Korean Job Discussion Forums

[braccia2]

Hello all,
Long time reader, first time poster here. My wife (a Korean citizen) and I are hoping to move back to Seoul soon. We presently live in New York. I have four years US school experience and 4 years in a hagwon teaching and writing textbooks. I would like to have a secular international school job in Korea upon moving back, but I know it is too late for this hiring season. So, my wife thinks we should stay in the US and get more US school experience and then get a Korean international school job through a job fair in the States.

While I agree that is probably the best plan, we are also eager to go back to Korea soon. I would rather move back this fall and work in a hagwon writing textbooks for a year, then apply in person at schools next January. Does this sound like a reasonable way to get an international school job? Is it better to go through job fairs? Also, does it look bad to have another year of hagwon on my resume? I know that US school experience would of course look better, but I ultimately want to know if I am permanently hurting my chances of getting an international school job if we move back now.

Thanks everyone for your help!
Chris

[SeoulNate]

All of the real international schools here take applications online. You should look into that first.

However, be warned, the competition is pretty fierce these days with many certified teachers already living and working here. Also, fair warning, many of the "international schools" are not international schools at all, do research on all of them. Finally, as just an FYI, I interviewed at a few last year before taking my current job and all of them were expecting teachers to have a MAT in addition to the teaching experience..

I would also open up your search to foreign language schools as well. If you do your research, there are many good ones where the pay/working hours are similar or better than the international schools and also only take certified teachers.

[ed4444]

A lot of the schools recruit exclusively though the job fairs or else through the agencies that organise the job fairs e.g CIS. Applying in person is often not really helpful but if you could find someone at a school to recommend you instead, it could go a long way.

[Drew345]

There could be a last minute opening coming up a week or two before school starts. In the big annual shuffle of international school teachers, some school gets stuck holding the short end of the stick and is down a teacher a week before school starts. Just keep that in mind if you do decide to come early. But then you would have to be free to move anywhere in the country on a weeks notice too.

[swashbuckler]

I've heard the "real" international schools in Korea pay much less/give fewer benefits to local (in-country) hires than teachers recruited from overseas at the expensive job fairs. Can anyone confirm this and, if so, what exactly is the salary discrepancy?

I also doubt that a foreign language high school in Korea pays as much as an international school (50-70,000 thousand dollars a year). I knew one guy working at Anyang Foreign Language High School and he made 2.2 a month.

[swashbuckler]

[ed4444]

[Tyshine]

I am starting at an international school in August. The competition is really tough. I got in through a personal connection at the school, but my school recruits heavily at fairs.

It depends on what you teach, but with your experience I don't think coming back to Korea early will hurt. I don't think applying from Korea will really help or hurt.

Also I would start looking in November.

[Tyshine]

[Mr. Pink]

You are best to stay in the US and hit recruiting fairs.

If you are IN Korea and hired you will be considered a "local hire" versus a "foreign hire" teacher. The differences between the two contracts are massive.

You can do a google search to see what I am talking about.

Also, as someone who is a certified teacher and working outside Korea, I too want to return. The thing is, Korea is SMALL when you compare it to other markets in Asia and doesn't have a lot of schools, therefore competition is massive, and when you add in you do not want to work at a Christian School (SFS, Yongsan, Taejeon, Suwon) you are limited to only a couple others...

So just a FYI...it really isn't as easy or accessible as a lot of people think.

[Mr. Pink]

[amac123]

[Canadian Club]

Many Korean International schools are religious, but not all. If you look for IB programmes, you will find a more international minded educational system. Look at the websites, school fees, teachers, etc to get a feel of what kind of school it is. Is there an academic requirement?

Yes, local hires have fewer benefits and sometimes less pay. This is a worldwide standard for international schools. Definitely google the schools that you want to apply for, interview through Skype, and then travel here. The benefits will be much better! I know of a couple of international schools here that still have positions available.

Incidentally, SFS and DSS are the only two with decent foreign student populations.

I make more than the salaries posted on this thread... I'd check International Schools Review for a more accurate salary scale.

[SeoulNate]

I think you mean

[Mr. Pink]

There aren't a lot of accredited international schools in Korea versus the amount that use the name "International" in their advertising.

A few google searches will tell you the names of the real international schools.