Korean Job Discussion Forums

chaz47 · Joined: 11 Sep 2003

So I have finally been offered a university gig, hopefully I'll be able to hold it come spring term with the new E-2 regulations.

What I'm really wondering though is what sort of opportunities can I expect for side work? Many have touted university work as a step up financially and professionally, so I wonder what form does this take?

My contract stipulates 18 hours a week for 1.8 million plus housing allowance. Which is average BA pay for a first year at a university right? There's no mention of overtime pay in the contract though.

I definitely know I am going to love the hell out of the two months of vacation a year even though the pay is a fair bit lower than I would've gotten from another EPIK contract.

Kenny Kimchee · Joined: 12 May 2003

chaz47 · Joined: 11 Sep 2003

^ I'm not sure yet. I dearly hope so. While I can survive on that and still save it isn't ideal.

SuperHero · Joined: 10 Dec 2003 Location: Superhero Hideout

Kenny Kimchee · Joined: 12 May 2003

chaz47 · Joined: 11 Sep 2003

ella · Joined: 17 Apr 2006

That seems to be the going rate for university jobs for the past year or so. No overtime rate in your contract is worrying, though. Be very careful about that.

oldfatfarang · Joined: 19 May 2005 Location: On the road to somewhere.

This seems A very low salary - even for a BA. Public school teachers make heaps more than that - and they don't always work their contract 22 hours (I teach 15).

And if you resign PS, you get extra fully paid flights/vacations (total vacation during the year = 21 + 10 bonus + 14 National + numerous other non-teaching days). These are 'working' days so, including weekends, PS holidays are much longer than this).

It looks like you're going to have to teach a heap of overtime to make a normal hagwon wage. Is it worth it - just to work at a university?

DCJames · Joined: 27 Jul 2006

That salary is very low.

TECO · Joined: 20 Jan 2003

1.8 million is crap pay.

I heard 2.9 million for B.A. holders at Hongik University in Seoul - but no housing.

Man, these offers are getting lower and lower every year! Shocked

I the lowest I've seen though were Busan National at 1.4 million a month and Jeonju University at 1.5 million a month. But they included free dorm-style housing.

aarontendo · Joined: 08 Feb 2006 Location: Daegu-ish

Eh do the year for experience and move on to bigger and better uni jobs right =)

bassexpander · Joined: 13 Sep 2007 Location: Someplace you'd rather be.

That pay rate is very low, actually.

Our uni was that way, until a few years ago when I came. I interviewed, and they stuck a contract with 1.9 on it in front of my nose. I politely refused, which shocked them. That's when I took out a piece of paper, drew a line down the middle, and showed them that my then high school job was paying me 2.3 plus housing, a bonus, and national pension (better). I then excused myself, bowed, and by the time I was 3 stations away, they'd upped the pay substantially.

We're now at 2.4 starting (for a BA) plus housing at 15 hours per week. Anything above that is OT, or OT+, depending on time of day.

Are you in Seoul or away from Seoul? Work there for a year if you have already signed, then try to get on at a better uni once you have some experience.

Oh, and I'll add this: The person doing the hiring at my uni promised me that I could do outside work. Two months later, I secured a PT elementary school job, and brought her the papers to sign so I could do it legally. She refused. I learned later that she had promised me more than the school was willing to deliver when I was considering signing or not, and that the school was expecting to add some hours to our schedule. In the end, it turned out to be a great thing for me, as they pay well for this hours. It turned out to be a positive thing.

My coworker, however, was on an F2, and he worked PT at another uni. They hated it, but couldn't tell him "NO" because the boss had agreed to it initially. He also had power to do what he wanted (unlike me) because he was on an F2, and I wasn't back then. Instead, they got even by not renewing him.

chaz47 · Joined: 11 Sep 2003

I'm in Busan and I think it all boils down to universities here thinking that Busan is some glamorous beach city and trying to sell it as such. I have lived in Busan long enough to see how dirty the beaches are... not a beautiful beach in the city proper... catch a cab and go out 10 to 20 minutes and it gets much better.

Anyway, I wanted to get away from the farce of the public school system and gain university experience. Barring the ridiculous implementation of the recent E-2 changes I'll do just that.

The university pay in Busan is equal to the pay in country cities like Gyeongju and Andong, although neither offer housing allowances last I checked.