Korean Job Discussion Forums

Tiger Beer · Joined: 07 Feb 2003

Anyone looked into this, or done this? Or even at a 4-year college or university?

It seems that being in Asia is MUCH better, but those who have looked into this back home, what did you discover?

laogaiguk · Joined: 06 Dec 2005 Location: somewhere in Korea

I'm teaching at a university now back home. The pay is a bit more here (including all the free stuff like apartment), but that is gross. Taxes take a bigger portion of it and ofcourse living costs are higher. But I am a professional here, and it's my career. Many university "profs" in Korea would never be able to handle it, as blunt as that is. That doesn't apply to everyone, and I told some of my co workers back at my last Korean university to apply here too.

Who knows, I might take off again. Either way, having a university from back home on my resume will almost always trump any foreign one.

I do have to allow for the fact that some people don't want to come home, something I understand well. I didn't for a long time, and like I said, I might leave after a couple years here. You have to take that into account for yourself too.

dimnd · Joined: 19 May 2005 Location: Western USA

I taught chem labs at a uni for a year..adjunct , and another semester at a comm college part-time for 2 chem labs a week...the pay at the community was 859 a month for 2 ..3 hr labs a week..uni was bit diff

Easter Clark · Joined: 18 Nov 2007 Location: Hiding from Yie Eun-woong

I left a uni gig back home to come here. Low pay, low vacation, low respect from other departments on campus. On the plus side, the job itself was very rewarding and a tremendous learning experience.

These days, most community colleges are doing all they can to keep their ESL teachers on as part-timers in order to avoid paying benefits. Adjuncts are the bottom of the barrel at a college, politically (wait--actually, grad assistants take that prize).

Basically a dead-end job unless you want to become the coordinator. If I were going to go uni in the US, I'd go for my PhD and teach *real* classes. Just my two cents'.

Check out the General North America forum on Dave's for some good info.

laogaiguk · Joined: 06 Dec 2005 Location: somewhere in Korea

Omkara · Joined: 18 Feb 2006 Location: USA

I taught a a community college instructor for a couple of semesters as an adjunct. I loved teaching there. I felt let down when the weekend came, looked forward to Mondays. Here, I dread Mondays.

Here, it's more stable. I know I'll have work from semester to semester. Being an adjunct back home was a load of anxiety. I didn't know from one semester to the next if I would get hired on the next semester, and often didn't know until a week--even the weekend--before the semester started.

Now I'm thinking really seriously about getting my teaching credential in order to have that safety net and job security in order to stay and build a career at home. From that point, I can slowly make my way into the community college level.

Look at the Chronicle of Higher Education. They have a good forum there,

Adventurer · Joined: 28 Jan 2006

Omkara · Joined: 18 Feb 2006 Location: USA

I agree. A CC looks much better on your resume. The problem is this. Say spring semester rolls around and, as is the usual trend, enrollment drops. So, as an adjunct, the CC can't offer you classes. Then, it is unlikely that you'll have a class to teach until the next fall.

That's where I found myself before I returned to Korea. I had no dependable income and many months of rent with no savings to speak of. So, I pulled ol' Dave's up on the internet and. . .here I am!

I'm pissing all of my training, talent and potential away sitting here in a Public Middle School. I'm just waiting until my accounts are sufficiently padded to give it another go 'round.

Still, I've used my time to study Korean. Now, I've got a few languages (Russian, Korean) to pad my resume. That'll help to bolster my authority on what language is and how it works.

I just look forward to the day I look forward to working again.

Tiger Beer · Joined: 07 Feb 2003

Just seeing what my chances are here...been teaching ESL for quite awhile...but university experience is 3 years in Korea, and hopefully 2-3 years in Japan (before I go back to the U.S. to give it a go). I am in Japan right now teaching at a college.

I also have one MA in International Relations and almost finished with a second MA in Education-TESL. Plus one of those little tesol certificates.

I am HOPING that would highly increase my chances of a community college gig...although that reluctance to hire fulltime (because of the entire benefits system setup in the U.S., is a bit daunting).

Square Cracker · Joined: 02 Jul 2007

Omkara · Joined: 18 Feb 2006 Location: USA

In which state did you teach?

I was an adjunct comp. instructor in California. I loved the teaching, but had to round up classes on other campuses in order to foot my bill. I hated the insecurity.

My plan now is to go back and to get a teacher's certification for teaching high school. I feel good about the choice as it will open a greater variety of doors for me and give me some hope for job security.

Were you and adjunct, too?

waseige1 · Joined: 09 Oct 2008

It is very hard to break into unless you have a PhD. As the others have noted, everything here is adjunct and semester to semester. I did it for two years at a community college. I agree that the Chronicle of Higher Education is a great place to try and find the jobs.