Job Discussion Forums

[Fitzgerald]

I am currently in my third month at an adult hagwon in Korea. I hope to land a university job somewhere in Asia when my contract here is done, and am already beginning my research.

My qualifications are: a Bachelor's degree in American History and Literature from an Ivy League university; two master's degrees in English Literature and Education from a top 20 university; extensive experience teaching English, journalism, history, and the social sciences at American high schools, and at university level as an adjunct. I am a mature individual, but not old. Male, white, very professional in appearance (I always wear a jacket and tie). I tend to interview well. I don't have any academic publication history, but I have written professionally for magazines.

With these credentials, I know I can obtain a renewable visiting lecturer position in a Korean university. The class duties would probably include 10-20 hours of instruction in conversation, composition, and literature and culture for university students; also some classes in the university's adult language academy, and in their summer and winter English camps for students from middle school through university age. I would probably get 4-8 weeks of paid vacation per year. The pay would probably be in the 2-3 million won range (about $1,700-2,550 per month) with overtime potential. The apartment might be provided, might not, but if not, there could be a housing allowance folded into the pay.

Private lessons are not legal in Korea.

I brought my cat with me from America without any difficulties, and it has been a great blessing to have her here.

So here are my questions with respect to university jobs in Japan, Taiwan, China, and other East Asian countries:

1. How would the duties, pay, and perks compare to what I have described for Korea?
2. Are private lessons legal or illegal in these other countries? I understand that they are legal in Japan.
3. Do you obtain your own work visa, or does it have to be done through an employer (as in Korea)?
4. How are the costs of living in relation to the salaries offered?
5. Is it possible to rent a decently sized and appointed apartment on a university lecturer's salary?
6. Is it easy or difficult to bring a pet such as my cat into these countries?
7. What is the university hiring process like in these countries?
8. What are your personal feelings and insights as to which countries represent the best opportunities, living conditions, and economic potential for someone in my situation?

Thanks for your insights!

[Glenski]

I suggest you do a search on the Japan forum for any Japan-related information about uni jobs. I've posted extensively about it over the past 12-13 years, and there are quite a few good links in one of the FAQ stickies.

Bringing a cat will pose problems to some degree.

Not having published professionally will also pose problems, far more than having a cat.

What exactly is "extensive experience teaching English, journalism, history, and the social sciences at American high schools"? That is, how many years? In Japan, you are going to be expected to teach English classes (typically speaking, listening, reading, writing), not literature or history or social sciences. You'd need a fair amount of Japanese to do those anyway.

[Fitzgerald]

[KayuJati]

OP Fitzgerald,

In Malaysia, your academic qualifications would qualify you for a university lecture position, but the lack of a PhD and journal publications may limit your ability to move upwards. In English, I don't know if they accept magazine publications in their journal publication criteria. Certainly in Engineering (my field), they only consider academic, refereed journals.

Most universities in Malaysia state that foreign lecturers must hold the PhD to be considered, but if they need a lecturer, they will still hire a foreigner who holds a masters degree. Stating versus hiring are two separate issues.

[tttompatz]

If you are looking for highest salary with the least resistance to hiring for a uni position then Korea is still your best option.

If you don't mind a lower net salary (while you are making connections) then Vietnam, Thailand or China are options and they will hire you without being published or having an ABD/Ph.D.

You will start off with salaries that are about 1/2 what you would make in Korea but you will have better housing, lower costs of living and still be able to find a decent position with only a masters degree (or 2). With a little extra work you could potentially make as much as or more than you would in Korea as NET earnings after expenses.

Your pet issue is country dependent so you would have to check the rules for importing your pet and potential quarantine procedures for each country that you may be considering as it may limit your choices for places to work.

Cultural issues also come into play. A lot of the culture problems that foreigners face in Korea also occur in most of the other parts of SE Asia.

.

[Fitzgerald]

[Fitzgerald]

[KayuJati]

[Glenski]

[Fitzgerald]

[eclectic]

[KayuJati]

[eclectic]

[quote] We use it in a derogative manner to indicate our scorn for those who want to live mostly amongst their own country people in a foreign land.

I DO ALSO FIND THAT NAUSEATING AND PROVINCIAL

For example, I know a Korean family {IN PARTICULAR THIS DOES NOT SURPRISE ME AT ALL}

simply because the wife wanted to spend her free time with other Korean ladies. {UTTERLY DESPICABLE AND ALL-TOO-EXPECTED}


I for one will NOT be contributing to this putrid phenomenon.

[Hindi2610]

[PattyFlipper]

^
Hindi,

Why not leave the jobs to those qualified and experienced enough to actually do them?