Korean Job Discussion Forums

[bcjinseoul]

No, not the hogwon.

Has anyone ever gone from a years long career in Korea to becoming a Speech-Language Pathologist in their homeland? Any stories would be nice, as well as a rundown on what you like and don't like about the job, how competitive the field and schools for the field are, etc.

[Susanjoy]

I'm a school administrator for special needs kids in the US so I can't speak to the aspect of changing from Korea to "back home". However, this is what I know about Speech-Language Pathology in my area (southwestern US).

1) SLP is in high demand in the public schools and clinics in the US and with the rise in diagnoses of autism-related communication disorders, demand is likely to increase. At least a few kids at almost every elementary school in the US, basically, MUST receive services from an SLP. (And that's not even mentioning the likely rise in clinical demand as baby boomers age, have strokes, need speech rehab, etc.)

2) SLPs are in SUCH high demand in many areas that they are usually over-scheduled and often assigned out to several schools. So you must factor in driving time, bagging and carrying your materials, variable set-ups in each school (read: broom closet) and communication hiccups ("Oh, did we forget to tell you that all the kids would be gone to the Pickle Festival today?"). Oh, and the local private and parochial schools each have to legally cover their 2-3 speech-disordered kids, too, so expect a desperate call from each of them (and more stops on your driving schedule).

3) SLP can be a tough certification to get (lots of medical/clinical training) but perhaps you already have it. The pay can be anywhere from paltry (starting public school teacher pay + 5% in our state) to pretty nice (urban private clinics where rich people will pay you out of pocket) though obviously the latter is not the usual entry-level job.

So:
Demand: Oh, yes.

Money? Depends.

Quality of job? Can be disappointing due to tight scheduling/travel, etc.

Quality of life? Hospital/clinical SLPs work straight through the summer but public schools in US still have 3 months off in summer and 2 full weeks in December.

After doin' time in the ROK, I have to believe that sounds pretty good.