More on the job search front

There have been zero interesting offers sent my way from Footprints. I'm not very satisfied with their services at this point, actually. The guy who is finding me a job, Ben, has been sending me some generic email about once a week that does not reflect my job criteria at all. Most of them have June 1st start dates and are only offering one teaching spot. Did he not read that we cannot leave until the end of June and that there are TWO of us looking for a job? It's as if he just sends the same opportunities to everyone. Then, when there's one that seems interesting, I ask for information and he sends it a few days later. And the school is often blacklisted or paying too little or something else is not right. Man!

Here is a teacher's reference for an opportunity in Kangnam, Seoul. The school, part of the SLP chain, is posted on a blacklisted site. Here's the reference:

Dean Flemming
Dear Mr. Glickman,

1. Kangnam SLP is as good as any I have heard of and has some of the same problems as all Korean hagwons. Rating: 9

2. The work environment is stressful sometimes because the market is competitive for schools nowadays, so the school has to be the best to keep its students. However, the owner recognizes good teachers and supports them generally. A good teacher will have the freedom to teach as well as he sees fit.
Also there are some excellent teachers here out of the 20+ foreigners: they can help a new teacher a lot.

3. Housing: 6, not so hot

4. Kangnam always honors its contracts, I am pleased to say.

5. Teachers who fulfill their contract have always received their full bonus.

6. Hmmm ... I would only recommend this school to a friend who is willing to work hard in a strange new environment. It is quite stressful at times. It is VERY rewarding, financially and psychologically (because of the children and because of the value of the work). If you are hardworking, then by all means come here.

7. SLP is a chain with its own books and teacher's manuals and workbooks and stuff. It's not the greatest but it is pretty complete, and Kangnam has lots of other written material teachers have compiled over its eight years. But the school expects a teacher to use the material intelligently and creatively, not just photocopy and hand out or just read a page and move on.
Teachers are free to teach ANY WAY they see fit however, if it makes the children speak proper English.

8. There are three broad categories of schools: Grammar schools that focus on reading and multiple choice for exams (easy to teach at), Conversation schools that offer a white teacher at a cheap price and only want the teacher to entertain the students, and Conversation schools that strive for excellence... Kangnam SLP is the third type of school and expects its teachers to make their children excel in correct spoken English: this does not always work, but that is the expectation in the end. So expect hard work but good advice from good teachers and commendations if you learn to teach well.
And no Korean is permitted by the teachers or students. Discipline is generally up to the teacher.

9. Kangnam is right on the subway to all the downtowns of Seoul. Kangnam also has a bus straight to a huge mall. The neighborhood itself is middle class residential apartments and houses. Unexciting but convenient for shopping and travel.

It's really hard to say whether it's bad or not. It sounds like an honest operation, but it doesn't sound like the environement is particularly fun.

What do you experts out there think?

Oh, I also sent an email to Canadians with Seoul to see if they are any more efficient.