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Axedall
Joined: 06 Nov 2008
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 Posted: Tue May 17, 2011 8:26 am Post subject: Salary changes in South Korea |
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I used to teach in Seoul 4 - 5 years ago and was wondering how the working environment for foreign teachers has changed since then, especially considering the huge drop in the value of the WON.
I started teaching science in a quasi-'international' school for 3.0/month but paid my own flight and housing, then moved to a 'consulting' place (cheating kids into US unis) at 4.0/month. I thought this was pretty decent given that posted salaries were in the 2.0 - 2.5 range at the time. You could also easily find work on the side as well. I ended up having a random girl come up to me on the street and ask me to do conversation lessons with her for 40k/h, which consisted of just hanging out in a cafe, and picked up a private group paying about 1.2/month among other odds and ends. It seemed like there were quite a few people making at least 5.0/month.
From what I've seen looking at posting lately though, it doesn't look like the posted salaries have changed at all and seems like regulations have gotten tighter. University jobs used to pay decent and give crazy paid vacations (almost half the year off), but I heard those contracts were changing. So how are things going over there these days? Is it still possible to pull in decent dough? |
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West Coast Tatterdemalion
Joined: 31 Aug 2010
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| Posted: Tue May 17, 2011 8:31 am Post subject: |
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| Bingo. Salaries are the same and the the paperwork for the E-2 visa is much more difficult. They're cocky because of the global downturn. |
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red_devil
Joined: 30 Jun 2008
Location: Korea
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| Posted: Tue May 17, 2011 10:06 am Post subject: |
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| Making 5Mil a month teaching English? ROFL. I've never met anyone making this kind of money. This beats most Korean salary workers... |
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loose_ends
Joined: 23 Jul 2007
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| Posted: Tue May 17, 2011 4:27 pm Post subject: |
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| red_devil wrote: |
| Making 5Mil a month teaching English? ROFL. I've never met anyone making this kind of money. This beats most Korean salary workers... |
I made between 5 and 6 million a month when I taught in Seoul. So did most of my friends. |
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chrisinkorea2011
Joined: 16 Jan 2011
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| Posted: Tue May 17, 2011 4:32 pm Post subject: |
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| loose_ends wrote: |
| red_devil wrote: |
| Making 5Mil a month teaching English? ROFL. I've never met anyone making this kind of money. This beats most Korean salary workers... |
I made between 5 and 6 million a month when I taught in Seoul. So did most of my friends. |
yeah were you solely just teaching at your job, or are we talking that you actually were teaching on the side as well. |
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Ramen
Joined: 15 Apr 2008
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| Posted: Tue May 17, 2011 7:12 pm Post subject: |
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| chrisinkorea2011 wrote: |
| loose_ends wrote: |
| red_devil wrote: |
| Making 5Mil a month teaching English? ROFL. I've never met anyone making this kind of money. This beats most Korean salary workers... |
I made between 5 and 6 million a month when I taught in Seoul. So did most of my friends. |
yeah were you solely just teaching at your job, or are we talking that you actually were teaching on the side as well. |
i'm making millions now.  |
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definitely maybe
Joined: 16 Feb 2008
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| Posted: Tue May 17, 2011 7:40 pm Post subject: |
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| red_devil wrote: |
| Making 5Mil a month teaching English? ROFL. I've never met anyone making this kind of money. This beats most Korean salary workers... |
You need to expand your circle. |
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thegadfly
Joined: 01 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Tue May 17, 2011 9:28 pm Post subject: |
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| red_devil wrote: |
| Making 5Mil a month teaching English? ROFL. I've never met anyone making this kind of money. This beats most Korean salary workers... |
Do you mean gross or net? Because yeah, NETTING 5 mill can be tough, legally and above board, but grossing it legally and above board? I'd say that is only like the upper 15%, maybe the upper 10%. Of course, you would need credentials, degrees, experience, and perhaps the proper contacts to land such gigs...but it definitely isn't a mythical figure. |
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Axedall
Joined: 06 Nov 2008
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| Posted: Tue May 17, 2011 10:09 pm Post subject: |
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| thegadfly wrote: |
| red_devil wrote: |
| Making 5Mil a month teaching English? ROFL. I've never met anyone making this kind of money. This beats most Korean salary workers... |
Do you mean gross or net? Because yeah, NETTING 5 mill can be tough, legally and above board, but grossing it legally and above board? I'd say that is only like the upper 15%, maybe the upper 10%. Of course, you would need credentials, degrees, experience, and perhaps the proper contacts to land such gigs...but it definitely isn't a mythical figure. |
Just to address a few things, of course I am including work outside your main contract (chrisinkorea2011). There are many ways to boost your salary outside of whatever hawgwon/school you are supposed to be tied down to supplies. What I am curious about is if this has become much harder due to political reasons, still completely feasible, or if the jobs just aren't even there anymore.
