Korean Job Discussion Forums

[toong tao daeng]

I have been offered a teaching position at a Korean govt. university, but have some questions about the benefits package on offer. I'm currently not in Korea and don't have any experience with universities there, and am wondering what is a "standard" package for university positions.

I see that most (if not all) hogwan jobs include RT airfare and 1 month bonus for every year worked.....is this true for govt. universities too?
What should I expect regarding health care, housing, utilities, visa fees, etc...
Are govt. university teachers eligible for the pension reimbursement?

Is there anything else that is considered "standard"?


Thanks.

[bookemdanno]

Will you be teaching in a language institute or as part of the English department faculty? What are your educational credentials? How many hours will you teach? What kinds of courses?

Enrollment in the national pension plan is required, as is reimbursement at the end of your contract.

Housing is not but any decent university ought to provide it, at least 16 pyeong space.

Health benefits are also obligatory with a standard deductible for doctor visits, etc.

[toong tao daeng]

[bookemdanno]

OP:

They should reimburse you for airfare unless they're one of those cheap Korean universities.

They should provide you with visa assistance, too. Generally, you need a doctorate to qualify for an E-1 Visa, which is what I have and is harder to come by but allows you to avoid the hassles associated with the much more common E-2 visa (see stickies on the Job Forum).

Not sure what you mean by bonus but some provide an end-of-contract bonus.

What about housing? Is it subsidized or provided? If they give you an allowance, it shouldn't be deducted from your salary.

Get your hours in writing and make sure the contract doesn't include a clause about teaching kiddie camps during winter or summer intercession, or some lame intensive English course for non-English majors.

I'm surprised that they're letting you teach grammar as most East Asian faculty arrogantly believe they understand our grammar and mechanics better.

Nine hours is a light load, if indeed you don't have hidden hours. Check on the office hours requirement, though. Oh, and make sure you're expected to have the same teaching load next term, too.

You should have a contact person in the department in addition to their foreign affairs office--someone who will push the latter when it needs pushing, which is often except at top universities.

[PRagic]

Many departmental jobs don't pay for your flight, and this includes some of the biggest Korean universities.

Many universities don't provide housing. Either they'll pay more, or include a housing support allotment.

Don't sweat office hours. Most 'require' 2-4 hours per week, but these are not enforced. If they start checking whether or not you're in your office, you know you've screwed up! Besides, who doesn't have enough work to keep them in their office a few hours a week?

9 hours? Get that in writing! Most MA instructors carry at least a 12 hour load, but they aren't expected to publish.

Visa help? Most departments are clueless about the process, or have maybe one 'go-to' person who can help. Good luck.

[Zaria32]

It's fairly common for Korean Universities to either be exempt from various laws (for example, they can have a private pension scheme) or
ignore the application of laws to them.

Airfare is a maybe, so is housing or a housing allowance, so are most every benefit. Get it in writing, in the contract, spelled out in clear words.
Korean contracts often have confusing stuff in them, such as "2,400,000 annual salary will be paid monthly."

Whatever you do, don't assume that because something "is the law" that it will be provided to you if it's not in the contract.

[kiwiana]

HERE'S the deal that most universities over here provide their faculty (not the faculty that teaches in a private institute under the university umbrella):

Pension:

This is either public or private. If it is public and you are not from the US, Canada, or Auzzy, then you are not entitiled to any lump sum benefit upon finishing over here.

Severance/ (bonus pay)

If universities provide a pension program they are not obliged to pay the severance at the completion of your contract (according to the Korean law book). Also, it is not common for university teachers, in positions such as yours, to receive a severance payment, although Korea National University (KNU) is one uni that does in fact provide this.

Health Insurance:

This should be paid 50/50 by you and your employer.

Return Airfare

It is also very uncommon for universities to pay for a return ticket to your home country each year, although I do know that KNU does so after the completion of the second year.

It is common for a hagwon (private institute) to pay for pension, severance, 50% health, return aifare each year but rest assured that the benefits at a uni far outweigh the benefits at a hagwon. I.e., far lower working hours, far more paid vacation, and often a higher salary if overtime is available at the uni.

Send me a private message if you have any more specific questions.

[toong tao daeng]

Thanks for all of your replies.

Kiwiana,

I don't have the minimum post count to send a PM, but will try to have enough by the end of the weekend.

[PRagic]

I've also been noticing that many universities are offering 9-12 hour scheds with a lot of 'mandatory overtime'. Don't forget that when your severance is calculated, it should be based on your total income from the institution, which includes housing allotment and overtime.

There are two ways to figure out your severance. one based on a monthly average, and one based on your income over your last three months. If they don't know this, keep it to yourself or you'll find your last three months to be kept at a bare minimum.

SNU was taken to the labour board over this issue, and they lost.

[Real Reality]

E-1 Status (Professors), Visa Issuance Procedure
from the website of the Immigration Bureau, Ministry of Justice, Republic of Korea
http://www.moj.go.kr/HP/ENG/eng_03/eng_306030.jsp

[bookemdanno]

Zara wrote:

[971menu]

[aka Dave]

My university (private) is hiring a 2nd professor to teach in our English Ed dept. They will almost always hire someone living in Korea, simply so they can face to face interview them, so I can't address the plane ticket issue.

If you're teaching just a few hours, I would warn you about teaching the writing classes. If the students like you, they will start giving you more classes. This will become crucial when it comes time for the Korean English Teacher exam. If you're not teaching prospective teachers, you don't need to worry about that.

If you *are* teaching prospective teachers, you can easily be overwhelmed with work. It's a very competitive test, and you will be a huge resource for them.

Really, if you want to not work a lot, just stick to conversation. If you start doing a lot of writing classes you'll spend a lot of time correcting papers.

[Milwaukiedave]

I had mentioned this in another thread, but I'll say it here again. It seem to me that universities are moving away from providing housing for teachers to housing allowances.

They should provide health insurance and pay into your pension.

Someone had mentioned about severence not being common. At both the university I worked at previously and the current one, severence is paid at the end of the contract.

[lawyertood]

It is extremely rare for a university to pay air fare.