Korean Job Discussion Forums

Stalin84 · Joined: 30 Dec 2009 Location: Haebangchon, Seoul

My friend is considering being a university lecturer in Korea. He has an MA in TESL and he was a JET in Japan for two years as well as an exchange student to Japan during his undergrad. He is also the 4.00GPA never-got-below-a-B+-in-his-life type person.

He wanted to teach university here in Japan but it's impossible as they want a lot more than an MA here (preferably a PhD with a lot of published papers) and he is only 23 which doesn't bode well for such a 'respected' position.

Anyway, I suggested for him to teach in Korea at a university for a year or two so he can pay off his student loans and get some stuff published in the meantime so he can get a University job here. He is only interested in teaching at a university and has no interest in Hagwons/Public Schools.

What is a good website for finding University positions? It isn't a problem to find something that pays more than 2.5 mil, is it? I know uni jobs are going to crap lately but this is someone with qualifications who doesn't want to be in Seoul, so I figure they'll be pick of the litter for a lot of places.

Unposter · Joined: 04 Jun 2006

He may experience some problems because he is only 23 but that said my suggestion is to apply directly to university websites. You can find a list of Korean universities on wikipedia and then search for their addresses and see if they are advertising any openings. By law, if they have openings, it should be posted on their website (Korean version only).

He should also know that generally schools advertise around May/June for September and November/December for March. March is the beginning of the school year, too, and it is the time that most openings are available, though mid-year openings are less competitive.

You may also find that some universities are less concerned about academic credentials and may care more about teaching experience and being in Korea.

kiknkorea · Joined: 16 May 2008

Check the Korean job postings on Dave's, there's always university positions.

2.5 a month may not be so easy to find for someone just starting out without a PhD. He sounds qualified enough for most jobs, but there is plenty of competition these days.

http://www.eslcafe.com/jobs/korea/

El Macho · Joined: 07 Nov 2008

Milwaukiedave · Joined: 02 Oct 2004 Location: Goseong

Unposter pretty much already hit the nail on the head. I also agree with him about his age possibly being a factor. Some of his students (the male students coming back from their mandatory military service) would actually be older then him. He might still find a position for September, but it's getting kind of late in the game. Usually by now they are in interview mode and/or offering positions.

Stalin84 · Joined: 30 Dec 2009 Location: Haebangchon, Seoul

KoreanAmbition · Joined: 03 Feb 2008

High school might be a big waste of time for some, but for others, they learn how to create their own profile and ask their own questions. Smile

I guess that's one of the downsides of home-schooling eh?

Regarding your question about university jobs:

Unfortunately, you can tell your "friend" that your/his idea of "pick of the litter" might not be what you think it is. First of all, his marks mean very little... it's great that he did that, but honestly, I'm guessing it doesn't count for much in the recruiting process. The job ads say you require transcripts, but that's to guarantee you can get the work visa. Second, there are tons of MA's looking for jobs, and there are another ton of people without MA's that have more experience.

His exchange program to Japan will have no bearing on anything. It would help if he was competing against a bunch of rookies that had never left western soil...but alas, once someone has taught in Korea for even 1 year, why would his exchange matter? The reality is that he'll be competing against a slew of people with 2 or more years of experience in Korea.

To summarize:

You can take away his marks, and you can take away his exchange experience. In my opinion, they won't be a factor.

Take a look at the job boards. The 2.5 million level you quoted isn't as easy to find as you may think.

He has an MA in TESOL which is very good, but his BA sounds like it's in "just any" discipline (or else you would have mentioned it.) So that means he's just like anyone else that has an MA TESOL, which these days is a ton of people. Also, a significantly high percentage of people with an MA TESOL will also have at least the same 2 years of experience as your friend.

As others have said, age could play a role in him getting a job here, and that's not being made up.

Finally, it sounds like he's not physically here.... it sounds like he's in Japan. That could REALLY play a role in eliminating some chances because in Korea they like to interview in person, and they do a lot of things short-notice.

What I'm saying is that there aren't as many jobs that you think with the high salary you were talking about. Because of that, those jobs will be more competitive, and I don't think your friend is going to be beating away job offers with a stick like you might think. These days it's very hard to get into the better jobs, and there are a LOT of experienced teachers, often times with MA's, that are having trouble getting into good university jobs.

