Korean Job Discussion Forums

[robot]

Quiz: HOW MUCH CAN I EXPECT FROM MY SCHOOL?

This is a highly unscientific chart which may or may not help you figure out how much you should be making. It does not take into account money from privates or any outside work, just your salary from a full-time position at an institution. Figures given reflect a gross monthly wage.

EDUCATION

1. What degree do you hold?
a) B.A.: 2.0 million won
b) B.Ed.: 2.2 million won
c) M.A.: 2.3 million won
d) M.Ed.: 2.4 million won
e) J.D: 2.7 million won
f) Ph.D: 3.0+ million won
g) Nothing: multiply the total score of this test by zero

2. What school did you graduate from?
a) Some sketchy online joint with a dubious degree: subtract 200,000 won
b) Just a regular university: add nothing
c) An Ivy League university: add 1,000,000 and your smiling mug to all the school�s flyers

3. Do you have TEFL certification?
a) Yes: add 100,000 won, or 200,000 won for a public school gig
b) No: subtract hundreds of job opportunities unless you have other credentials

EXPERIENCE
*This section assumes you are currently unemployed and seeking a job. If you are employed at present, answer based on your experience before you started this position. Experience since then is accounted for in the next section.

4. How much teaching experience do you have?
a) Over 5 years: add 300,000 won
b) 2-4 years: add 200,000 won
c) Less than a year: add 100,000 won
d) None, but held other positions of responsibility involving skills that prepare one well for a teaching position: add 100,000 won
e) None: add nothing

5. Does this include any experience in Korea?
a) Yes: add nothing
b) No, but experience in another foreign country: add nothing
c) No: subtract 100,000 won

6. Do you have any additional related experience (in addition to that stated in question 4d) that directly applies to your prospective job in Korea (business, journalism, training, marketing, etc.)
a) Yes: add 100,000 won
b) No: add nothing

7. Are you published in a field related to your prospective position?
a) Yes: add 200,000 won
b) Yes, and it�s a bestseller: add 500,000 won
c) Yes, well-received academic research: add 500,000 won
d) No: add nothing

VETERAN EMPLOYEES

8. How long have you been at your hagwon?
a) 0 years � add nothing
b) 1 year � add 100,000 won
c) 2 years � add 200,000 won
d) 3 years � add 300,000 won
e) Etc.

9. Those in a private institution: are you making your boss extra money by directly and noticeably increasing student enrollment, through either excellent teaching or marketing efforts?
a) Yes: add 200,000 won
b) Yes, I�m a hagwon star with my own fanclub who can sell out classes in minutes: add 2,000,000 won+ or a percentage of enrollment fees
c) No: add nothing

PERSONAL

10. How old are you?
a) 18-21: subtract 200,000 won and substantial job opportunities
b) 22-45: add nothing
c) 45+: subtract 400,000 won and substantial job opportunities (unless you�re a university professor, in which case add nothing)
d) 60+: mandatory retirement. Multiply your total score by zero

11. What best describes your physical appearance?
a) Blond(e) hair, blue eyes, light skin, tall: add 100,000 won
b) Pretty average, dark hair, no one would do a double-take, for better or worse: add nothing
c) My inner beauty far outshines my outer: subtract 100,000 won
d) Dark skin color: regardless of beauty, due to racism subtract 200,000 won and many job opportunities

12. Now charming are you?
a) I�m an unpleasant lower-echelon creature, but my boss is hard up for warm bodies: subtract 100,000 won
b) Not extraordinarily: add nothing
c) I�m a beaming ray of sunshine: add 100,000 won
d) Extremely, and also very persuasive: add 200,000 won

13. How is your English?
a) Perfect, no accent recognizable to the interviewer: add nothing
b) Perfect, thick regional accent noticeable to the interviewer: subtract 200,000 won
c) I�m a near-fluent non-native English speaker: subtract 400,000 won
d) At a high ESL student level: subtract 600,000 won

14. How is your grammar and diction as reflected on your resume and cover letter?
a) Impeccable. Plus the visual design is striking: add 100,000 won
b) Not bad: add nothing
c) I didn�t know your supposed to check that. I must of forgot: subtract 200,000 won

15. What visa do you have?
a) E2 (for teaching foreign languages): add nothing
b) F2 or F5 (married to a Korean): add 100,000 won for seeming committed to your prospective boss
c) F4 (for overseas Koreans): subtract 300,000 won and many job opportunities.

