Korean Job Discussion Forums

[sojusucks]

"One out of every four workers here are making less than two-thirds of the average income, the highest ratio of low-income earners to the workforce in the OECD." (source: http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/biz/2008/07/123_27573.html)

I also have a hard copy of a news paper stating that the average salary for a university graduate is about 4 million KR/month, and 2 million KR/month for those with a high school diploma. Interestingly, the prostitutes surveyed in the following link made an average of 3,176,000 KR/month: http://www.walnet.org/csis/news/world_2002/korherald-021007.html.

So, compared to Koreans, and even prostitutes, Western English teachers are paid poorly. What will an influx of labor do to this market? Well, at first things will get worse, and then hopefully better. At first, the reputation of foreign English teachers will get far worse and pay will decrease (why pay you when we can pay someone else far less?).

Then, perhaps, Westerns might be able to negotiate pay that is a little higher. A white face or speaking English fluently can go a long way. After all, it's the parents that the government and hogwans will have to satisfy.

Will the net outcome be a higher or lower salary and will we be treated with more or less respect? It is difficult to predict the answers to these questions, but time will provide the answer.

[desperation]

[wylies99]

[Unposter]

First off, there is not a thing we can do about it. We are not allowed to vote. If we held a strike, they would just replace us with Filipinos/as. No one is going to protect our jobs.

We either survive or we don't survive based upon how well the Filipino/a experiment works and how well we do our jobs. Either you provide a superior product (however you define this) at a better price or you go the way of the dinosaur.

That is what globalism is all about. And, that is what we want, right?

My advice is not to worry about something you can't do anything about. Do a good job, enjoy your life and come what may. The worse thing that can happen is you go home or to another country.

There is not a worker in the world that does not have to prove their value. We really aren't any different.

But, if you start worrying about it, my guess, it is only going to make things worse. Koreans can smell your fear and believe me they will take advantage of it. Next time you complain your hakwon boss is going to say well then we will just hire a Filipino/a at half your salary and if you give in, you know where that slippery slope is going to lead you.

Justify your worth or get out of the kitchen.

[semi-fly]

[afsjesse]

I personally don't think much about all of this. I'd take the advice of the above post and pass it buy. Come what may, we will still have a job as we are superior English speakers without an accent of filipinos/as, indians etc.....

So lets run down the doomsday scenario.

1. They succeed and ESL teachers cant find anymore work in Korea?
Not likely to happen in my opinion. Korean's are to self conscience and xenophobic to allow this to happen.

2. It becomes harder to find a job because of them.
This is possible and maybe likely. Perhaps it will improve conditions in Korea, because the weak and unqualified people will leave and the good will remain.

3. Korea totally rejects real native speakers from the US, Canada etc.... just to save a buck.... unprobable.

So what's everyone worried about? Pay is not going to go down that much, and if you in PS your pay is set.

[desperation]

[afsjesse]

Thanks for the correction. And no, I'm not qualified with an education degree.

[moosehead]

[desperation]

Moosehead is totally correct.

[citizen erased]

I don't know, Im skeptical about this. I just did a quick google search and nothing came up about this. A shift this radical would leave more of a paper trail, no?

26,000 teaching visas sounds like the intention is to have a completely non-western teaching base.

[Whirlwind]

Absolutely spot on! People, you better have an exit strategy in place. You throw in the tightened regulations and this desire to get cheap labor from SE Asia and people that only have 2 year degrees, then add that the schools will save a ton of money because SE Asians will work for peanuts, and no more having to deal with lippy westerners and their high salaries and bitching...voila! A school owners dream. And I do believe that schools will find a way to convince parents that SE Asians are better than what they currently have. I can see this spiel being repeated ad infinitum in the media: "SE Asian teachers are kind and very gentle. They are Asian like us. They have strong Asian values. They don't cause problems like white peoples. They don't abuse children. They are not playboys like white peoples. They are respectful of Korea." You get the picture, it will be some syrupy story and the people will buy it because they won't question it. SE Asians will bend over and take it and THAT is a great appeal to the owners. I definitely think the buildup in the press about how all foreigners are bad apples(ie white English teachers) is a ploy designed to soften the parents up for the introduction of that cheap labor.

[citizen erased]

look, for example there is nothing about it on this site:

http://www.workabroad.ph/

only news about visa extensions.

[Young FRANKenstein]

[desperation]

Whirlwind said it! Yup. I've been saying it all year. These are the last daze. Thailand is OVER. Soon, Korea will be too. I'm looking for another silver platter of a job here or I'm out to Japan to teach privates legally like a mo fo. I am looking into both countries simultaneously and I also have a plan C & and plan D. I suggest ya'll backpacker "I came here to, like, earn travel money!" people, get with the whole plan-for-your-future program.