I was also referring to net income. I was making between 5 - 7ish net most of the time I was there and didn't have previous teaching experience. I also didn't have any connections per se and came by all my jobs randomly or through people I met once I was in Korea.
I actually didn't like living in SK much at all, but the one positive thing I found was that just keeping an eye out for opportunities could be profitable and rewarding. My 'extracurricular' jobs ranged from teaching 'executive' English sessions at nice hotels to leading in a television travel documentary for SK tourism and editing research papers for a major university. All with no previous experience and on the standard E2(?) visa. The good thing was that I could get some great experience in these areas to put on my resume and use elsewhere. There aren't many places I know where you can enter multiple fields like that with no experience and come out with an expanded resume. So is Korea still offering these kinds of opportunities? |
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jamal0000
Joined: 11 Dec 2010
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| Posted: Tue May 17, 2011 11:30 pm Post subject: |
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| It's illegal to teach or work anywhere but your main school on an E2, which is what foreign teachers come on. I don't know if it's enforced more or less, but you see a lot of talk about crackdowns on illegal tutors. Plus the process to get an E2 has become a lot more demanding in the past few years. Incidentally, more people are still coming. It's still a good place to work but not as juicy as you had it. Lots of demand for teachers still but the supply is increasing and the regulations are getting a lot tougher. |
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Koreadays
Joined: 20 May 2008
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| Posted: Wed May 18, 2011 1:27 am Post subject: |
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of course Illegal teaching you can make big money!
so is drug dealing.
it's illegal!
so now someone come forward with a 5 million won salary as an ESL teacher from a hakwon doing 30 hours a week..
anytime guys.. we will wait for you.. |
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red_devil
Joined: 30 Jun 2008
Location: Korea
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| Posted: Wed May 18, 2011 4:36 am Post subject: |
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| Koreadays wrote: |
of course Illegal teaching you can make big money!
so is drug dealing.
it's illegal!
so now someone come forward with a 5 million won salary as an ESL teacher from a hakwon doing 30 hours a week..
anytime guys.. we will wait for you.. |
That's what i was saying.
@definitely maybe: I should clarify. I've never met any ESL teachers making 5-6Mil a month teaching English (legally). I do of course know people with "real jobs" making this in companies like Samsung, LG, etc. In my "social circle" i have no ESL teachers. |
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thegadfly
Joined: 01 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Wed May 18, 2011 5:03 am Post subject: |
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| red_devil wrote: |
| Koreadays wrote: |
of course Illegal teaching you can make big money!
so is drug dealing.
it's illegal!
so now someone come forward with a 5 million won salary as an ESL teacher from a hakwon doing 30 hours a week..
anytime guys.. we will wait for you.. |
That's what i was saying.
@definitely maybe: I should clarify. I've never met any ESL teachers making 5-6Mil a month teaching English (legally). I do of course know people with "real jobs" making this in companies like Samsung, LG, etc. In my "social circle" i have no ESL teachers. |
The starting salary for my school is 3 million, and the base hours are 23 a week. A lot of hakwons ask teachers to work 120 hours a month or so. If one agreed to work that much overtime at this school, the month would be pretty close to 4 million, for 120 hours a month...of course, this is gross pay, so there are deductions (and taxes ramp up pretty quickly after 3.5 or so, though nowhere near US levels).
4 mill gross for 30 classes a week in the first year at the school doesn't put 5 mill gross that far out of reach...legally, above board, and at a single place of employment....
Of course, to clear 5 million a month, one must earn around 6 million gross, what with taxes, pension, and health coverage.... |
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Captain Corea
Joined: 28 Feb 2005
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Wed May 18, 2011 6:02 am Post subject: |
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| Axedall wrote: |
| My 'extracurricular' jobs ranged from teaching 'executive' English sessions at nice hotels to leading in a television travel documentary for SK tourism and editing research papers for a major university. All with no previous experience and on the standard E2(?) visa. The good thing was that I could get some great experience in these areas to put on my resume and use elsewhere. There aren't many places I know where you can enter multiple fields like that with no experience and come out with an expanded resume. So is Korea still offering these kinds of opportunities? |
So.. illegal work then, right? |
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definitely maybe
Joined: 16 Feb 2008
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| Posted: Wed May 18, 2011 7:03 am Post subject: |
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| red_devil wrote: |
| Koreadays wrote: |
of course Illegal teaching you can make big money!
so is drug dealing.
it's illegal!
so now someone come forward with a 5 million won salary as an ESL teacher from a hakwon doing 30 hours a week..
anytime guys.. we will wait for you.. |
That's what i was saying.
@definitely maybe: I should clarify. I've never met any ESL teachers making 5-6Mil a month teaching English (legally). I do of course know people with "real jobs" making this in companies like Samsung, LG, etc. In my "social circle" i have no ESL teachers. |
Fair point. To clarify, those who are clearing 5+ in the ESL industry above board are nearly always on an F visa of some sort. |
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