Korean Job Discussion Forums

[teachteach]

First, I got this from a sticky in the job discussion page

I happen to know Kangnam Labor Law Firm and its principal nomu-sa Mr. Bong-Soo Jung. First of all, Mr. Jung has successfully represented, in labor-tribunal proceedings, at least two foreign lawyers I know of who have had severance-pay disputes with the Korean law firms at which they worked.
And this is from Bookemdanno in another thread

And let's not forget salary apartheid, which thrives at the university level of what ought to be tenured foreign faculty with comparable or superior academic credentials being held at bargain basement wages.
Case in point: Korean professor at a Cyber University in Seoul providing distance learning to undergrads who earned her doctorate from a major American university earning nearly 7 million won per month for 9 hours of teaching per week.
By contrast, an American professor in a specialized international graduate program with a doctorate from the same university but more teaching experience earning just over 4 million won per month for 15 hours of teaching per week, and not in a virtual classroom.

What do these 2 examples mean?

ESL teachers, in a way the 'lowest tier' of the foreigner population, shares the same problems as foreign lawyers and PhD professors, people who are among the highest of the 'professional classes' back home. Why, oh why, please tell me why, do foreigners keep accepting sub-standard conditions to come here to Korea? ESL teachers, while not 'professional tier', certainly do have BA's or BEd's and the likes, which means in 10-20 years they will likely also be professionals of some kind. Bascially, intelligent westerners are just being taken advantage of left, right, and center.
I think it's ridiculous that intelligent westerners are being reduced to insignificants when they enter Korea.

[PRagic]

I make 5 million/month for 6 hours (one undergrad and one grad class). Things are changing at the university level. There are still, however, schools that try and get qualified foreign Ph.D.s on the cheap. Just don't sell yourself short if you are competitive. I'm not in ESL, though, or any English-related field.

Check out the Chronicle of Higher Education's job postings, and you'll see quite a few jobs at Korean universities paying competitive wages. Hopefully, wages will continue to increase once they realize they are losing out to universities in HongKong and Singapore, which tend to pay more and provide...well...better weather!

ESL positions at private universities in the N. America don't pay that well, either, as far as I know.

[blaseblasphemener]

Believe me, if Westerners had better, or easier, options, they wouldn't be here. Profs back home are taking it up the keister right now. It's the haves and the have nots, those with tenure and those that never will have it. So a lot of profs come here knowing this, and take advantage of the low taxes and housing.

[Lekker]

No, it's blatant fucking disrespect. The ESL industry will fall here because of it. It's only a matter of time. Start looking for a job back home or in another country.

[hugekebab]

[Yu_Bum_suk]

I know a Korean who just quit a job at an after-school programme. She was making 1.0 / month for not quite full-time hours. Her Canadian co-worker doing the same number of hours was making 2+ / month. There are counless examples of this.

[cdninkorea]

For ESL/EFL teachers, there doesn't seem to be that great of a difference in benefits between new university graduates and MA holders with a decade + of experience. The main difference for most of those with experience and qualifications seems to be the vacation time, although I know this is also on the decline at many academic institutions.

Still though, there is a shortage of countries which pay ESL/EFL teachers as well as Korea, even if Korean professors make significantly more. And as another poster pointed out, in the case of Korean teachers, they often get paid significantly less.

Finally: if you think we get treated poorly, find out what the work situation is like for 3D workers (which, to be fair, is better than in their home countries).

[PRagic]

Not to dredge up an old argument, but you can't compare apples to oranges. If the Korean teachers at a university have the Ph.D. and the foreign ESL staff only have their MAs, you really can't compare the employment packages. Also, highly qualified and experience foreign MA holders often have positions teaching 12 hours with fully paid summers and winters off.

[skconqueror]

[Night Ranger]

[PRagic]

Yeah, I was afraid of this. I counter a claim made by a poster with my situation, and I get flamed.

Whatever. Another chip, another shoulder.

[jajdude]

Quote OP:

ESL teachers, in a way the 'lowest tier' of the foreigner population...

Um, maybe not?

[caniff]

[madoka]

[Roch]