Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Weigookin74]

Salaries in Korea including engineers.

http://www.asiaoptions.org/korean-company-salary-structure-and-average-wages/

[Hatcher]

for undergrad Engineers ok
PhDs with 5 SCI pubs?

[JohnML]

The problem with this is that PhDs aren't as valued as some people think, research/academic positions are paid about half that of an industry wage or less. I know more than one PhD engineer in the $3000-$3500/month range in LONDON ($3.5k, a city where the average exceeds $2000 a month, these people essentially rent rooms.

I lived with a chemical engineer once who was in the same situation. These people were much older than me but earned less because of their situation. Universities don't pay as much as private companies and much like the fact you need a PhD to find a university/research job, you need industry experience to find a good job outside of an academic world.

A PhD nets you entry level positions outside of academic positions (we hired one on an wage a tiny amount north of an undergrad) and I work with a lot of PhDs who only did it because they enjoyed it, it didn't net them any gain in salary. To get high paid as an engineer you need to have project experience and big project experience at that, there are plenty of poor paid engineering jobs and usually those with no experience sit in those.

There are of course exceptions but if you want to see the truth of the matter, do a search for a research/professor of engineering, then do a salary check against someone of similar experience (include the half a decade it takes to do the PhD) in the private sector. There is a massive difference. Basically this job isn't that bad and someone will take it eventually.

[tophatcat]

[tophatcat]

[drcrazy]

Just like MATESOL'S are a won a dozen, PhD's are a dime a dozen.

[Hatcher]

I think we watch this position.

5 SCI pubs are not a dime a dozen.

And there are at least 6 other unis looking for PhDs in Engineering as well.

And they pay better.

[Yaya]

Just know the Korean job market is going to s--t! You should see the job ads for gov't positions that aren't protected well; they want buckshot credentials for 1.5 mln-2.5 mln won a month, and oftentimes, the job is located in the sticks given the gov't campaign to move ministries and offices out of the Seoul area.

And quite frankly, expat staff who do get paid well are all down on Korea and such. That's something to ponder.

[JohnML]

[World Traveler]

[JohnML]

[Gatorwild]

One thing that is being overlooked is the payment to publish. For example, HUFS has a tiered system of payment according to the type of journal, the ranking of the journal, and the number of times you publish a year. Depending on a multitude of factors, one published paper could make 6-20 million Won. The next paper can be earn you between 6-17 million Won. This keeps going and going. Here is a link to the amount paid for published research: http://builder.hufs.ac.kr/user/indexSub.action?codyMenuSeq=40549408&siteId=iucf3&menuType=T&uId=3&sortChar=AHAH&menuFrame=left&linkUrl=2_10-8.html&mainFrame=right

I'm currently finishing my PhD courses here in America and will return to Korea this August. My major professors and advisor publish between 5-9 papers a year, but don't receive a dime for any of them. Starting out as an assistant professor in America, your salary could be 45-65K a year depending on the school. Research 1 schools are high pressure situations where it is publish or perish, and recently, grants are starting to become a factor also.

Taking all of this into account, if you take a position in Korea for 3 million Won, and if are at HUFS and publish at the lowest level for international journals a minimum of 5 times a year, then you will make an extra 30 million a year. But let's say you publish two at the highest level and four at the lowest level- that will earn you an extra 61 million a year. With the lowest base salary of 36 million a year at HUFS, I don't think it is too bad.

So yes, the base salary sucks, but there are huge incentives in Korea to publish. If you have a PhD and you are seriously wanting to be a researcher, Korea can be a great place. If you are wanting to be teacher, then Korea might not be too good of a deal because the money is in publishing.

Couple other things to note. The incentives for publishing change from university to university in Korea. I've heard of a Korean professor being paid 50 million Won for a journal article. In Korea, you are given 5 months paid vacations in most cases. In America, your salary is normally 9 months and you need to teach or have grants to pay you for the summer months (unless you spread your salary out over 12 months which some places allow).

So many people say it doesn't pay to have a PhD in Korea, but it really depends on your career goals. If you will publish like you would in an academic position in your home country, the PhD is money and time well spent. If you are just going to teach, well, stick with your MA.

[TheMeerkatLover]

[JohnML]

[tophatcat]