Anyways, I'm not saying he won't get what you're suggesting, I'm just saying it's not a cakewalk, which from your original post I get the impression you might think it is.

Stalin84 · Joined: 30 Dec 2009 Location: Haebangchon, Seoul

edwardcatflap · Joined: 22 Mar 2009

KoreanAmbition · Joined: 03 Feb 2008

Edward,

From outside "the Korea"? I think you've been teaching here too long buddy.

Anyways, to your question... I never once said I had the best job in Korea. I argued that it paid the most for an E-2, and might have been wrong based on a couple other specific jobs. If you disagree, fine... I'm not here to discuss it. Also, my "unrelated" master degree was "unrelated" to English. However, it was directly related to one position the school required.

Do you really want to compare how I did things? Within 20 months of getting here I secured a 9-hour a week department job with maximum vacation. Okay fine... consider that the "average" expectation...do whatever you want. I really don't care, I was here to give an opinion to the OP.

Funny how so many teachers on these boards recently have been talking about how tough it is in the market... but the moment I say something you decide it's worth complaining about.

Stalin,

Were your friends 23 years old and coming from outside Korea? That's not going to make it easy for the OP's friend. Also, you're saying that in many years you've met 4 or 5 people that slipped through the cracks? The last couple years are REALLY different than previous years, based on the ever-increasing supply of teachers, and the percentage of teachers upgrading to MA-holders. I'm in Seoul and almost every single university teacher I know has a Master degree of some sort.

OP,

If you hadn't stated a salary restriction, then I would say it's a guarantee. However, if you are picky about salary, I'm guessing you are picky about other conditions as well. You have a restriction of 2.5 million won. So that means he doesn't care about how many hours or how many weeks of vacation? So 20 hour work-weeks and summer camps is going to be okay? Okay, in that case, he'll most likely get what he wants.

However, it sounded like he's picky, as someone would be who wants "the pick of the litter". In that case, I assumed he's ALSO looking for low hours and maximum vacation. And for that situation, I do think it's going to be competitive.

edwardcatflap · Joined: 22 Mar 2009

Stalin84 · Joined: 30 Dec 2009 Location: Haebangchon, Seoul

KoreanAmbition · Joined: 03 Feb 2008

Richard Krainium · Joined: 12 Jan 2006

KoreanAmbition · Joined: 03 Feb 2008

Krainium,

What's your problem? Why don't you get on Edward's case for bringing up something outside of the thread?

Did I bring up my other job? NO. Edward did, and it's from the past. It has nothing to do with you.

Did I say anything outside of the accusations from Edward? NO. I simply provided information to explain Edward's accusations.

Live your own life pal... the only thing that comes to mind is "sour grapes" when I see a response like yours.

And yeah, Stalin is the OP. Big deal, I was busy at the time so when I was typing I didn't notice. Did it matter? At least I was trying to contribute to the thread. What about you? Oh wait, your contribution to the thread was awesome and so helpful for the OP. Thanks for comin' out.

OP,

Why do you insist on talking about how you know some guys with BA's getting uni jobs. What do exceptions have to do with this? I know a PhD-holder that has a university job. Does that mean we need a PhD now? Those are "outliers" in statistics, and aren't really going to affect the decision. Those people might have known someone to help them, or might have been lucky. In any case, that happens everywhere in life. You don't think other people with university experience want to climb the ladder also? There will be a lot of people without an MA Tesol but with a different MA as well as university experience that might be picked ahead of your friend. There are also a lot of people with an MA Tesol (or English, or Education, or Applied Linguistics, etc) that couldn't get jobs in Seoul this year and are possibly trying to get into university jobs in other areas as well. They're surely going to be going for the better jobs.

Honestly though, it's pretty sad if your friend has the great credentials you are boasting about, yet will take any job, anywhere, without any care for the hours or vacation. So go ahead, make an extra 300,000 won per month and work 30 or 40 more hours each month and have 2 months less vacation. All the more power to your friend. I wouldn't be caught dead doing that...but hey, what do I know. Tell him to enjoy those extra hours and months of work at the opportunity cost equivalent to the salary of a McDonald's worker.