Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Radius]

There has been MANY foreigners within the last 5-6 years moving here to teach. Im just wondering when the good ole days of getting a job at the drop of a hat will end.
Just thinking about how hard it is to get into Japan, and if Korea will ever get like that....because eventually there will just not be enough hagwons/PS to support the masses coming over here.

[laguna]

[Senior]

I think the opposite will happen. Korea will open the doors to more countries. The Philippines, India, Singapore, etc.

For us, it is a huge bummer, but Korea and those countries mentioned win.

[Louis VI]

There will never be "too many" foreign English teachers in South Korea because as soon as we're not needed to work our E-2 visas end and we must leave the country. Unless you are talking about gyopos.

[DosEquisXX]

You already can't get a job at the drop of a hat.

They'll stop taking people when they feel that the average Korean English teacher is as good or better than the foreigners.

[bcjinseoul]

There will always be very rural public schools and very bad kindie hogwons here and there for hire...

But with that said, this certainly isn't the Korea many of us knew a mere 3-4 years ago.

In 2006, there were thousands of unfilled positions nationwide, a great exchange rate, and no notarized/apostilled documents to get a job. People outside of Seoul did a year or two at a kindie or public school and then picked up a college job very easiy somewhere. Public schools and colleges gave tons of time off, too.

In 2010 there are 2-3 times more teachers, if anything a little less jobs, hogwons folding, we're up to federal CRC's that need to be norarized and apostilled, vacation time with public schools is about 4 weeks a year and down to 8 for most colleges, EPIK/GEPIK/SMOE get thousands of resumes for hundreds of jobs twice a year, the sidework pay has been lowballed with all the people out here, and thanks to the Great Recession and 10% unemployment, plus the fact that everyone knows someone Facebook already over here, every third 23 year old in America is at the very least looking into this place if not beginning the app process to some horrible entry level hogwon like YBM or CDI. This place is also a hellluva lot more easier to live in than a mere 3-5 years ago, and continues to get so. There are more long term minded people here and F-series visa holders out here than ever before.

Even when unemployment gets down to say 7%, I'm sure plenty of college graduates will at least come here for a year or two to pay of their debt.

I've always said 2006 and 2007 was the best time to be here. Sure there were a lot of people here just before 1997 with a great exchange rate...but I'm sure this a tough country to live in before Y2K.

Public schools these days prefer BAs in English and Education, as well as TEFL certificates and teaching licenses. Almost every college in all the big cities want MAs and teaching experience; only rual colleges and unigwons take "anyone" anymore. Maybe in the future it will be like Taiwan...licensed teachers for public schools only, and MA holders for college gigs only...BY LAW.

Who knows.

[djsmnc]

[djsmnc]

[Epik_Teacher]

I think with the coming crash, cutting social spending in Korea and hakwan market collapse ( like the on that happened in 1997), I suspect the "golden age" of teaching ESL in Korea is drawing to a close. Especially if the market gets flooded with teachers from countries that will accept far less money than those from Anglo countries.

I keep hearing rumors that EPIK will be cut to the bone in FEB 2012.

[bcjinseoul]

[jvalmer]

[Grantasmagoria]

[qcat79]

we all know we ain't professionals out here. who y'all kiddin'?

[djsmnc]

[Troglodyte]

I doubt that we'll get replaced by teachers from India and Thailand. I'm not saying that people in those countries don't speak English well. Even most of the Russians that I've met speak better English than the average Korean. For the most part though, we aren't hired for our teaching skills. For the most part, we are hired to look good and impress parents. We're dancing monkeys. "Hey! Look! We have a teacher from America. Send you kid here and he'll learn to speak with a proper American accent." I don't think that any one in Korea has ever contacted any of my foreign references. To the best of my knowledge, they've never verified any of my certificates (except for my university degree). We are walking billboards. I'm surprised they don't give us a sign board or a t-shirt with the school name on it. Since Koreans assume that their graduates from the language faculties know the language well, they aren't going to be looking for someone who can teach better - just a gimmick to brink in customers.

OK. That's my take on it. Now I'm off to the market. I hear there's a sale on bananas.