Korean Job Discussion Forums

[knj]

A call for advice.

I am an F-4 who has been living in different countries in Asia for the last 12 years or so.

Before, it was for work. Now, with a wife and a small child, I decided to live in Korea for a few years so that our child can absorb Korean culture.

While in Korea, one of the things that I am considering is to teach English. And this is where I need advice.

*I don�t want to work at a school because I want to stay with my family more or less 24/7. This is partly because we are homeschooling our child.

*I am thinking about opening a one-person English center where I would be the sole instructor. Perhaps in the same building where I would live (or in a nearby officetel?).

*I have an Ivy League master�s degree (MBA).

*I have not taught English before, but I did teach a few semesters of business at several universities in Asia (not in Korea).

*I am a native speaker of English. Perfectly neutral Midwestern accent. My Korean is also near-native; Koreans would never suspect my F-4 status. I have also lived in Korea for approx. 5 years during the 12-year sojourn in Asia, working on a biz project.

*Although I don�t have a tight budget, I would not want to eat into my savings just to live in Korea (the purpose being culture education for my child, not to become rich)� This is why I am thinking of doing some work during the stay.

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1)Do you think someone like me can attract enough students to earn a good living for a few years? What would that �good living� amount be?

2)I would like to focus on business English. Because of my direct experience in the field, I think I would make an excellent teacher. High achievers who are thinking of studying abroad would also be good. Would there be enough demand for that?

3)Do you think an independent/solo operator like me could gain the trust of parents/corporations?

Any and all advice, good or bad, would be highly appreciated.
Thanks for your time.

[Juregen]

Talk to MoE in your neighbourhood

It is possible.

[ThingsComeAround]

You can do privates in your home, contact your nearest cultural center to see if you may tutor there (for some "steady" bread and pick up some clients) Or, try and teach another subject to high school/college students in English. American Marketing, Accounting/Finance, any business related field should be a shoe-in given your qualifications

[broken76]

Yes, it is possible to earn a decent living being an independent teacher. Business English is a bit tougher as adult students are difficult to get and also to keep. I've seen adults start up classes and then quit after only a month or two while younger students are more likely to stay on longer since their schedules are a bit more open.
You should think about teaching for a little bit to gain experience before starting though. Speaking English really isn't enough to run things on your own. You'll be expected to match levels, create curriculum and have a system which is difficult to do without experience.
Business English is a bit easier as a certain level of English is required from the students and it's more topic based.

[knj]

Thank for the replies.

I am not sure whether the following idea is a workable deal, but here goes:

*Teach ONE topic (or guest lecture on topics that I am qualified for) at a local high school or college. Then my teaching would serve as my advertisement, which might allow me to secure students either directly from the class or through referrals from the students that I would teach.

In this regard, are Korean schools (at the HS or college level) open to/familiar with guest lecturer/one-subject part-time lecturer situations?

[broken76]

Don't really know how open schools will be to a guest lecturer. Overall I'd avoid high schools as the students tend to be too busy to add another tutor and business English is of little importance as their only goal is to get into university.
As for university students private lessons are going to be a bit too pricey for them. If you can get groups together it'd be useful but I'm really not sure how long-term they'd be. In most instances I've simply found that adults aren't really willing to stick with it when it comes to classes.
Overall the younger the students the longer they'll last.

[knj]

That makes sense.

I was originally thinking of 1-on-1, but from what you said, it would probably be better if I conducted small-group sessions.

That means I would need to do more marketing...hmm...