(no subject)
Also got a job offer teaching math in the Maldives. Unfortunately, the contract is so beyond shitty that there's no way I'd agree to those terms.
I decided to go to Korea. I emailed the guy in Mongolia and he completely understood, said that a job is open for me when I'm done with Korea. The town in Korea (Yeongwol, in the Gangwondo province) is looking better and better to me, as is the elementary school at which I'll be teaching (Bong-Rae Elementary). It's a public school, NOT a Hagwon, which from everything I've read on message boards and so on means that I'll be treated really well-- as opposed to Hagwons. I'm getting good pay, free housing, paid round-trip airfare to and from Korea, health insurance, pension contributions from the school, 35 days paid vacation per year, 15 paid sick days per year, and if I renew my contract, I get an automatic extra week paid vacation, a guaranteed raise, *and* a free round-trip ticket to and from my home country so that I can visit family during school vacation. I'm already in contact with an Aussie guy who's teaching at the same school (he LOVES it), and apparently it's really rural-- tons of hiking, skiing, spelunking (they're known for amazing limestone caves), rafting, mountain climbing, etc. At the same time, the town itself is a genuine town-- it's got restaurants, shops, doctors and pharmacists, etc. So it's like the best of both worlds.
As far as foreign English teaching positions go... it's EXCELLENT. And it sounds like I'll really like Yeongwol.
I decided to go to Korea. I emailed the guy in Mongolia and he completely understood, said that a job is open for me when I'm done with Korea. The town in Korea (Yeongwol, in the Gangwondo province) is looking better and better to me, as is the elementary school at which I'll be teaching (Bong-Rae Elementary). It's a public school, NOT a Hagwon, which from everything I've read on message boards and so on means that I'll be treated really well-- as opposed to Hagwons. I'm getting good pay, free housing, paid round-trip airfare to and from Korea, health insurance, pension contributions from the school, 35 days paid vacation per year, 15 paid sick days per year, and if I renew my contract, I get an automatic extra week paid vacation, a guaranteed raise, *and* a free round-trip ticket to and from my home country so that I can visit family during school vacation. I'm already in contact with an Aussie guy who's teaching at the same school (he LOVES it), and apparently it's really rural-- tons of hiking, skiing, spelunking (they're known for amazing limestone caves), rafting, mountain climbing, etc. At the same time, the town itself is a genuine town-- it's got restaurants, shops, doctors and pharmacists, etc. So it's like the best of both worlds.
As far as foreign English teaching positions go... it's EXCELLENT. And it sounds like I'll really like Yeongwol.