Korean Job Discussion Forums

[chaseh]

I've read much on these forms and it's all very useful, but I would like user-opinions. Also I tried to post this in the FAQ but got the message "sorry, only moderators can post in this forum".

So...

My wife and I want to start teaching summer of 2010, but I'm wondering if my wife(Korean) would be able to get a job, because I read about a lot of gyopos having a hard time with it.

My wife was born in Korea, but moved to Philly at 2 years old and has lived in the US ever since (attending all the regular US schools.) By next summer she'll have a Poli Sci degree and TESOL cert.

I am caucasion.

What are the chances that
first... that my wife could get a job?
second... we could both get a job at the same school?


Also, it sounds like most jobs start in September. For me to get back to the US in time for graduate school I would need to be back early August. Are there very many jobs that start and end in May, June, or July?


What I'm getting at is that I feel our situation has a lot of aspects that could make it rather difficult for us to get jobs... those aspects being...

-my wife is Korean (gyopo)
-we are looking for a 'couple-friendly' school
-we would like to start and finish in May-July
-we would like to be in Seoul


Thanks for any help, opinions, and advice

[Carla]

My friend is basically the same as your wife, educated in the US since he was a young child, but he has a Master's degree.

He came back to Korea a few months ago, and apllied for Gyopo jobs. Let me say, his Korean sucks. He can't say two words without someone asking where is he from. His English is better than most people I've met here. Anyway, every interview he had turned him down as soon as they realized he was a Korean citizen and not an F-4. He ended up just taking some "part-time jobs."

So, if your wife does find a job, it will be as a korean teacher and the pay will reflect that. Also, some schools don't like couples, some don't care.

Also, Seoul is probably pushing it. You might want to expand to the satellite cities unless there's family or something you want to be near.

Schools hire all year round, even the ones that hire in September have runners that they have to replace.

[chaseh]

Thanks for the info.

My wife isn't a Korean citizen, she is a U.S. citizen, so she would be getting an F-4 visa. She speaks conversational Korean, but isn't great. She speaks English as well as any American.

[Carla]

[frankly speaking]

People of Asian heritage often have difficulty getting jobs in Korea. However we do get jobs and some are very good. It will take you time to find a job that wants couples or has appropriate housing.

You might look into private hagwon jobs rather than public schools. The reason I suggest that is because the starting dates are open. Public schools typically hire 2 times a year, but Hagwons hire year round. Public schools cannot always guarantee positions for couples.

You both could always work at different schools and one get a housing allowance and the other take the apartment from the school.

Unless she has a Korean name and speaks Korean, I wouldn't worry about Gyopo positions. She will get hired as a native speaker with her US passport.

It is just that many schools look for caucasians first. Keep looking and you will eventually find something. But if you know that you cannot complete a contract because you want to go to grad school, then don't come.

No one wants to hire someone for 10 months. Besides, most Grad programs allow you to postpone and enter second semester. I started in Spring term for my masters and didn't have any problems. I also studied during summer break so that I could graduate with everyone else.

[chaseh]

Thanks for all the advice...

My wife's legal first name is Korean, but her last name is not since we've been married.

I wouldn't take a job if i knew I couldn't complete that. I fully intend to finish a contract if I sign up for one.

As for as graduate school, I'm doing architecture, and nearly all architecture programs are rather stringent and set in stone. That's why I'd rather get a job that would allow me to finish my contract before that semester would start.

I like the idea of us teaching at different schools and one of us taking an apartment, and the other taking a stipend. But would the school that pays for the apartment allow that? Do they ever check up on you in your apartment to make sure no one is free riding?

[Carla]

[Countrygirl]

My husband had a hard time finding a good job because he was only in Canada for 10 years and only has a 2 year college diploma. If he had a University degree, he would be treated like gold. Right now where he is, his boss, the kids and parents love him but everything could change in a heartbeat depending on the parents....this is all due to his college diploma. But he did have an easier time getting hired due to being married to a foreigner.

If your wife has a University degree and has an American citizenship and speaks some Korean, most hogwans will love to have you work with them because (1), the owners will be able to mostly speak Korean to your wife who will then translate to you and (2) she speaks perfect English. Also, married couples are more reliable and give the school a better image (in the mothers' eyes) compared to young graduates.

I don't think your wife being a Gyopo is a liability but rather, a bonus. Keep looking and you'll find the perfect place.

Like another poster said, it might be easier to find jobs just outside of Seoul due to the high number of teachers that were recently screwed by SMOE.