the director's
signature right in front of him or her.
Don't give an inch.
You flew 8000 miles based on that contract. Tell your director that right up front. If you intend to
fulfill your end of the contract, there is no excuse for any slack on their end. This kind of stance is
uncommon in Korea, and will likely piss the director off.
Contacts:
How much can I earn?
Well, that's a good question. The Korean economy is going through some HUGE changes.
For more information go back to the main page and click on the Exchange Converter.
You should be receiving free living accomidations, free medical and free air fare.
If you not, then don't sign the contract. Also, private lessons are an excellent source of
income.
Working Life:
Many Koreans work 12 hours a day, six days a week, 52 weeks a year. Some of the directors
expect you to do the same. Some schools pay little and expect a lot. Some pay more and expect
little. The best situations offer 5 days a week, 5 hours a day, no split shifts, and two weeks paid
vacation. The worst want split shifts, six days a week, and you must fight for unpaid vacation
time. However, the vacation issue is not as bad as it sounds. Usually, teachers get the weekends
off, and the Korean calender is FILLED with national holidays. You'll have a 3 or 4 day weekend
every month or so.
I have heard horror stories about some of these schools. Are they true?
Yes. I don't want to scare you, but I do want to prepare you. Some schools really make efforts to
meet you half-way on the cultural exchange. Their directors speak English well and will listen and
try to help you adjust. They also provide decent living conditions and respect and follow your
contract.
Hints:
When you buy your plane ticket buy it 'round trip' and hold on to the return ticket.
When you arrive in Korea, your embassy will want you to sign some sort of form incase
you need to be evacuated for some weird reason. Hmmm... can you say "out of country taxes?"
Anyhow, when was the last time you trusted any government?
Work: 051-200-7054
Home: 051-248-4080
Food:
The food is a paradise for meat eaters and semi-vegetarians alike. This is because Koreans couldn't afford meat for much of recent history... Many wonderful dishes have evolved around the plentiful local vegetables. There has always been a class that could afford meat however, and the ancient marinades and recipes of Kings has come to the general population in their newfound affluence.
For the carnivores:
Flame broiled meats are the order of choice for carnivores in Korea. There is a beautiful selection too. The best part is how it is cooked. If it is done right, a pot of hot coals will be put in the center of your table. A brass grill will be placed over these, and the meat will be served raw onto the grill.
If you look closely at the grill, you will notice that the bars are not round, but rather they are troughs. The juice of the meat runs down the troughs around the edge of the grill. As the meat becomes done, it is pulled off the grill into these juices. Dozens of side dishes are included, many of which are meant to dip the meat into. Wasabe, soy sauce, sesame oil, onion and red-pepper salad, and much more.
Bul-gogi and other gogi
Gogi simply means meat. There are a dozen varieties and different recipes for each. Usually when
you order bul-gogi or one of the other gogi, it will be a plain cut. The taste is marvelous, being
cooked fresh over charcoal. This will have a milder flavour than some other varieties of meat, as it
is usually not marinated.
Duaiji-kalbi and other Kalbi
Kalbi just means ribs. The translation is bad though, as this is usually meat cut from around the ribs, rather than the ribs themselves.. The marinade is usually better, with garlic, soy, some kind of sugar, and many other tastes I can not identify. Of this type of food, I have only heard of Duaji-kalbi and So-kalbi, but am sure others exist.
Tac-kalbi
Though this has the same ending, it is prepared very differently from the other kalbi. Tac is chicken.
Tac-kalbi is usually prepared on a flat gas grill. The waitress places a whole pile of cabbage, red
pepper, sliced sweet potato, green peppers, onions, garlic and of course chopped chicken on the grill
(or huge wok thingy). Once the cabbage cooks and shrinks, the juices of all the other ingredients
"melt" into each other. After you have eaten most of the food the waitress brings long potato
noodles and mixes them into the remaining food. She also adds some more red pepper. After you
have finished the noodles, out comes the rice. It too is placed on the grill and is fried with the
remaining food. Tac-kalbi is my favourite food in Korea. But beware, it is HOT so drink a lot of
water.
