Korean Job Discussion Forums

[TECO]

Anyone currently teaching in the English program at Ewha and who can shed some light what it's like to work there?

Salary?
Resources, office space, computers, etc.?
Vacation time?
Morale and Admin support?
Housing allowance?
Caps on contract renewals?

Another school that states winter / summer camp is mandatory, I see.

An advert. for teachers has been posted at on the job list but they aren't very specific about some of the above info.

Re housing, the advert states that- "No Housing Provided" but are they giving their teachers a subsidy / allowance like, for example, Hongik Univ.?

[PRagic]

I have a couple of good friends working there. Here's what I know:

Salary? Around 3.3 million/month

Resources, office space, computers, etc.? Office shared with one or two others. One computer. Resourses abound, but most of the people teaching there have buckets of experience and their own materials.

Vacation time? Summers and winters off, but some teaching required.

Morale and Admin support? A lot of admin b.s. From what I've heard, the foreign teachers don't interact very much.

Housing allowance? None, and no housing provided.

Caps on contract renewals? They have to jump through hoops to get rehired annually. Classes taped and critiqued, all student feedback examined...again, lots of admin b.s. Don't think they impose the 3 year cap, but they can use that as an excuse to get rid of you if you're not jiving.

All-in-all, they have some top-notch teachers, but all the ones I know there moved there because a) their last job imposed a 3 year cap and they had to move, or b) their last job 'restructured', and employment conditions went south fast. For whatever reason, they had to move, and Ewha pays at the top end of the scale and only has a 4 class load. For the record, none of my friends there is really happy about their job; it's a job, though.

IMHO, it's one of the better ESL university teaching jobs out there.

[TECO]

Being watched (recorded) all the time, summer / winter camps, not getting my own computer and office space, and no guaranteed contract renewals would be a deal breaker for me.

This is why I got out of the eikaiwa business because they constantly watched us by observing, tape recording and listening to our lessons. Constantly surveying students about whether they liked the teacher or if the lesson was okay.

As I get older and more experienced, I'd rather have a lower salary with greater autonomy in how I do my job than a higher salary at a place with tons of admin. b.s. and the looming threat of not getting renewed for whatever reason.

The university EFL contracts in Korea sure have gone to sh*t by the sounds of it. I'm getting the feeling that that's all Dave's Cafe has to offer these days.

Maybe time to start focusing more on what I see coming up in the Chronicle or the Linguist.

Thanks for the info.

[indytrucks]

[bassexpander]

Jezze guys, other things aside -- if you can't feel confident enough in your teaching to have a camera on you for just 12 freakin' class hours per week, then I'm sorry --

you suck.

That's an average of 2 + some odd percent of hours teaching per day. And I'll bet you one or more of those classes are repeats of the same thing.

I bet, if you thought about it, it really wouldn't be all that bad. I'm sure you're a great teacher, and it wouldn't be a problem after you got used to it.

Would I like a camera in class? I'd rather not have to deal with it, but overall, it doesn't sound too bad given the low teaching hours.

Evaluations? What's wrong with that -- so long as they are honest? Either you are good or your not.

That pay isn't thrilling to me, given no housing, but being a married guy, I'd consider it. That leaves a lot of time for privates (provided the office hours aren't an overload).

TECO, your right though... I don't appreciate being left to hang and wonder if I'll be renewed or not.

[PRagic]

Must have been something lost in translation. 1) They don't have ALL of their classes recorded. My understanding is that they have to have ONE recorded, which is used for their annual review. 2) They don't have to teach in both the winter and summer, and even when they do, it is not for over the entire break.

I don't have an ESL position, so I'm not sure what the university employment conditions are right now. I thought that 3.3 for 4 classes was at the top of the scale for MA holders in ESL positions. I know, for example, that SNU cut salaries down to 2.5.

Probably the most professional place to work, and again this is what I gather from my friends there, is Yonsei (NOT the institute, which has gone to hell in a handbag).

The upside to some of the better programs is that you work with professionals who are pretty serious about putting together and improving the program. Both Yonsei and Ewha weed out unmotivated teachers who just want to coast. In my experience, this makes for a better work environment for all involved.

A private computer at work? Nice, but it wouldn't have been a deal breaker for me. I always did my prep at home, anyway, and didn't care to hang out at the office. Private office? Again, nice, but more of a rarity unless there aren't many foreign teachers, or the school has a lot of space.

So what are the university jobs like now, then? From what I've gathered, SNU and Korea U. just aren't worth it. They're banking on their name value, which is attracting qualified applicants, but only over the short term; people want the name on their CVs, and then they want to move somewhere with more equitable employment conditions.

Ewha, Yonsei, and HongIk are the top 3, from what I've heard. There are also some slots (filled) at KonKuk for foreign teachers that rank up there. Everything else I've seen has been subpar.

If you know something, even if you don't want to give your school's name, enlighten us. Knowing the general employment conditions can benefit all qualified and experienced people in the hunt for better jobs.

[TECO]

40,000,000 won is the starting salary.

[Mudd]

I'll second everything that PRagic said! Glad someone on this board shares the straight up truth.

[cdninkorea]

Good dating opportunites for the guys?

Hey, when in Rome...