Korean Job Discussion Forums

[seansmith]

YTMND:

I don't dispute those salaries you posted either, except to reiterate that those are 2nd and 3rd tier international schools, local private schools and/or EFL schools that only take Chinese students. Pay and conditions will be much worse than for international schools like Shanghai American School, British International School, Concordia, and Dulwich (all which pay well over 30,000 rmb per month). Granted those schools want their pound of flesh. And actually, from what I saw on those links you provided, the pay is almost the same or more than what Korean jobs are offering for similar work. I agree with you about Shanghai though - you can spend as much money as you want here. You need fiscal self-discipline. In Korea, cheap Hite and Red Rock beers don't exactly break the bank. Have to say I prefer Shanghai though.

OP: those international job fairs you're looking at in December, January, February are not for jobs starting a month later. Those schools are looking to hire for the following August. Why not go anyway? I'm a bit confused from your earlier post though: are you a certified teacher or not?. If you're certified your chances are much better of securing a job. You'll really have to hustle, dazzle, and impress principals and HR to get a decent international school position if you're not certified.

How I got my job? I was contacted and asked to come in for an interview based on a referral from a friend - a referral I never requested. I was already in Shanghai, was interviewed, and got the job. This is highly atypical, but hey, you asked. A crucial factor (similar to Korea) was that I was already in Shanghai and able to meet with prospective employers.

I was already working for a language school in Shanghai at the time but they released me with little fuss so I could get a new Z visa for my current school. It is highly unlikely, almost unheard of in fact, for a Korean school to release you before your contract is finished because you found a better job. Back in the day, a teacher at my language school in Seoul taught there for two months and then announced he had accepted a job as a copy editor at the Korea Herald. Our school revoked his work visa immediately and he was deported 3 days later back to the U.S. Lesson learned.

[YTMND]

[byrddogs]

[seansmith]

YTMND:

On the whole visa extension thing, I'm sure you're correct. It was 4 years ago and my memory is faulty on the technicality of it. I just remember I was allowed to leave my job and switch to a new job with little hassle.

Yes, the Shanghai jobs don't include housing. However, another way of looking at things is that we are close to reaching a tipping point in the China-Korea salary comparison game. In Shanghai schools like EF, Wall Street, and Web are offering salaries in the 14,000rmb - 16,000rmb (2,500,000 - 2,850,000 Won) range. My friend had a job with Web 4 years ago that paid 16,000 rmb per month. Housing or no housing, that's competitive with Korea. Certainly those who are miserable in Korea will consider such contracts. And if the rmb currency continues to rise (yes, it's a big if) then China will increasingly be a viable, and maybe even better option.

[YTMND]

[byrddogs]

^ check out DE and EF for the 2 franchises I mentioned. I'm not going to do the work for you. Sorry you only can find what you found on the internet. Not really sure what all of your agrression is about, but, hey, whatever dude.

[edwardcatflap]

[byrddogs]

[edwardcatflap]

just netiquette, mate, whatever

[seansmith]

Here's a link for Concordia International School's salaries, a school in Shanghai:

http://www.concordiashanghai.org/about-concordia/employment/benefits-salary-2

They pay in U.S. $. For a teacher with no experience and a B.A. the yearly salary is $48,475. For a teacher with no experience and an M.A. the yearly salary is $53,720. For those with 18 years teaching experience, the salaries reach $72,078 and $77,323. Plus they offer a housing allowance on top of that. There are the 25,000 - 40,000 rmb salaries the are out there.

[byrddogs]

[edwardcatflap]

yes

[viciousdinosaur]

I don't really see what you guys are arguing about. In Korea the salaries are in an extremely tight range. 2.1-2.4 for the majority of full-timers, which is really 2.6-3.0 when you add in housing, severance, etc...People in specialty fields, like Gyopo-management or freelancers, can bank 3.0-4.5/month. Hagwon owners can do even better. But for the most part people can expect to earn in that 2.6-3.0 range. It's a tight range and there a floor on salaries here thanks to the immigration requirements for degrees.

China is a different market. The salaries are in a wider range. Qualifications can really set you apart. To argue that there is no money to be made in China is just nonsense. I've made cash there on par with what I make here and so have other people I've known. Some make more.

There's other things to consider to. The salaries in Korea are stable or dropping, and the won is in a coma. The Chinese Yuan on the other hand is rising, albeit at a communist-dictating snail's pace of 3% a year. Also, for those who might want to make teaching a long-term thing, the country you start out in can really determine a lot. Look at me. I started out in Korea. I've married a Korean. I've learned to speak Korean. I've invested a lot in this place and now it's pretty much impossible for me to up and go somewhere else.

Plus I've gotten good at teaching Koreans. China was challenging for me. They're different.

Think about it this way. If you were a young sapling, would you want to plant yourself in the middle of a field or the middle of a forest?

[byrddogs]

[Oreovictim]