Korean Job Discussion Forums

mindmetoo · Joined: 02 Feb 2004

Wow, if we're to believe RR, every one in Korea, save for the lowly hagwon foreigner, makes 3 million won a month. He's told us many, many times even cab drivers make 2 million won a month. He never mentions hours they have to work (60+) or what Korean society expects them to spend their money on...

Comparing a foreign teacher hagwon salary to the salary of someone at a chaebol like Samsung is comparing apples and oranges. The chaebols take on the role of social safety net. Older employees are assumed to have a wife, kids, and a couple parents to take care of. There are medical and education expenses they have to pay that would traditionally be paid by the government in the west. Chaebols want to retain an employee for life and want him to give his life and his waking day to the company. Chaebol salaries, then, are structured to support this kind of life. Korean society would collapse if it were not the case.

Hagwons want a 24 year old foreigner to hang around for a couple years and then leave. They don't have children, wives, or parents to take care of. The pay is structured around that. "What will it take to lure a foreigner here, keep him relatively happy for a year or two?" Yes, some hagwon teachers try to make a go here on the salary and, well, that's their choice. But as a job at McDonald's isn't structured to support a person's home ownership ambitions, a hagwon job isn't structured to support someone's goal of building a family in Korea.

Real Reality · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Location: Seoul

mindmetoo,

What if the foreigner is married and has children? Do the employers consider this when hiring foreigners? In regards to the salary and benefits, does a Korean employer usually consider the professional experience of foreign educators? What about different positions from "DDD" workers to professional athletes?

Here is something.
Foreign hoopsters get a crucial assist
... The two foreign players per team must not exceed 398.78 cm, or about 13 feet, in combined height. There is also a salary cap of $280,000 that must be divided between the two players. Their Korean counterparts can earn considerably more; Mr. McHone says that star players make between $350,000 and $400,000. "We do the work," Mr. Lang says wryly, "but we're at the bottom of the totem pole."

But it's impossible to ignore the foreign presence on the court, especially on the scoreboard. Mr. Won, the Thunders' translator, says he believes the two Americans take 60 to 80 percent of the playing load during any given game.

But foreign players show little emotional investment in their teams. Their contracts are rarely renewed for a second season, and the coaches consider constant turnover good for the team. Each team is allowed two changes in their foreign roster per year, meaning both players could potentially be replaced mid-season. Teams frequently exercise that option in pursuit of better players.
by Chanel White and Kim Sun-jung, JoongAng Daily (February 14, 2005)
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/200502/13/200502132231128609900092309231.html

Today's bonus
For Housing Rentals, Foreigners Easy Victims
Foreign residents in Seoul are preferred over any Korean tenant by their landlords because they are paying several times as much as what Koreans are paying for their rent, realtors and industry sources say. For a 25-pyong (one pyong equals 3.3 square meters) apartment in Seoul, foreign residents are paying as much as two million won ($1,600) in monthly rent while the same apartment may go for only 500,000 won for Koreans.
By Byun Duk-kun, Korea Times (August 28, 2003)
http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/nation/200308/kt2003082818233111970.htm

peppergirl · Joined: 07 Dec 2003

Real Reality · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Location: Seoul

peppergirl,

What if the foreigner is married and has children? Do the employers consider this when hiring foreigners? In regards to the salary and benefits, does a Korean employer usually consider the professional experience of foreign educators? What about different positions from "DDD" workers to professional athletes?

Foreign hoopsters get a crucial assist
... The two foreign players per team must not exceed 398.78 cm, or about 13 feet, in combined height. There is also a salary cap of $280,000 that must be divided between the two players. Their Korean counterparts can earn considerably more; Mr. McHone says that star players make between $350,000 and $400,000. "We do the work," Mr. Lang says wryly, "but we're at the bottom of the totem pole."

But it's impossible to ignore the foreign presence on the court, especially on the scoreboard. Mr. Won, the Thunders' translator, says he believes the two Americans take 60 to 80 percent of the playing load during any given game.

But foreign players show little emotional investment in their teams. Their contracts are rarely renewed for a second season, and the coaches consider constant turnover good for the team. Each team is allowed two changes in their foreign roster per year, meaning both players could potentially be replaced mid-season. Teams frequently exercise that option in pursuit of better players.
by Chanel White and Kim Sun-jung, JoongAng Daily (February 14, 2005)
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/200502/13/200502132231128609900092309231.html

pdxsteve · Joined: 29 Sep 2004 Location: Bundang

RR, shaddap already.

Why don't you actually form an opinion of your own, rather than pestering and pestering with questions? Can you actually present an opinion without including your "articles"?

Zyzyfer · Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2005 8:22 pm Post subject:

Real Reality is just playing his gimmick. Kind of pointless to give the chap a hard time. Sometimes it's actually amusing.

The Chica has been working for a chaebol for several years now, I think like 5 at this stage or something. She's just now getting to slightly higher pay than myself. The company, however, does have a lot of odd benefits. Once, a certain department did extremely well for the year and each employee got a 10 million won bonus. She got 1 million, different department. Very cheap education classes are also available at the company, such as jazz dance, piano, English, Japanese, other stuff I'm sure. Other benefits like getting into places owned by the company cheaper and such, and you can get discounts on products made by your department, but since she doesn't manufacture cars, she can't get a car from the company cheaper. Lots of benefits, but very picky. Management doesn't like you taking daily education classes when you should be in the office slaving over paperwork or something.

As far as retaining employees, I've heard differently from what was quoted by someone, though it pertains to women. Once you start creeping up in years, you run a higher risk of being let go, and this is one of the big, stable companies we're talking about here.

Swiss James · Joined: 26 Nov 2003 Location: Shanghai

the guys in my company don't get nearly enough cash for the amount of crap they have to put up with, and yet they still won't let me pay for dinner.

mindmetoo · Joined: 02 Feb 2004

verschiedenes · Joined: 27 Dec 2004 Location: Korea

One of my friends works for a larger company (not Samsung or LG (or whatever it's called now)), and makes around 30 mil. won/year. He's fresh out of university.
Another one works for a medium-sized company, makes around 25 mil. won/year. Plus bonuses. Also fresh out of university.
Both of them speak fluent English, got 900+ on their TOEIC tests.
And of course they are working at least 10 hours a day.

When I say "working" I mean sitting in the office, pretending to work, having coffee, chatting with their co-workers a good portion of the time. Nobody cares if they're actually getting any work done. Koreans just like to say how diligent they are.

It's basically the same as in high school: extremely long hours, but most of the time they're just sleeping or reading comic books. It's all about how it looks to people on the outside.

I suspect as they get older many man stay at work long hours to avoid their wives and children.

I don't know... do they include dinner/hof/norebang time when they're talking about their working hours?

chiaa · Joined: 23 Aug 2003

Here is a neat little fact that fits into this thread.

A friend just graduated with her MA and got a job in her field. Until her paperwork is done (dont know if it is company or government paperwork) she gets paid a "part timers salary", which is about half of what her normal pay will be.

She got hers done in three weeks, but there was another person at the company that it took three months!

TheMrCul · Joined: 09 May 2003 Location: Korea, finally...