Eastern English Academy, Hwajeong-dong Gwangju, South Korea
I worked at this Eastern English Academy for 2 years. It's a small school with only 3 other Korean teachers and about 150 students, +/- 25 students, and the director and his wife.
Location: It's located on the 3rd floor of a small building that's about a 20 minute walk from the World Cup Stadium and a 7 minute walk to Milaero21 Hospital. It's also located about 2 minute walk from the apartment building that they rent out for their foreign English teacher. The school has an office with a small kitchen used for the director and the dinner that the teachers eat together every night. There are 4 used classrooms with desks, chairs, and white boards. The foreign teacher's room doesn't have desks. The chairs are arranged in a half cicrcle around the room to make for easier conversation. It also has a projector that you can hook your laptop up to to show visuals. There is also an emty classroom that's used for studying and for the English parties. And there are 2 computer rooms. All the children use the computer programs at least once a day.
Curriculum: The foreign English teacher teaches from books called Say and Say 1,2,3 and Hello Iris 1,2,3,4,5. Those are for only Elementary school students. The middle school students don't really have a curriculum. That's for you to decide. They are also allowed occational English games and when they finish their book they're allowed a snack party, where an English movie is allowed. The children also do some presentations every once in a while where they need to learn some songs and dances as well as a story presentation. It's easy and straightforward.
Pay: They pay 2.2 million won, free plane tickets there and back, an apartment, pension, end of contract bonus and insurance. They were never once late for a paycheck. They also gave an extra week of vacation at the end of the contract along with a roundtrip plane ticket for resigning with them. They were very helpful if you have any problems and they're very reliable.
Apartment: The downer of working in Korea is the apartment size. It's a standard one room apartment big enough for a queen size bed, dressor, book case, desk, tv, and a chair. The kitchen has a double gas range with a broiler in it and a small college sized refridgerator. But there was no oven or microwave. The apatment was furnished with pots and pans, silverware, dishes, rice cooker, washing machine, sheets, blankets, pillows, and tv. The bathrooms are where things get weird. The shower head is hung right over the toilet. So, when you shower you'd have to either sit on the toilet or hold the shower head. However, most bathrooms come with some shelves on the wall so if you take a metal hanger and bend it and hook it around the shelves you can create your own shower holder. The bad thing about the bathroom is that everything gets wet, but the good thing is that everything gets wet so it's easy to clean!!
Garbage: In Korea you don't pay for garbage, you pay for the garbage bags. You need to go to your local mart to buy area-specific garbage bags. You're not supposed to put recyclables or food in your garbage. The food is to be put in a blue lidded bucket and the recyclables can be put in any bag. When you take the garbage out you just put it by the road, usually at a black and yellow striped location. They pick up the trash weekdays but not on the weekends. **Warning: Fruitflies get bad in Korea so be sure to keep up with your dishes and take out your trash often, especially in the summer.
Bills: The landlady comes about once every 2-3 months to check the water meter. When she comes she charges for water, sewer, cable, etc. Then you can pay her in cash or she has a laminated sheet that she writes the water meter for the month that has a bank account number at the top that you can just transfer the money to. The other bills, gas and electric, will be put into your mail box once a month. You then take that to the bank and use a special machine that you can the bills into and just swipe your bankbook that automatically pays them for you. You'll have to have an attendant teach you how the first time, but then it's really easy. By the way, the bank is about a 2 minute walk from the school and the apartment. You'll also have to pay for your cellphone and internet. However, it usually goes through the director so he just takes it out of your paycheck so that you don't need to worry about it. He'll show you the bill for the month and then tell you that he'll deduct it. So, the bills are very easy to take care of.
Local Amenities: So, as you've read earlier that it's about an 7-8 minute walk to a large hospital and a 20 minute walk to the World Cup as well as Lotte Outlet. It's also near a Mart & Mart, which is a grocery store that will have almost everything that you'll need. The bank is about a 2 minute walk and their are 2 bus stops near. There is also a gym located less than a block from the apartment with very friendly staff and cheap prices. The nice thing about this area is that their are a lot of places to eat and drink! The people are also very friendly around there. Kimbap Nara is good in that area and they'll deliver your food to you no problem, just show them your alien card with yhour address once and they'll have it on file to send it to you. It's also about a 5-10 minute taxi/bus ride to the bus terminal that has BK, TGI Fridays, CGV, and many other things. This is also next to E-Mart and Kumho World. It's also about 15-30 minute taxi/bus ride to downtown. A taxi costs about 5000 won to go downtown.
Downside: There aren't many foreigners in this area. So, you will most likely not bump into one in this area. There is one foreign teacher that lives on the 3rd or 4th floor of the Hwajeong Villa, that's about a block away from your apartment. This teacher is the public school teacher at the Juweol Elementary School. So, if you want to find foreigners you'll want to head downtown by bus or taxi.
Busses: Up the hill and to the left from the apartment bus stop: Downtown 59, 61 (59 will drop you off at Milleorae or the YMCA); Bus Terminal 26; World Cup 26; Pungam-dong 26, 59; McDonalds 59;
Straight out from the apartment across the street bus stop: Bus Terminal 30 or 32?
Taxi: Going downtown: Shee-nay Grlanduh Hotael or Shee-nay Y M She A.
Going back home: Hwajeong-dong Ssin-dong-ah apaht (신동아). or Hwajeong-dong Maht tay Mahtuh (Mart & Mart)
