Korean Job Discussion Forums

Saturn Ring · Joined: 28 May 2009

It appears High School salaries are about 2.2 million Wan + 20% for holidays and rtn airfare. Then there is free rent/furniture.

Does working for a private school like say the Korean equivalent of Berlitz (in Tokyo) or other schools child, or adult teaching even come close to the above package? About how much can one expect to earn from say 20 - 24 contact hours/week doing this work and what kind of chunk is left after paying for accomodation, which I assume you are up for if you are not with a High School? Rough figures will help.

Easter Clark · Joined: 18 Nov 2007 Location: Hiding from Yie Eun-woong

Short answer: You are going to take a pay cut if you teach adults. Unless you work like a dog. Then you can make some good money. But if money is your priority, kids are where it's at.

Saturn Ring · Joined: 28 May 2009

I dont mind teaching kids and I dont mind a pay cut, but what are we looking at if one teaches 22 hours a week for a month? 1 million a month, 2 mil 3 mil? And how much is a decemt small aprtment. In Tokyo it was half my wage.

Otherside · Joined: 06 Sep 2007

The problem with teaching adults is, there isn't much time in the day to teach adults, because they are at work. So almost any job where you'll teach adults exclusively will involve split shifts.

So you'll teach from (approx) 6/7am-9/10am and then again from 5/6/7pm till about 10pm.

The end result is that you'll have the same total amount of time at work each day as a hagwon (about 7hours) but it will feel like the whole day...and is VERY DRAINING.

Other than that, salaries are on a par with regular hagwon positions (2.1-2.4 pay band) and you'll get the rest of the hagwon benefits, housing, 10working days vacation, airfare etc.

Ukon · Joined: 29 Jan 2008

Saturn Ring · Joined: 28 May 2009

Have heaps of experience doing this kind of work in BKK and TKO. Are there reasonable gigs with reasonable pay with reasonable hours? Dont tell me they offer accomadation free too?

Please tell?

Yu_Bum_suk · Joined: 25 Dec 2004

lifeinkorea · Joined: 24 Jan 2009 Location: somewhere in China

It all works out to be about the same. Since you aren't allowed to work a second job, you are pretty much stationed to one school. Pay scales are already set in place, and the only wiggle room is if you are willing to put up with the crap a hagwon owner wants you to do. Instead of looking at it as how MUCH can you make, think of it as how much can you SAVE.

When I lived way way way out in the country, I didn't spend anything. There wasn't much variety. I worked at a hagwon which wasn't really busy, so I had some time to myself where there wasn't anything to do.

Then, I moved to Seoul and I spent a lot of money. I got the same type of job, but it wasn't exactly what I expected. The adult students in the country act differently than the adult students in the city and we just couldn't connect.

I am back out in the country, but at a public school. I am getting paid less, but I'm doing 1/3 the work the school wants me to do. I am allowed to have more control and teach what I want to teach. I also work with a co-teacher.

Don't just look at how much you can make, but look at how much you can save and what the job itself is like. If you get a good school where you have extra time, try to get a second location added so you can earn extra. I think that is a lot better than trying to put all your eggs into one basket with only 1 school.