Korean Job Discussion Forums

[mj2315]

Hello, I am a recent Canadian M.A. graduate whom is contemplating english teaching in South Korea to pay off some debts.

However, i am really confused about the contract I should be looking for. From my primitive research it seems that Korean Universities are not necessarily the best situations for english teachers. Is this true? What is acceptable pay? Nothing below 2.5 million krw?
Any sort of help is muchly appreciated!

[wings]

A lot of people will tell you to accept nothing less than 2.5. But unless you have an MA and experience or an MA in ESL then I would say that your best bet would be a public school where you could make maybe 2.3.

[mj2315]

Thanks. I should have noted that my M.A. is in international relations not esl. Also while i have taught university students i have never engaged in esl. So i am a rookie.

[kiwiana]

How much university teaching experience do you have? A year? Two years?

I know for a fact that some universities will acknowledge the fact that you have teaching experience (even though it is not in EFL/ESL).

However, the problem is that it is very difficult to get hired for a university position if you do not interview in South Korea. University's hire for spring and fall semesters (March and August), although you need to apply 1-3 months in advance to be considered.

If you don't want to risk taking an interview at a university over here then I suggest you take a public school job and consider a uni job after a years experience. This way you will get your airfare paid for aswell.

If you're up for taking a chance to get a uni job for the upcoming fall semster then come over here. With some teaching experience and a few good references I'm sure you could get a second string uni job in a less major city that gives pretty good perks. And, even if you don't land a uni job, coming over here would work to your advantage as you wouldn't be going in blind to public school or institute position.

By the way, good uni positions rule. You work around 10 hours a week, at 2.5-3.0 mil clear per month and 5 months paid vacation. I wouldn't trade my uni job for anything back in the West.

[mj2315]

Good advice, thanks. I only have 1 year teaching experience at the post-secondary level.

[kiwiana]

You're welcome. There are three tiers of university positions in Korea.

1. Uni-hagwon (non-credit courses). E.g: beginner conversation.
2. Uni instructor (credit non-major courses). E.g: Freshman English
3. Uni professor (credit major courses in specific area): E.g: Marketing or English Literature.

Many uni-hagwon teachers just have BA's.

Most uni instructors have MA's (although many have BA's)

Most 'professors' have MA's (although some have focused BA's or PhD�s) and teach in Eng lit or Eng ed.

With an MA and 1 year teaching experience you could slot into a uni position in any smaller city without any problem. You would have to do some groundwork first though. You could have a go yourself but it would be far more effective to have a Korean speaker find out the exact department and person to send your resume to. Consider paying a contact to do this for you. Check out link below for list of uni's

http://www.answers.com/topic/list-of-colleges-and-universities-in-south-korea

If you were in the right place at the right time and interviewed really well you would have an outside chance to get a job in a major city, eg, Seoul.

In a lower tier uni expect to clear around 2.0 million won/month (starting) at 8-16 hours a week (be aware of overtime rates). In higher tier uni's you might add 30% to that figure. Generally time off in uni positions are pretty good ranging from 2.5 months to 5.0 months paid vacation.

I have taught at a uni in Daejeon and I now teach Seoul. Seoul has everything you could ask for at your fingertips. Smaller cities like Daejeon are slower and more relaxed.