Korean Job Discussion Forums

[tonyvu]

Anybody finding it difficult to live with this pay during down times in the economy? I want to work at a public school (likely EPIK) but i dont know if the salary will veer me that way. I might go private but im uncertain at this point...

[Gaber]

You can still live fine on 1.8, as long as you have accommodation provided, which you do with EPIK, GEPIK, or SMOE. It's really just going to be a bit of a hit to you level of saving (or travel if you're not the saving sort).

[Goku]

It's all about going out.

1 night on the town costs 100,000 won... welll at least for me it does.

Food, drinks, clubs... the whole obstacle course fatigues the wallet.

I am actually extremely frugal, I don't buy clothes more than 30,000 won ever. So I'm astute to know that it's the friday, saturday nights that will nip into me.

It's really unaviodable unless you stay sober, don't drink/eat much, and don't pay for others.

[Socks]

[VanIslander]

when I came in 2002 the average newbie salary was 2.0, now it's 2.2

but that's hagwon work

public schools weren't hiring waygooks much back in 2002, so there's no basis of comparison

longer days for 1.8 or shorter days for 2.2.. that's your work to salary comparison between public school and hagwon, apparently (if you're gonna choose blindly then any ol' pub school is your best bet for at least getting paid, but if you take the time and effort to research, speak to past waygook teachers, then a good hagwon is the way to go, from a pay-per-hour perspective)

[VanIslander]

oh, by the way...

EVERY newbie in the public schools in this town in Gyeongsangnam province makes 2.5 million a month. Every single one. It's policy.

I know a newbie in a nearby town start at 2.7, many others in this province start at 2.3.

If you are starting at 1.8 to be in Seoul or some other coveted place (Jeju and Busan also pay low sometimes) then it better be worth it!

[samcheokguy]

Well Gangwon started at 1.8
+100,000 per month
+100,000 per mouth if you live in a tiny city, like under 10,000.

[blaseblasphemener]

1.8!



suckers.

[asylum seeker]

I don't think some of you over here have been following the news much or you'd realise that the unemployment rate in the US has reached the highest level in 26 years and other western countries are just as bad. People are going to take any jobs they can get here, 1.8 or not, if they have no prospects back home.

[sojourner1]

1.8 is too low in my opinion, especially if living in a city, but this is all SMOE and GEPIK and some parts of EPIK are paying to my understanding.

I taught in a hagwon for 1 year during 2007 for 2 million a month as a newbie and then joined Gangwon EPIK at 2.2 million total a month 7 months ago. I actually take home 2,050,000 of salary after deductions. There's also extra money for after school classes, camps, and transportation allowance so it's actually more than base bay. I'm noticing prices are really going up as inflation is happening in Korea, especially in the past 4 months so money is not going nearly as far and food has become a major major expense, but you can scale back and lose weight while you're at it as things do come in small quantities though still over priced.

As a newbie if you feel you can independently operate and learn without a whole lot of mentoring from experienced foreigners, then you might seriously consider EPIK. But if you feel you want some mentoring then look for a hagwon that has a team of foreign teachers led by a head foreign teacher. A good mentor can be great in learning the ropes of teaching as it was for me in me in my 1st year, but not everyone requires this as I'm seeing newbies, particularly one young man, do really well in EPIK living in such a small town that he's the only foreigner present. He's been here only 6 months and can speak a lot of Korean, very damned good at teaching, and dresses really well so they really like him a great deal as I seen at a Winter camp. He's a lean and smart exception of a young man and functions really well independently by himself among locals. If this is you, then you'll do great in Gangwon EPIK, but if you are not such a lone independent one, then get a job where you'll be around more people you can easily relate with and services that cities offer.

Oh, you'll also spend less if living outside of Seoul in a smaller town and actually stack bills unless you're the one who's gotta run to Seoul every time you're off to go blow money in comforting yourself. Really, you need to assess what you want when it comes to picking a job as one job is great for the single loner while another job is great for a socialite who needs more people and services in their life. Neither is bad; it's just what YOU need. Whatever you pick, you'll find shopping to be pitiful, but you get used to living on the economy though it can get very boring. I guess it's largely what you make of it through your decisions, actions, and attitude although some jobs are scams or are simply a bad fit.

[Looney]

do you get much chance to earn some extra cash with EPIK/SMOE with overtime etc?

Spoke to Rowan from ESL-Planet a while back and he said it`s highly unlikely with SMOE....though I recall reading some posts on here saying otherwise? What/who is correct?

I would prefer to work for a PS (in Seoul/Gyeongido) but not for 1.8m if there`s no chance to earn some extra cash with extra classes

[i4NI]

GEPIK starts at 2.0 not 1.8

[Ukon]

[maingman]

OP -this ere information from one of the korea
recruiters

g luck !


Salary & Overtime - The focal point for all.
Salaries (& how they are determined) differ significantly between public & private.
The Public School pay scales are as follows:

Requirements
Level
Pay per month
Bachelor(a)
Experience(b)

Master(a)

Certificate(c)

3
1.8m to 2.1m
Yes
No

No

No

2
2.0m to 2.2m
Yes(d)
1 year
or
Yes
or
Yes

2+(e)
2.1m to 2.3m
Yes
1 year as Level 2(f)



1
2.3m to 2.5m
Yes
2 years
and
Yes
or
Yes

1+
2.5m to 2.7m
Yes
2 years as Level 1(f)




KEY : a - Any discipline
b - Full time classroom experience
c - CELTA, PGCE or TEFL 100+hrs
d - if Major is in Education or English or English Literature then 1 year experience, a Master's or a teaching certificate is not required.
e - if Master is in Education & Bachelor is in any discipline or Master is in any disciple & Bachelor is in Education then 1 year as Level 2 is not required
f - Contract renewal at the same school

Additional monetary benefits may also apply to these positions (such as provincial - 100k per month, rural- 100k per month & also multiple school allowance- 100-150k per month.) The maximum that can be made in a government public school is 2.85m won per month.

[espoir]

Just take the 100hr TEFL course which costs about 400$ more and you will be making 2million a month instead of 1.8million. the course took me like 3 days to complete online, it was a complete joke. And this way you'll be making 200,000won more every month so after 2 months you just made back what the course initially cost you.