OK, so you've found an ad that looks promising. That's a good start. Now what? Get in touch with the school via email expressing your interest. After they email you back, if things still sound on the up-and-up, arrange for an interview. An "interview" usually consists of them asking you 3 questions:
1) Do you have a degree?
2) How old are you?
3) When can you start?
Now it's your turn to start asking questions. Here's a short list:
What are the school's hours? - What time do classes start/end? What time are you expected to be at the office? Is your "prep time" paid or not? Will you have to work Saturdays? Will you have to work split shifts? Will you be outsourced to work at other locations (corporations) besides the school? If so, how do you get around, does the school provide you with a car or will you take public transportation? What constitutes an "hour" - a full 60 minutes, or a "contact hour" of one class (40, 45, 50, 55 min.?)
How about breaks? - Some schools have 5 minutes of break time between classes, others 10. Some schools will provide their teachers with a dinner snack, others just give you a short dinner break in which you provide your own snack, others give no breaks at all.
What about the staff? - How many foreign teachers currently work there? How long have they been working there? Do many of their teachers re-sign for a 2nd year? Is there a liason between foreign staff and Korean staff who can speak english? (You'd think this would be a given, but you'd be surprised....)
What about the students? - How many students per class? What range of ages will you be teaching? Are classes grouped solely according to age/grade or by english ability/proficiciency?
What else should I ask? - How long has the school been in business? How much are they willing to pay you? Do they provide you with a "relocation allowance"? How much do they pay for overtime? How do they determine what overtime really is? What are the school's disciplinary policies for "problem students"? What kind(s) of resources and teaching materials does the school have? Will you have a budget to go to the bookstores and buy new materials, or will that come out of your pocket? Will you be expected to create new materials, games, etc? Where is the school located, what kind(s) of shops and services are in the area? Will your housing be nearby?
...and don't forget to get the names, phone numbers, and email addresses of other teachers at the school.
These are standard questions that any reputable hagwon owner should answer. If you sense that he/she is hiding something or not being completely truthful, or is unwilling to answer your questions and give you the information you need, you can just say, "No thanks," and hang up. It's just that easy. There will be more offers.
Dave's ESL Cafe Satisfy your ESL hunger.
KoreanESL.com Need more ESL in your life?
Korean National Tourism Organisation The name says it all.
On-Line Currency Exchange Calculator How much are you REALLY making?
Korea Net An english guide to goings-on in Korea, with with many valuable links. (Government-sponsored)
Korean Ministry of Labour Find the "Labour Standards Act" (among other things) here.
The Korea Times and
The Korea Herald English language newspapers.
Seoul Culture & Tourism Things to see and do in Seoul.
Life in Korea "Everything You Need" (or close to it).
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