Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Keepongoing]

my university told me I could stay for 15 years

[Intrepid]

I think the law is that after the three years the university must "upgrade" you. If dismissal were the actual law all universities would be implementing it.
I was at Konkuk University in Seoul and saw the clause in the contract I signed in 11.2003. I was told by the English department that it wouldn't be applied; later, they told me it would be applied and I left (the fact that student evaluations were the only other lever of hiring control did contribute to my decision, as it's hard to give a "B" when someone turns in a plagiarized paper; not giving that "B," of course, makes one wildly unpopular and subject to low evals).
It was a great job--I wish I hadn't felt compelled to leave.

[Real Reality]

OFFER OF EMPLOYMENT
Period of Contract: One (1) year, with the possibility of renewal(s) three times at the end of the contract.
Basic Salary: 1,941,600 won per month excluding overtime payment
General class time is from Monday to Friday.
15 class hours per week during the 16-week regular semesters
Total 60 hours during summer and winter session respectively.
From the Job board
http://www.eslcafe.com/jobs/korea/index.cgi?read=16212

[slothrop]

edit

[JacktheCat]

Is it just me, or are the working conditions at the former "safe bet", good places to work in Korea, like universities and public schools, been going down hill fast in the last few years?

Shorter vacations, stagnant pay-scales, lower raises, etc. And now this.

Korea is fast becoming a less attractive place to teach English.

[Paji eh Wong]

[coolsage]

My uni offers three years, with the possibility of another three years, provided all parties agree. ( I assume that the second three-year-deal brings one back to square one, with no additional benefits.) This place is notoriously cheap; they won't even pay for the visa run.

[prosodic]

[Hanson]

[ajuma]

I spoke with my director about the new 3-year "law" and he said that until they get an official mandate from the government, things will remain the same. People pretty much stay as long as they want...I've been here for 5 years and of all the teachers who have come and gone only 2 left because the school didn't renew their contract. BTW, I work at a private uni in the middle of no-where. I checked my contract, and I was actually hired by the university president, NOT the university...perhaps this is a way around the law!

[different]

Why would the governement make the 3-year rule a law? How is that for the good of Korean society?

Also, the quote from the EFL Law guy (in crazylemongirl's post) says that the government is thinking of making it harder to get an E-2, perhaps by requiring higher degrees and Korean language tests. That would reduce the number of foreign teachers here at least 80% and couldn't be good for the English ability of Korea. The gain in teacher quality wouldn't be worth the loss in quantity.

[ajuma]

[different]

I thought people here were saying that the government might require universities to limit a foreign instructor's time to 3 years (that's what I meant when I said "3-year rule"). Is that the case?

Actually I'm more concerned about laws making an E-2 more difficult to get. Does anyone have any specific information about that?

[lastat06513]

[Pyongshin Sangja]