Korean Job Discussion Forums

[tyroleanhat]

I wonder if someone has experience and can shed some light on this:

A full professor at a a renowned University in Seoul wants to bring me to Korea, hiring me as his teaching assistant (not in ESL).
As far as I understand, it would have to be as a part-time instructor/lecturer 시간 강사 .

- What is the salary for a Kangsa?
- What would be a good way to get a visa? (it seems this part-time positions don't provide a working visa)
- I guess I cannot expect any form of health insurance (let alone housing)?
And - aren't those Kangsa positions for Koreans-only?

I am trying to calculate in advance if its worth it. Since its a Top-University it can be a good stepping stone for my next job. But if I cannot survive financially its not worth it either.

[matthews_world]

You'd be working days.

Since your not married to a Korean, I'd find a nearby private academy where you could work in the evening to solidify your visa status. Your PT job would be primarily under the table anyway.

I'd say it's too late to think about working at his/her university. Perhaps they have some sort of academy for college students on campus.

Be careful when using recruiters. Use one or two good ones. If they find you've been repeatingly submitting a resume for the same job through different channels, they may not you seriously.

[tyroleanhat]

Thanks for the input. Could you clarify:

[Keeper]

What exactly is your goal or motivation for this position? Where is it a top university? Link please.

Is it so you can work in Korea? If yes, and it is not ESL work do you have a PhD or Masters? If yes then you should be able to get an E-1 provided you are teaching in a field which your Masters/PhD is in such as Physics. Otherwise, as was pointed out, you would be illegally working.

You would be living in fear of deportation. Not fun, think about it. You need an ARC card to: buy train tickets, get a housing contract, have a phone number, have a bank account. You get the idea. If the school will not sponsor you for a work visa then pass on the offer. Simple as that.

[Fallacy]

I know of a German citizen who did something similar. They were paid approximately KRW 600,000 won per month (no benefits) to teach 1 university course (not an EFL class) in a design department as a part-time instructor for 1 semester.

[PRagic]

Sounds fishy, or maybe you need more details. At the worst, that professor is sorely misinformed.

Teaching assistants in Korea come from the graduate student pool. I have a teaching assistant and a research assistant. Is this professor perhaps asking you to come over as a student and then work as a TA? That would make sense.

If you were to get a visiting lecturer position (시간 강사), you would be teaching ESL. Unless you have a Ph.D. you wouldn't qualify for a 시간 강사 position teaching content in any other field, especially if, as you say, that prof works at a top university. You would defintely not want to bother with a TA position, and more than likely, you wouldn't have the time to, anyway.

TAs handle ALL the class stuff here, from ording books, to student liason work, to taking attendance, to making sure PPT are loaded up and ready to go, to making all handouts. They also correct exams and, depending on the work, assignments.

If you have a D4 (kyopo) visa, you could possibly work as a TA and receive a stipend IF the professor has a grant and can write you in. That, however, would be odd, as normally the position would be that of an RA.

[tyroleanhat]

Thanks PRagic and Keeper.

I think I should clarify some things.

The (SKY University) professor trying to bring me isn't too much informed either yet, that's why I was hoping to get some info in advance here.

When I said teaching assistant i didn't mean what in the US typifies as such. I meant a part-time lecturer who would teach the professor's students, taking some burden off of him and getting the students to an even higher level (because now they have two teachers). This is very common in our field (music, not ESL) and we would unofficially call it "assistant".

On a side note, by then I will have an ABD PhD, but he said this is more or less irrelevant, since he is advocating me anyway.

Is there maybe any kind of loophole, maybe another type of visa which could work for a 시간 강사 ?

[PRagic]

Any teaching or instruction in virtually any dicipline outside of ESL will require degree in hand here. ABD won't cut it here The prof might be able to get you in an an F1 teaching visa, but it might be tough to justify bringing in and paying a foreign TA.

First off, the teaching visa is for full time work, not part time. Second, TAs don't normally teach here. But if you're ABD by then, I personally don't see why you'd bother. Knock out the degree and get hired would be my best advice.

[matthews_world]

Looks like it will depend on his school. If he's fronting his own salary then what would be problem.

An immigration official could show up at your school and make things difficult for you, possible deportation, if you come here on a tourist visa and teach in a classroom.

It's up to you.

Without a residence card for full-time contracted employees, life would be very difficult as stated above.

If I were the professor, if so allowed, I'd just run an ad for an F-2 already in the country who had the credentials.

[PRagic]

And, sorry, but take the burden off him? Seriously? SKY university profs only have a 2/2 load. Trust me, teaching is a pleasure, not a burden. The usual breakdown is 40/40/20: 40% teaching, 40% research productivity, and 20% service. As this prof is in the performing arts, performances and concerts would substitute for research and publications.

[Fallacy]

[tyroleanhat]

Not sure why the need for a sarcastic answer, but maybe here again I am not getting something. Remember English is not my first language and sometimes I might be slightly misunderstood for my wording, or I'm having trouble looking through things (f.e. visa procedures)

[tyroleanhat]

In my profession I cannot be too picky, because the available opportunities are probably 100 times smaller in number than in the ESL business. But working at a SKY uni, even only part-time, can be a real investment into my future chances, that's the prevalent notion I am hearing, but correct me if I am wrong.

Knocking out the PhD won't be much trouble, but it would delay my job start for one another year (and even then its uncertain if i will get a job immediately after.) That's why I am tempted to accept this offer to get the ball rolling, even if it means sacrifices at first.

Not interested in getting deported either, of course. That's why I'm trying to find a good way to get a legal visa. ("Main job")

[Fallacy]

[Fallacy]