Korean Job Discussion Forums

[tamago]

Hello everyone. I'm a new person here, and quite excited about teaching English in Korea. If I could introduce myself a little bit..

I'm korean-american (parents from seoul), born in US and lived there all my life (i'm 24). I've been to korea when I was 4 for about a month, and that is all. I've been working as a english/korean translator after graduating high school for a while because the pay was good ($30/hr). however, I decided I should get a BA degree and try this out, because I really want to try korean life. I'lll prolly finish the degree in about 1.5-2years.

Now my questions are: How is the job outlook of teaching english in Korea? Plentiful? competitive?

How about the job itself? Is it secure? Thank you for your replies.

[Ukon]

[tamago]

thanks for ur reply. that leaves to the question..should i still try to obtain a BA degree? i want a stable life when i stay in korea..will having a 4 yr degree, even if its arts/humanities from the US help?

[Chet Wautlands]

If you are done two years of your degree, then yes, you should certainly finish it. Having a basic university degree in any field can come in handy often in life.

[yeremy]

I have a question for you: How do you know you will enjoy teaching EFL here in Korea, or elsewhere's? You should get your degree and then try teaching EFL to see if you like it or not. Frankly, there are better paying jobs here in Korea than teaching English, but you will need a relevant degree and experience to go after and get one of those jobs in a chaebol or in working for the government.

Frankly, I would like to strongly suggest that you finish your degree first. Even if you do come to teach here on a F visa to teach without finishing your degree you will get more respect from the locals if you do have your BA degree. You will also feel relieved to have finished it and you will be infinitely better off having it than not, especially in todays world economy. The Korean EFL market will still be here in 1.5 to 2 years from now, so you will have a chance to teach here I am sure.

What will the job outlook be 5 to 10 years from now? Koreans will still be learning EFL in 5 to 10 years but the billion dollar question is with whom? The trend is to open the market to those countries which have trade agreements with the ROK and whose citizens demonstrably speak English fluently and who are certified English teachers in their own countries. Where you and many others will fit into that scenario is the big question, which has yet to be answered.

[tamago]

thanks for ur replies. i will plan on finishing my ba degree before moving on

[michaelambling]

[Ya-ta Boy]

Yes, finish your degree. Koreans are uncommonly attached to the idea of education and to degrees that represent that education. There were a series of scandals here last year about people who had fake degrees--you would have thought they had been caught committing sex crimes with little kids.

A degree will open doors to you, even if it isn't in teaching. Your translating experience is highly valued here.

There is no indication that Koreans' need or desire for English is declining. Jobs here can be stable and secure, especially for people with your background.

[Gamecock]

Don't worry, apart from the remote possibilities of the utter implosion of the United States as an economic power, a major meltdown of the Korean economy, or a war on the Korean peninsula in the next few years, Koreans will still be fervently trying to learn English for the next few decades. Their overall progress in language acquisition has not been stellar thus far. I expect the ESL scene in Korea will be about the same 20 years from now. Plenty of jobs to choose from. Enough BS to keep hordes of native speakers from coming (and staying), so not really competitive. You'll be fine.

As others said, get your degree first.

[tamago]

i appreciate everyone's help and advice. :>
i hope to someday meet up with ya and buy drinks! ^^

[Real Reality]

The Accidental Citizen Soldier
By JOHN IWASAKI, SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER (April 8, 2004)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/168210_korean08.html

[ReeseDog]

[tamago]

[TheUrbanMyth]

[Toon Army]