Korean Job Discussion Forums

[adventure pidgey]

My wife & I (both Americans currently living in America) have made the decision to begin careers as ESL teachers, beginning with getting our CELTA certifications. For several reasons, we're interested in taking our first jobs in South Korea. We've been reading many posts on the forums, and making good use of the "search" function, but finally wanted to ask around for advice and stories from anyone who's had experience with securing jobs for two.

Some more details: We expect to pass the CELTA (through International House) in Oct of 2008, and are looking to take jobs in either Jan or Feb of 2009. My wife has a BA in English with a Business minor, I have a double BA in English and Russian with a concentration in Education. We have minimal teaching experience--I've led a literacy class and 4th grade reading group; she's been a children's karate instructor. From what we've read, Busan sounds like a great location for us, but at this point we're open to pretty much anywhere.

Anyone out there done this before, or know about couples who have? Can we expect to find jobs at the same school, or should we look separately? How might this affect the visa application process? Any general tips or advice is most appreciated!

[Saxiif]

You're pretty much pure gold for the schools here because:
1. You're North American.
2. English majors
3. If you're married they can save money on housing by putting you in the same space.

If course you'll be limited to place that need two teachers at the same time (ie big schools in most cases, but those are usually more stable), but you're the sort of people that the schools want, drive a hard bargain and don't settle for crappy pay.

[Otherside]

Your best shot at finding a job at the same school would be with a hagwon. I see quite a few "couples" positions being offered. That being said, I wouldn't recommend a hagwon job - The chances of getting ripped off/lied to/etc somewhere along the line are pretty high, but if you do find a good school it could work out great.

My advice would be to go for a public school position. Peak hiring period is for March 1 (you usually need to be there a week before for orientation / getting comfortable etc) so the timing is pretty good for you.
Unfortunatly Public schools only have 1 foriegn teacher per school so you wouldn't be working at the same school - but you could always apply and ask for two schools very close to eachother - Where I work, there is a highschool, middle school and an elementary school within 5minutes walk of eachother so this won't be hard to find. (Just make it very clear that this is a joint application with the recruiter/education board with whom you apply)

Regarding visas, you each qualify on your own merits, so there will be no problems there.

I can list some Pros/cons for working at the same/different school but I'm sure you've probably put some thought into that.

[adventure pidgey]

Thank you both Otherside and Saxiif for the quick and helpful responses!

Given the many problems we read about other teachers having with hagwons, not to mention that this will be our first job overseas, we've pretty much decided to look for secure public school jobs.

[Saxiif]

Well with public schools things are a bit different, you don't have as much bargaining power and almost all schools have only one foreign teacher (or share one). But public schools are definately more secure and you generally have less work to do, but with the current crunch hagwons would probably pay a bit more and (depending on your hagwon) you might have more control over your curriculum. Bit of a toss-up *shrugs*

What you should do is try to get shared housing in a desireable part of the country (ie not some backwoods mountain town). I'd recommend Gyeonggido or Seoul.

[sadsac]

Hi, I would disagree with Otherside, my wife and I have been working here for the past seven years and all our work has been in hogwans. We've never been ripped off or had an experience that would preclude us from working in hogwans again. Work is plentiful. Having your partner/spouse here with you makes it so much easier to adjust to a very different lifestyle. Be open minded about where you want to work and what conditions you want to place on accepting a job. In many instances couple are so much better because they offer a level of stability that is sometimes lacking in young singles. My wife and I have enjoyed the more rural areas because living conditions are better and more relaxed and we are generally the only teachers at the hogwan. I don't play well with others. All the best and I hope it goes well. My wife and I finish our third year with our current hogwan tomorrow and we are going to take a year to travel and enjoy life.

[adventure pidgey]

[Otherside]

Sadsac, I'm glad you have had a great experience. My point was that IF you got a "couple" job at a good/honest hagwon it would be the better route to go for the OP, but there's alot of risk with hagwons and PS's are just safer .

[sadsac]

AP, ew were fortunate that in all instances we had prior knowledge of the jobs. Our first job in Ulsan the owner of the hogwan stayed with us in Austalia for a couple of weeks and then offered us a job before he left. We have certain pre-conditions we set before we sign contracts regarding housing, use of a vehicle and working hours. When/If we come back to Korea we will also look at adding a reasonable holiday break into our conditions. I have always drafted my own contracts and that has been a bonus. It's so important to talk to the current teachers and ask questions about everything. Our current academy in which we worked was pretty damn good and the overtime we earned this year is going to allow us to have a year long holiday and that I am looking forward too. We are not one for recruiters, so we tend to contact the schools directly. In the more rural areas, which are usually well serviced by inter-city buses etc... for us have always been great. You get to become part of the community and it's more relaxed. My wife and I leave with certain regrets, some of our students have been with us for the past three years and we will miss them Korea on the whole has been an incredibly positive experience, for sure there were moments when you just wanted to nut somebody, but then you move on. AP, if your wife and yourself come with an open mind and an understanding that this is nothing like home, then you'll have a great time. Where we are in Jeollanam-do is the least developed and populated of the provinces, but lots of beautiful places to see and explore. Otherside is certainly correct in pointing out that PS's offer a better chance of providing a relatively hassle free environment, but unfornately I'm not PC enough for the PS system. All the best with your search and we hope that you have a great time here.