Korean Job Discussion Forums

[definitely maybe]

Do you have any experience in Korea? If you don't, and it seems like you don't, landing a uni gig in one of the most popular cities in Korea will be incredibly difficult. Find another contract? Yes. Expect to find a uni job in Busan? Probably not.

[rollthadice4]

Thanks again everyone.

While this all sounds well and good, I have yet to receive a better offer. How do I find these jobs?!?

[marsavalanche]

[robinsoncrusoe]

to add to marsavalanche's excellent suggestion, i would also suggest considering universities that are perhaps a little bit outside of Busan.

Lately, and I mean in the last decade or so, more and more foreigners have decided to stay for the long haul, so instead of the recent college-grad/travel junkies who leave after a year or two, you see more and more people in their 30's and 40's competing for those university slots. Competition has become extremely fierce.

I don't know how seriously you would consider this, but...since getting jobs in Korea is all based on connections anyway, how about working for a year as a business english teacher for either an adult hagwon or a corporation where you can build up some valuable connections? Your adult students can open so many doors for you, it's insane.

I think the worst thing you can do in your position is fall into the scarcity mindset of "i should take this job because i probably won't find anything anyways." Know your worth and respect it. 2.5 mil/9-10 hours a day for your qualifications is like shitting in your face.

[Modernist]

One point I think is being missed here:

OP, you said you guys have Master's degrees. Are those Master's in TEACHING, or some other random field like, say, Landscape Architecture, Library Science, or one of the MANY MANY supposedly professional sectors where the supply of jobs and graduates is not even slightly balanced?

If my suspicions are correct and you are not trained, certified or experienced in teaching, then all these sweeping statements of 'go out and get a Uni job' 'demand 3 million a month' 'go to SE Asia' are pretty useless.

The Uni positions are extremely difficult to get without either an unrelated PhD or an MA in Linguistics/TOEFL or at least English. No teaching experience and no Korea experience means, I seriously doubt you should spend time chasing those ghosts.

The adult Hagwon or Corporate slots are at least possible. Master's in anything tend to be useful to them for marketing and prestige purposes. Corporate is unlikely from outside the country, though.

I would agree, though, that a kinder slot is a Godawful notion. For the sake of your sanity, stay away from them. I teach 2 40-minute classes of 1-2 graders a week and even that basically melts my brain. Even with the older elementary students, there's really no stimulation or thinking required. Just loads of repetition, singing, chanting, repeat after me...get the picture?

Work with many recruiters, yes. Tell them you want adults, or at least middle/high school. Refuse kinders and elementary. If they try to push you, dump them and tell them why.

Regarding money, I think you could fairly look for 2.5 - 2.7. If the city is good and the place demonstrably reputable, a bit lower salary is worthy of consideration.

[sojusucks]

You would have a better chance of actually receiving the money if you work for a public rather than a private (hogwan) school. And 2.4 million isn't bad. I am more familiar with GEPIK pay rather than EPIK but the amount is similar to what GEPIK would pay you.

Good luck. Busan is a beautiful area. There is also a lot of scuba diving down there and the area is known for raw fish.

[rollthadice4]

Modernist, thanks a lot. I have basically come to the same conclusions and am hoping to make over 2.5 with good hours and a good location. I am pretty picky about where I want to live, so this is making it tougher.
This has been very helpful, and when I get a contract offer make sure to check out the other thread and let me know what you think!

[drydell]

Namcheon is a great area to be in Busan but those hours were bad even if you're only doing 6 teaching hours daily. (is that for all year round?)

You and your girlfriend should aim for any decent couple position but i really really wouldn't prioritize the money over the location and other conditions. I would make your priority list look like this ..

1. job conditions,
2. apartment size
3. location
4. pay

If you get a decent sized apartment as oposed to a studio (which is the norm for singles) that is a major bonus and will make quality of life much better while here.. You could only justifiably ask for compensation if they squeezed both of you into accommodation that was intended for one person.

crappy job/accommodation etc wont be made better by earning a few extra 100k won. I'd take comfortable conditions/nice location with less money any day..

Don't get your hopes up with all this talk of jumping straight into a uni position just cos you've got an MA. With no teaching experience (?)and not being able to interview in-country - at this time of year (most positions now filled for the autumn semester) very unlikely...it is always possible but I've not heard of anyone going straight to uni freshmen English position without doing at least a year in a hagwan or public.

Don't know about kindies - sounds like a mixture of hilarious fun and ultra-exhausting!