Korean Job Discussion Forums

[poetryfoot]

I see on the forums here that the market is flooded with teachers and hagwons and schools are being pickier (?) and more tight fisted it seems....
I am so curious about the differences. I graduated in 2005 but I had college loans and some other debt and haven't been able to seriously think and feel comfortable about going until now (many years later). It seems like the English teacher job market has changed a lot in the last several years.

1.) Did this happen in 2008?

2.) What was it like before this, what is it like now? How much harder is it to get a decent job?

3.) What do you think the statistics of teachers is like now, like 10 jobs for every teacher back then, and now 10 teachers for every job (or not quite that?)

Thanks!

[SeoulNate]

Really not much has changed since '08, its just kinda stagnated.

I cant really speak for the 'way back when' era, as I arrived in '07, but not much has really gotten better in our wages. There are about the same (starting and top end) when I arrived. However, the important things to note are twofold:

1. Prices have risen sharply in Korea in the past 6-7 years. Most everything is 15-25% more expensive than it was and wages have not risen to compensate for that, which makes it feel as though the money is worth less.

2. The won has depreciated (however seems to be on an upward trend recently) which doesnt affect your spending power here, but it does for traveling as well as sending money back home.

IMO - its a myth that there are more teachers than jobs here. If you want a job, pretty much anywhere in the country, and are not a) ridiculously fat b) 60+ years old c) have a major health problem or disability, you will have no problems finding work here. Hell, I'm pretty sure either a or b would still land you a job as long as they were coupled together.

[ttompatz]

[Juregen]

A few more things to note.

Consumers have become more demanding. Ergo the demand for high quality teachers have gone up. What quality means, I am not sure.

More and more people are comming back to South Korea with increased English ability, which will reduce the effective need for native speakers.

There are 2 branches in the ESL world I still think might be profitable in the future.
Kindergarten and early Elementary.
Specialized ESL (Essay writing, SAT,...)

[poetryfoot]

This is all very interesting and helpful, thanks so much. So, the depreciation of the won, the flood of economic refugees, the rise of Korean prices and other things have all contributed to a tighter job market? It's good news that there are still some jobs out there for some of us still hoping to come to South Korea soon....It's amazing how a few years can make a big difference...I wonder what the job market will be like in 5 years?

[Seoulman69]

I think it has become a lot more difficult to get a job in Korea. More people are applying so employers are able to demand tesol certificate, CELTA, or Master's degrees depending on the position.
The wages haven't risen at the same rate as inflation so your money doesn't go as far any more.
If your heart is set on Korea then come on over, but if you are looking to make good money there are other countries which may offer better rewards.

[meangradin]

[edwardcatflap]

[SeoulNate]

[drcrazy]

How much has the job market been influenced by recession?

Well, it used to be that kids would have recessions and play. And then after their recession was over, it was back to class and time to work. In universities, of course they did not have any recessions, but if a class was very long, there would be a break time. Then after break it was back to class and time to work. Thus, recessions did not have a negative influence on anything. As a matter of fact, after the kids came back from their recession or the university students came back from break, they would be all set to get back to work. But now with cell phones, it can be very difficult to get students to participate in class because they play with their phones. Thus, there has been a great negative influence due to cell phones and NOT recessions. In any event, we just need to take up the challenge to do what it takes to get them to work in class and not play with their cell phones.

[meangradin]

[Weigookin74]

[Weigookin74]

[Weigookin74]

[World Traveler]