Korean Job Discussion Forums

[byrddogs]

What's the job market like in the ROK these days for ESL teaching? I left there about 1.5 years ago and noticed at that time that there was beginning to be an abundance of warm bodies that could fill the demand. How competitive are positions these days?

[Dodge7]

it's worse and getting more worse.

[iggyb]

Public school jobs, especially in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province, are in flux. Downsizing with signs of phasing out altogether. Recent changes and the election year this year likely have schools unsure how to plan for the next couple of years.

3 years ago, recruiters were saying the bad global economy meant where they used to have 2 or 3 resumes to show employers per opening they were then getting 10 to 15 per opening. Now, public school jobs are dropping and the rest shaky....

[ttompatz]

[byrddogs]

[iggyb]

Whatever happens with the public school jobs, the hakwons and universities will make Korea remain one of the primary markets for TESOL for those with little or no experience.

If public school jobs keep downsizing as they have this past year, the ability to get a job from abroad might be abnormally tight ---- hard to very hard.

But after a year or two, things will get back to where they were 5 years ago or so - and it wasn't "hard" to get a job in Korea back then.

If you are already in Korea, or you come over on a tourist visa, it isn't hard to find a job - especially if you expand where you are willing to work beyond Seoul and Busan.

I will be intersted in seeing what happens with these public school jobs.

I expect at some point parents -- especially the mothers -- will start screaming. This might become an important election year issue. I'd like to see the society debate it:

Many Koreans don' t like how much FTs cost schools and how low the qualifications are to get a job. However, families are even more competitive in trying to give their little Kim or Lee a leg up in the race for the future and see English as a leg up. Along with this, they hate expensive hakwon fees even more than they dislike the cost of public school FTs ---- yet ---- they still pay those hakwon fees and will feel even more pressure to do so if almost all public schools lose their FT.

I get the feeling the current opposition party feels getting rid of FTs is a winning issue for them. The same goes for the Korean teacher's union which is part of the opposition.

I'm not so sure it is ultimately a winning issue for them...

Free school lunches was a big deal in the recent elections in Seoul and for the head of SMOE.

One party or the other might try to make TESOL in public schools and election issue this year.....I hope so....I'd like to get a better view of how the bulk of the society feels about us....

[Julius]

[iggyb]

I can see some of that, but the turnover rate is and will remain high - especially with fewer (or no) public school jobs. A small percentage of FT stay 2 years or more.

The working conditions in hakwons and other factors in the ESL market have prevented Korea becoming like Japan where the market has been glutted and difficult to crack from abroad. There has been some improvement since I came in 1996 in terms of legal protection and legal remedies, but in recent years immigration has made it more and more burdensome to apply. Too many hakwons aren't worth working in and most aren't worth more than 1 or 2 years. But the hakwon market is still very large...

I think the turnover rate and size of the market will continue to make Korea a big market for people wanting to secure a teaching job from overseas with little or no experience.

[jurassic82]

There are still plenty of good jobs in Korea. Yes, public schools are not renewing many NETs but there are still many that are. When I look at various job boards there are many public school jobs available. There are also many private (not hogwans) elementary and high schools that are highing foreign teachers that offer the same kind of benefits. It is just a matter of how patient you are. If you are willing to put some time in looking for a good job you should be able to land one. There are a lot of crummy offers out there and recruiters can be notorious for pushing a lot of these horrible hogwan jobs on new teachers. Also, if you are here in Korea you can find a descent job easily as well.

I don't mean to come to Korea without a VISA already in hand as that is a big no no. Anyways, don't listen to a lot of the pessimistic posts on here. Do your research, be patient and don't take the first job offer that comes your way. After some time you should be able to find a good position.

[pkang0202]

My take is, the Job Market is great if you don't want to work in Seoul.


It is cut-throat and very competitive if you want to work in Seoul.

[iggyb]

I wouldn't recommend coming to Korea without a work visa for first timers, but it is an option for people with experience. I might not be technically legal, I'm not sure. It certainly is if you start working while still on a tourist visa, but I don't know if it is illegal to find a job while on one.

The problem for new comers is they don't know how things work and how to go about the job search - and would need a pile of money to pay their way until they land a job.

I was one of the 100 or so who got dropped by SMOE at the last minute a couple of years ago. I needed to get to Korea quickly for family reasons. So, I came on the tourist visa waiver Korea has with the US and found a job. But, I had my wife's family here to provide housing and help out until I started work. It took about 2 months to do that. The typical person coming over might not have the means to come over and look for work...

[pkang0202]

Also, for people who come here first and then get a job, your flight over here is not reimbursed.