Korean Job Discussion Forums

[taobenli]

Hi, all-

I'm a PhD student in the U.S. now, and I do research on East Asia and education. In the area where I live there are always Koreans looking for tutoring/conversation practice for themselves, and/or tutoring/homework help for their children. Last year I tutored sisters in junior high and high school in a nearby suburb, between 3-5 hours a week depending on how busy we all were. I had to drive about 20 minutes each way, and started out charging $20US an hour, but they raised my pay to $25/hr to cover gas (and I guess because they liked me, since I never asked for this raise). Later in the year I started conversation practice with business English students through a university program, and was paid $15 to do nothing but chat. Really easy money.

Now I tutor one MBA student I met through one of the business English students, and charge $15/hr, since I don't have to prepare anything. I also tutor his wife, and since I drive about 20 minutes to their house charge $20/hr when I teach her. Now I am starting to tutor some Korean elementary school kids one on one, and since it'll mostly be homework help and work from a textbook I select, shouldn't be too hard. I've asked for $20/hr (I have to drive to this place, too, but it's only about a 5 minute drive). They seem fine paying that much, twice a week, and I know people pay up to 50,000 won an hour in Korea, but....

Am I charging too much (in US terms)? I do have a lot of tutoring and teaching experience and consider myself a good and patient teacher, but don't have any TESL certificate or anything. I can speak enough Korean to put the families at ease, and they seem to like that, too. And since I'm surviving on a graduate stipend now, the money helps. But does it seem reasonable?

Some of the parents I talked to in Korea REALLY paid too much for education...

[jinju]

UP TO 50,000?

50,000 is the minimum.

[bellum99]

nope....take the money and smile. If you have en ethical problem ( ) taking the money, then send it to me...

[Ya-ta Boy]

[Intrepid]

You are not ripping them off, far from it. Qualified tutors in the US also make good money. I had a similar problem when I moved from Korea to the US and was swamped with Korean kids in my (US) neighborhood. I asked my aunt, who taught first grade for many years, how much she charges for one-on-one reading tutoring: $75/hour. I just kept my Korea-side rate in the US.

[riley]

If you're feeling guilty, just make sure that your work is comparable to the price you're getting. Do your best and hopefully that will make you feel better.

[Horangi Munshin]

[ilovebdt]

[Yesanman]

I sure hope 50,000 is the minimum in Seoul nowadays.
I was making 40,000 nine years ago when I arrived in Korea.
Don't do privates any more but assume the rate must have gone up.

[Pak Yu Man]

50 min in Korea. The guy said he was in the US. I wonder where they will find another white guy to tutor them in the US?

Supply and demand.

[matthews_world]

It wouldn't hurt to up the ante. Depends on how often you see the students. My last hagwon in Daegu charged 80,000 per month for classroom instruction w/ a native in a class of around max. 15 students. Go on up from there depending on the school and location.

Also, recruiters offering private work here pay teachers here anywhere from say 25-40,000 per hour, maybe more. These are usually small group company employees seeking extra help.

Native teachers who do it on their own will charger obviously more, depending on who, where, and how many they teach at one time. In Seoul, it's not uncommon to be offered more than 50,000 per hour for a private.

Hours of instruction vary from student to student.

You're probably getting shafted but look at the freedom you have and then take into consideration the socio-economic positions of the students you teach. Are they company employees, school students, housewives etc? I, personally, would charge properly depending on each case.

[Horangi Munshin]

[Juregen]

[ChopChaeJoe]

When it comes to non-essential services, whatever the market will bear seems ethical. If you can get more, then charge more.

[Grotto]

Minimum is about 30,000 won an hour.....with no travel(feel free to charge less)

50,000 won if there is more than one student and then I would adjust if there was any travel time/expense involved.