16. Do you require an apartment?
a) Yes: add nothing
b) No: add 300,000 to 400,000 won

DETAILS OF YOUR (PROSPECTIVE) POSITION

17. How long did you spend doing research for your job?
a) A day or so; sent a couple of emails: subtract 200,000 won
b) A couple of days: subtract 100,000 won
c) Over a week, involving lots of cold-calling: add nothing
d) Months, numerous comparative interviews, then flew over and hit the streets: add 200,000 won

18. What kind of position are you working at/applying for?
a) An average hagwon: add nothing
b) An average public school or respectable private school: add vacation time
c) A unigwon (English center run by a university): add vacation time, subtract �university instructor� from your resume
d) A good university: add 300,000 won, lots of vacation

19. Further to the last question, if your position:
a) involves intensive kindergarten classes: add up to 300,000 won depending on the job; also add oodles of stress
b) is specialized (test prep, corporate clients, etc): add 500,000 won, possible split shifts
c) is at a fly-by-night institution: subtract 500,000 won in lost/stolen/unpaid salary

20. Are you working in an area with few foreigners?
a) Yes: add 200,000 won
b) No: add nothing

21. Are you being brought on board to perform a role in addition to teaching?
a) Yes, marketing: add 200,000 won or a certain percentage
b) Yes, a supervisory position: add 200,000 won
c) Yes, contracted also to pioneer a new course or develop materials: add 100,000 won
d) No: add nothing
e) No, but I have to make my own lesson plans: add nothing, join the club

ONE MORE IMPORTANT FACTOR

22. Are you lucky?
a) Write down the numbers 1 to 100 on small sheets of paper. Place them into a bag. Without looking, pull out a number. If you select the number 42, you may roll one die and add the number that lands (times 100,000) to your final sum.

Now add it all up!

TOTAL SALARY DESERVED: _____________ won/month

ROBT.
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DISCLAIMER: Of couse, this limited test cannot determine with any accuracy what one will receive, for finding a good teacher involves the consideration of many intangibles. It merely represents the typical impact of hiring-board considerations on one�s salary, and is perhaps more accurate in part rather than as a whole. I dunno.

FURTHER COMMENTS: Feel free to change this quiz. Doesn�t work 100%, but my score is about right. The average person with a B.A. and no substantial experience would start out around 2 million won. A certified teacher with a year�s experience could pull in around 2.5, depending on personal characteristics. At extremes, a charming hagwon star who sells his classes might make upwards of 5 million won, whereas mean, ugly, poorly educated non-native English speakers with no experience would draw the measliest sums.

[ontheway]

It works.

[VanIslander]

[Aussiekimchi]

pretty much spot on in the perfect world with reasonable people in charge of hiring.
kinda bizarre how close it works out to be.
this should be sent out as a mandate for all hiring bodies.
OP: Well done...but you have too much spare time on your hands mate...get a hobby

[Paddycakes]

If I were to go back into ESL, instead of being paid, I'd have to pay the hagwan each month...

[PRagic]

To the best of my knowledge, the scale doesn't work for Ph.D. holders. If anyone out there with a Ph.D. is making a base of 4.0 million PLUS more for experience, kindly let me know!! Most of the places I have checked with pay 3.0-3.3 million, and that includes figuring in experience.

I'd love to hear of a rumuneration success story.

[flotsam]

How do you factor in jobs at crazy-ass test-prep schools with loads and loads of overtime hours for feeding little Ivy-wild-eyed Minsu and his mom?

Be them suckas bust your little rubric up.

And, are you planning on preparing a second scheme for potential hourly/monthly tuition for private lessons? I imagine the gullibility/desperation variables for the customer would make the task rather daunting...

[robot]

dudes--

thx for the input. i have edited accordingly.

[flotsam]

[robot]

i rolled the die and got "42".

ROBT.

[Homer]

Well theory rarely survives contact with reality....

[logan2003]

Change number 11. I never earned 200k below average, I was either on par (for 1 year), Then after that always well above average. Also others of a darker skin color I have met DO NOT get paid less. Usually it is on par with everyone else.