For the semi-vegetarians:
The reason I say "semi-vegetarians" is that just about everything is made with a fish broth. To avoid
this, you will have to develop a liking for the many side dishes that are offered at every meal. Strict
vegetarians should learn the phrase, "Gogi noh jeem ha seh yo" which means, "No meat please."
Many dishes that formerly had no meat are including it these days, and it is a good precaution.
Be-Bim-Bop
This is one dish that even the strict vegetarians will be able to enjoy. It is a bowl of rice with cou-chou-jang (red-pepper sauce), big sprouts, yummy brown roots, spinach, some kind of radish that tastes more like hash browns, and an egg that can be either removed or left off by request. If you are lucky, it will come in a thick stone bowl that stays about 400 degrees for most of the time it takes to eat it.
Soon-Doo-Boo-Ji-Geh
This is soft tofu soup. It is made in a fish broth with large chunks of tofu, big sprouts (I have never
seen small sprouts here), red and green peppers, and the cook's choice of additions. It comes with
rice that is meant to go in the soup. I strongly advise following this tradition. Somehow the mixture is
incredible. Usually a bowl of the same vegetables from be-bim-bop is included, among other side
dishes.
Duen-Jong-Jee-Geh
Seafood soup. Like the above except instead of tofu, a variety of seafood is added. There is no way
to predict what seafood will come in this except to ask. I have had crab, shrimp, muscles, etc. If you
bite down and think they put a rock in, don't worry. I have been told it is a hard sea vegetable that
you can eat, and that it is a kind of shellfish that you can eat the shell from. I think it's the latter, but
most people spit out the shell whether it's edible or not.
Try the beaches. They are crowded and dirty, but the weather is good year round depending on your tastes. This is where variety springs up. There are expensive hotels with all sorts of foreigner oriented service, Amusement parks and midway, Night clubs, etc. Tourist areas also seem to get a wider share of development dollars, as they bring money in. The toilets are cleaner. The sidewalks exist. People are active and interesting.
Kyungju is the ancient capitol of various dynasties in Korea. Currently it is like a national museum with several historical sites. Don't try to see it all in one day... You will probably be invited to Kyungju at the first opportunity by any Korean friends you make. They will want to show you this piece of their national pride. Unfortunately, most often they will try to show you everything and you will end up seeing almost nothing due to the rush. Definitely an interesting weekend can be had in Kyungju.
Similar to Kyungju is the 1000 year old village of 'An-dong'. This village is a real life example of how people lived in 16th century traditional communities. You will be amazed at the straw roofs and ancient carvings. Andong also has a small museum which illustrates much of the Korean history during the 16th 17th and 18th century.
Let me warn you right now...Koreans love Nori-bong or singing rooms. Westerners don't sing
much as a group. Koreans do. It is a cultural institution where people sing at almost all get-togethers
(even in school). Many Koreans are very good singers because they have sung publicly since
childhood. There are enough who can't sing very well anyway though, that an inexperienced
Westerner need not feel embarrassed. It may be a hard fear to overcome if you have never sang in
public before. If you try however, you will gain respect for having the guts to just do it. The
Koreans in your group will love you for it too.
If you're looking for a little physical exercise there are mountains in and around most cities with
miles of trails to hike. The law of the hills is international, "Be cool to other hikers." There are
miniature versions of Disneyland in the several largest cities, and a big one in Seoul. You can
always find a pick-up game of basketball, and soccer is common as well, as long as you don't mind
playing with middle school students (or at 5:00am). But one thing you can not pass up is the
opportunity to train in the various martial arts Korea has to offer. Koreans are known as the
inventors and champions of T'aekwondo. Every male in Korea has his black belt. When a man
finishes school and reaches a certain age he must (by law) serve two years in the Korean army.
There, they train in T'aekwondo; if they don't have their black belt when they arrive, they will have
it by the time they leave.
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