Korean Job Discussion Forums

[World Traveler]

http://www.daejonilbo.com/news/newsitem.asp?pk_no=1094468

Wow. Not a good sign for the future of working in universities in Korea. Why is the government deciding to defund some universities? There is the belief that there are too many around now? Too many young Koreans go to college and then can't find work after graduation? Or does it have to do more with the declining birth rate, or both? Some other reason, too? I think the Korean government is not too poor to provide the money, but rather is choosing not to for some reason (kind of like how Western public school teachers were cut in Seoul and Gyeonggi-do. There was enough money to keep them around for sure, but extending the free lunch program to middle class and upper class students was considered more important.)

[IamBabo]

Yep, happened to my school too! They were on that blacklist that was in article awhile back..

[Stan Rogers]

Most of these schools are in the country side and were involved in a lot of illegal stuff. One thing I remember was loads of Chinese people who were registered as students at these schools, but never attended classes. They were really using the student visa to enter Korea and work illegally. The schools knew it was going on and turned a blind eye to it.

That's just one reason. I don't have the time to bother going into all the other stuff that was going on. But they deserve to get their funding cut. Sadly though it will be the foreign teachers who get laid off first.

[IamBabo]

Yeah, we had a lot of corruption too. Ousted president, fudged grades, etc..

Actually, my uni is right in Anyang, not quite in the boonies. You can figure out which one I'm sure. There aren't that many here on a blacklist..

[World Traveler]

'Cuts in university student quotas unavoidable'

[World Traveler]

This graphic explains the situation well:
http://res.heraldm.com/content/image/2011/06/29/20110629001079_0.jpg

[Milwaukiedave]

A declining number of students, more students studying overseas, and a conservative administration pretty much covers it.

I think you are going to see more universities merging in the near future to save themselves from extinction. I have heard of few universities doing this in the past few years.

Also more private universities from outside Korea are setting up shop here. They figure if they can provide the same quality education to your kid without them traveling overseas it 1) saves money for the student/family and 2) lessens concerns about them being away from home.

[World Traveler]

Other factors changing the uni market:

1) Longer working hours.

This one is huge. Think about it from a mathematical perspective. The more hours the "profs" work, the less Westerners will be hired. One Dave's poster recently talked about how his uni paid 3.2 million per month for 15 contact hours a week and then switched to 2.8 million a month for 18 contact hours a week. Before 15 hours it was almost certainly 12 hours per week. Two people teaching 18 class hours per week do the job of three people teaching 12 class hours per week. That means a 33% reduction in hiring. Very significant.

2) More PhDs from other countries being brought in.

Indians can speak English. Same with people from the Philippines and elsewhere. (In fact, educated people from any country on earth speak English at a high level.) Those people are coming to Korean unis. (Westerners who work in unis in Seoul told me about this.)

3) Koreans (rather than Westerners) teaching in English.

More Koreans are getting better at English. More Koreans have studied overseas. More Koreans are getting PhDs in linguistics/teaching English as a foreign language. They want the English teaching jobs for themselves (obviously) so they lobby for them using the Korean language. Foreigners pretty much have no say in the matter.
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[World Traveler]

Look at the most recent uni ad on Dave's:

1. Position Title : Assistant Professor (Native English professor)

2. Period : March, 2014 - February, 2015 (1 Year)

3. Qualifications : Ph.D. or Master¡¯s degree holders in English or English Literature, and who also have more than two years teaching experience in college level. Applicants who hold such applied linguistics certificate as TESOL may have preferential treatment.

4. Employment Location : Suwon Science College, Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, Republic of Korea

5. Housing and Food : NOT provided(No Key money)

6. The Salary : 2.5 million won per month (The yearly salary is 30 million won)

7. Vacation : 4 weeks during each semester.

http://www.eslcafe.com/jobs/korea/index.cgi?read=59927
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Such crap. Must have a PhD or MA in English or English literature plus two years teaching experience at the uni level. That for no housing, a low salary, and short vacation time. The sad thing is, they'll get multiple applicants meeting the stipulations eager to work for the school. (No mention is made of how many hours per week it is. Probably a lot.)

[jackson7]

You won't likely see the good jobs advertised at all, as they're either perpetually filled (no one leaves -- this is the case at my uni, at which most have been there for at least seven or eight years), or they don't post on Dave's. However, there were actually a handful of golden jobs (great pay, low hours, long vacations) posted during the usual hiring period. I rarely see anything but the dregs during January and February.

J7

[World Traveler]

Ah, so the Korean EFL uni job market is just as good as before in your view? That's good to hear. It gives me hope.

[GENO123]

bE Careful of the "name " universities. If someone chooses to work at one they ought to be expect to be working under duress .Buyer beware really.


http://moonbythesea.hubpages.com/hub/Korea-University-Rankings

[Jodami]

Another thing to remember is that admins are generally lazy. Often what is posted on the ad can be a lot better or worse (in reality).

I know of one uni that gives 800,000 won as a housing allowance. However, it never ever posts this on the ad. In fact the benefits advertised are about 6 years out of date!

[jackson7]

World Traveler, you seem to be in rut of posting apocalyptic comments and negatively interpreting articles. The government is going to be consolidating universities, as they are FAR too many unis for the current student population, and as other posters have shown, many of these lower-tier universities are involved in some shady business, as well.

When the bottom 15-20% of universities disappear, the funding may be diverted to the better performing schools throughout the country (a good thing). Furthermore, the year of the golden pig saw a major increase in births, and these students will be attending university in the next decade (another good thing).

The best working conditions have continued to improve, but have also continued to require better qualifications. This certainly seems fair to me, but I'm also one that has kept up with the times, publishing and presenting, and will finish my doctorate later this year, so I'm not worried about another jump in salaries/requirements -- conversely, I'm looking forward to it!

The future of EFL in Korea is not nearly as bleak as some posters think, but it's the same story veterans continue sharing on this board: keep up with your professional development and you'll "get lucky" when you look for a new or better job.

J7

[World Traveler]

I agree that those with a doctorate will have no problem getting a job teaching ESL in a university. How many Western teachers in Korea have one of those though? I takes a long time to complete one.

In the West, only 1.5% of the population has a PhD. That's a very small percentage of the population.

The median monthly earnings for a PhD holder in the U.S. is $7,000 (which is 7.6 mil a month in Korean money). How much can a PhD holder make teaching English in South Korea? (Not anywhere near that I would say, generally speaking.)

Money's not everything, but are you sure the payment for those who are qualified is going up for Western English teachers in Korea?