Korean Job Discussion Forums

PatrickGHBusan · Posted: Tue Sep 07, 2010 7:29 am Post subject:

I would not take a 1.5 job personnally. Then again I have a frame of reference and know Korea rather well.

A fresh grad with no job will have a different perspective and will not have this frame of reference. At some point the equation will be: 1.5M with provided housing and airfare is better than no job at all....you would e shocked.

asylum seeker · Joined: 22 Jul 2007 Location: On your computer screen.

northway · Joined: 05 Jul 2010

Radius · Joined: 20 Dec 2009

so today the one teacher tells me that since 10 students dropped out over the term that the company is dropping her pay---BUT NOT MINE. I just stood there, like, yea....and? I dont know why the guilt trip is needed here. shes not young either. in her 30's

Who's Your Daddy? · Joined: 30 May 2010 Location: Victoria, Canada.

Radius · Joined: 20 Dec 2009

OculisOrbis · Joined: 17 Jul 2006

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2009/12/116_48507.html

Gwangjuboy · Joined: 08 Jul 2003 Location: England

I personally feel that Korean hagwon teachers are overworked and underpaid in most cases. Laying the guilt trip on their foreign colleagues is not right, but in the event of a student exodous, how is it possible to determine if this is the result of poor performing Korean teachers or NETs? I am not sure that parents are explicit about this in most cases.

Some hagwon owners make substantial sums of money (in my first job the wonjang was making a cool 10 million a month) but nonetheless pay their Korean teachers derisery wages while expecting them to work like dogs. I recall in my first years here that Korean teachers usually taught one or two classes less per day, but had to stay hours longer, calling parents, doing administrative work, and sitting through torturous meetings with the wonjang who used them as a vehicle for her ego trip. The problem is that where there is an over supply of labour the market will allow it.

Kurtz · Joined: 05 Jan 2007 Location: ples bilong me

Personal and anecdotal evidence suggest K hagwon teachers are over worked, underpaid, taking a day off is a sin and recieve little vacation time, like about 3-4 days. They just aren't valued. A Korean friend of mine who works in a hagwon said parents who inquire about the hagwon ask how many foreign teachers there are, that can't leave the Korean teachers feeling very good about themselves, especially when pay day arrives. They should demand more but like many here, if they don't have options to leave they have to suck it up. Taking it out on the foreigner is wrong, I don't believe we set their pay scale.

Radius · Joined: 20 Dec 2009

Darkray16 · Joined: 09 Nov 2008

My friends who gone to college make more than 1,500$ a month working 35 hours a week at Lens Crafters as a lab drone.

Pa Jan Jo A Hamnida · Joined: 27 Oct 2006 Location: Not Korea

K Teachers quitting isn't anything new. 7 years ago, about 5 left in the same week over salary. I was the highest paid foreigner at the hogwon (1.9 - not brilliant but not bad) but there was a K teacher that made 2.2. I never begrudged her as she knew her stuff.

southernman · Joined: 15 Jan 2010 Location: On the mainland again

What's the qualifications needed for after school K teachers? is it just the same as for Hagwons, if so then they haven't really got an argument.

Because, even though they may have the same irrelevant Degree as most western teachers, the biggie is that the western teacher is fluent in English.

Just 30ish yr olds angry with their situation and blaming others...... don't even give it a second thought, coz its not your fault.

When I was at a Hagwon heaps (all but one, the head teacher) of the K teachers left during my two years for all sorts of reasons. Mostly though, to study for and try to pass the entry level exam to be a Public School teacher.

So I'd imagine After school K teachers are pretty much the same, its a job to pay the rent and put food on the table til something better comes along

Vagabundo · Joined: 26 Aug 2010

liveinkorea316 · Joined: 20 Aug 2010 Location: South Korea

Precisely the reason why wages would never go down to 1.5million. The wage is set by supply and demand. If 75% of teachers left then those who remained would write their own ticket (as has been the case decades ago until everyone arrived).

The wage rate will have a natural level based on the numberr of people willing to come here against the jobs on offer.

The only thing that really needs to be worried about is economies crashing in the West or English going out of fashion in Korea. Neither of these seem a strong likelyhood in the near future so we can rest easy.