The pros and cons of working/living at JETI

I haven't posted anything in a long time because I actually left my job in South Korea. It is quite a long story and even though this blog highlights the best time in my life of working in South Korea, there are so many dark stories that most people wouldn't believe that happened to me and my coworkers. This blog was to show my friends and family all the 'good times' I was having in Korea. But deep down inside, I really wasn't having a good time at all. I have met many public school teacher or private teacher who had some great gigs in that they loved their job and their apartments. Then I met an equal amount of people who absolutely hated their jobs and living situations.

Korea is really a hit and miss type of country to work in. Even though the job post for my teacher's training job sounded incredible. Once I got there, literally the first night, things in the contract that were promised were falling apart or totally breached! My advice is talk to the school yourself, ask for photos, and make sure they really explain every article in the contract. Don't consider yourself annoying by asking a million questions. I thought I asked a bunch of questions, but apparently I didn't ask enough because simple things like my employer shutting down hot water in my house on the weekend happened even though the contract promised hot water.

I only survived working at JETI for 5 months and I sure did get to see the good and bad about working in a foreign country. But unfortunately I experienced to much negativity which eventually lead to me leaving along with another coworker. I am an experienced traveler who has traveled to a variety of Asian country and I have also lived in Japan. But honestly, Korea is quite different from most Asian countries. I recently found out that another 4 coworkers were leaving as well before the end of the contract. Now there are a total of 6 position opened with 2 of the teachers renewing their contracts.

If anyone is looking for honest advice about working and living at The Jellanamdo Educational Training Institute (JETI), here are some pros and cons of working in Korea:

Pros
- Great pay - you can save a lot of money because the cost of living is quite cheap and you get a rent free, nearly fully furnished apartment
- Western restaurants in Gwangju - McDonalds, KFC, Popeyes chicken, Starbucks, and other Western places are available because some types of Korea food are not that appealing to Western palates!
- Overtime work - at 30,000 won now (use to be 10,000) there is always tons of marking to be done because trainees are constantly writing essays!
- Opening and closing parties - a great way to bond with your trainees. Sometimes there are up to 100 trainees with a variety of English levels. However, parties are great way to sing and dance the night away with your trainees.
- Field trips - during each one month workshop, you get to go on a field trip with all the trainees to a city in Korea. The trips are paid for and they are great mini break from work!
- Hours of work - now you teach 9am-6pm which is better than teaching either in the morning or afternoon (alternating schedule). So you have your evening free to mark essays!
- The institute is located in between some rice paddies, farmer fields and some beautiful mountains. If you really love nature and isolation from the city, you'll love it here!
- One month long workshops - if you enjoy spending lots of time bonding with your trainees, then it's a great opportunity for you to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner with your trainees. You are also encouraged to spend your free time in the evening with the trainees.
- Lots of team bonding - there were times when after work I was in my apartment on campus and I was told I must come to eat dinner with my supervisors. In Korea, everyone does what they are told and it's about being a 'Korean family'

Cons
- The institute is far from Gwangju - there are only 2 buses:
- Bus 225 - comes once an hour on the hour and takes 30 minutes to reach to edge of the city. If you want to go downtown, it will take up to 45 minutes, on a good day of traffic. Bus stops running at 9pm
- Bus 187 - comes once an hour about the same time as the 225. A way longer route that kinda drops you off near the edge of town. It goes up the local mountain so it takes a while and isn't safe in the winter. Bus stops running at 9pm.
- There are NO amenities near the institute. You need to take the 30 minutes bus ride to town for groceries or to eat at a restaurant. There is a small town about a 20 minute walk down the winding road. In the town there is a local corner store with some basic supplies. There is also a bank and post office. Otherwise, anything else you need you need to go to Gwangju!
- In Korea, not only at my job, but at many other schools, Koreans are always right. What I mean by this is that there is no room for negotiation or having an opinion. You must do what you are told no matter how much you disagree because in the end you never win a battle in Korea.
- Status and power - In Korea, the older you are, the more power you have. Being a young female in Korea, I was frowned upon constantly and scrutinized. My older male coworkers were respected way more despite some of their unethical behaviours (for example, one of my older male coworkers came to work hung over and stinking of alcohol. My supervisors turned a blind eye to it even though in the contract it's grounds for termination).
- Taking time off for personal appointment or vacation - if you need to go to the doctors or take a day off to be sick, think twice. In a workshop, you can not because there is no one to teach your classes so you must be there. If you want to take vacation, this is impossible. Once we were in Korea, we were told we must take our vacation at the end of the contract (even though this wasn't mentioned in the contract). This is because the one month workshops literally run back to back with only one week breaks in between so you can prepare for the next camp. So it is a very exhausting job!
- Lack of communication - Korea is still catching up at learning English and is quite far behind then most Asian Countries. It is very hard to communicate both at work and in the city. There is constant misunderstandings that have caused many problems. Always ask your employer to write down what they want you to do. One day they tell you to do something and the next day they'll change it. Even if you mention what they originally wanted, they will deny it. My Korean employees would constantly change their mind which is frustrating because you would do a lot of work for nothing!
- Being ranked - in Korea, like most Asian countries, it is all about being #1. In the camp, you must give each trainee a different score. So even if 3 people wrote perfect essays, each one needs a different score (100%, 99%, 98%). So at the end of the workshop, one trainee is selected to be number 1 even though in actually you might have 20 trainees with a score of 100%. Even the instructors are ranked. This can be unfair in a way because if you receive a score of less than 3 out of 4, you can get terminated from your job.

There are really so many other things that I could go on and on about. When I was looking for information about JETI when I applied, there was nothing on the internet. My friend and I took a chance because we love Asia and Asian culture. I just want to provide some insight into teaching at JETI.

If you have any questions what so ever please feel free to email me at backpacking_roxy@hotmail.com

I'll be glad to give you the good and bad about anything you like to know!

All the best to the future JETI teachers!