Korean Job Discussion Forums

[schwa]

[World Traveler]

I would disagree with that. Since their presence makes a ton of money for the hagwon owners, they have a high value and worth. We need to tell people to stop treating themselves like chopped liver. We should tell people not to accepts contracts with illegal parts and to not be OK with lower and lower wages.

[schwa]

"We need to tell..." "We should tell..."

Not clear on who this "we" is. The industry certainly isnt listening to daves esl, nor are the large majority of jobseekers.

[tophatcat]

[schwa]

BTW I'm certainly not defending skimpy wages. Just pointing out the current reality.

[Fox]

2.1 million a month plus housing is actually not an entirely unreasonable wage for a starting ESL teacher in Korea. A single person can live comfortably on that wage and save, and a family can get by on it (albeit tightly). Wages in the past were probably inflated by an absence of available workers.

I'm sure we'd all like it if wages were higher, but liking something won't make it come true, and as much as one might say, "Everyone should turn down these wages," when people are told they can work a generally fun job in a foreign country and save a thousand dollars a month while doing so, it's going to be hard to convince them that they need to turn down those offers. Doubly so when their personal sacrifice will just mean someone else getting the job and nothing else changing.

There is no effective means of affecting change on a national scale regarding this issue, at least on the employee side of things. Wages will likely continue to decline. 2.5 average starting wages will not happen absent substantial inflation causing that 2.5 to be worth less than 2.1 is now.

[tophatcat]

[World Traveler]

[Swampfox10mm]

I neglected to mention that my 2.3 salary 11 years ago was coupled with an 850 to 1 dollar exchange rate.

[World Traveler]

The exchange rate now sucks. 1117 to 1 dollar. (Another way to say that is 1,000 won is worth 89 cents.) The exchange rate went South in 2008 and has not recovered since.

[misher]

It's still a good deal for the 22-24 year old with no skills.

Unfortunately for people who teach English conversation in Asia for more than a year or two, you ARE NOT the target market for hagwon owners. It is always said that the backpacker 1-2 year young and active type is the desired "teacher." For that group 2.1 plus everything is a good deal regardless of the crap exchange rate.

WorldTraveler, you should just get out of the game entirely IMO. Praying for ESL/EFL to return to pre-2000 where nobody really knew about "teaching English" in Asia...Those days are OVER and they aren't coming back. If you got into the game then, alright. If you just got into the game in the last 4-5 years, ack. My advice? Get out unless you're on a gap year or just absolutely love what yo do and couldn't see yourself doing anything else in the Korean countryside somewhere.

[World Traveler]

You are right. I agree with you. I think from 2006-2008 (and prior) there was really good money to be made in Korea. And even now there is for the F-visa holders. But getting the F visa is not possible unless one is gypo or married to Korean...or unless one buys $500,000 of property on Jeju, in which case they wouldn't need the F visa anyways...
Also, it can be obtained through a point system, but unless one's Korean level is extremely high, this isn't possible. (And a new revision was made to this system May 2013, making it much harder to get).
Heck, maybe some non-F visa holders feel they are doing well now (and maybe they are)...but if things are declining now, it is only logical they will continue to decline in the future.

(Also, misher you are right that those who got into this more than 4-5 years ago were able to slide into good university jobs that they otherwise wouldn't have been able to get into had they come just a little bit later. Will those guys' gravy train continue into the future? I wonder. Maybe. Maybe not.)

[TheUrbanMyth]

[Julius]

[Xanetos]