Korean Job Discussion Forums

myenglishisno · Joined: 08 Mar 2011 Location: Geumchon

Hey guys.

I know this is possible as we've all met people who have done it. I'm starting my distance MA in January and would like to stay in Korea, however teaching 30 hours a week at my current hagwon isn't something I could maintain while sinking 20+ hours into a distance MA, especially taking into account the amount of stress that comes from a hagwon job.

So I'm looking at college/university positions. Since my MA is going to be TESOL related (Applied Linguistics with a TESOL component), I also want to be able to take what I've learned and apply it to my class/students.

Does anyone have any advice for securing a college position? I'm really not that picky. The main object is to reduce my teaching hours so I can work on my MA and work in an environment where there is some overlap between my job and my studies. Many English teaching environments would provide this overlap however, given that public schools in Gyeonggi-do aren't hiring anymore I think that college/uni jobs will be the only jobs with a sizable amount of free time.

As far as the college itself is concerned, not having an MA puts me at a disadvantage and I accept that. My only requirement is that the college is within train-range of Seoul. Aside from that, I have no preferences as I'd just be lucky to get the position.

Any help is appreciated!

Modernist · Joined: 23 Mar 2011 Location: The 90s

Always thought that for any Uni position 'within a train ride of Seoul' you would really need to HAVE an MA or MS or M-something already...isn't there kind of a glut of those qualified people looking at Uni slots everywhere now?

Don't think there's an easier way EXCEPT the infamous 'know someone who knows someone' deal where they whisper in the right ear...

myenglishisno · Joined: 08 Mar 2011 Location: Geumchon

To be honest, a college is the goal but I'd settle for an after school programme or just anything with a reasonable amount of hours. Right now the hagwon has me set at 30 hours per week and it's far too much, to be honest.

A college/uni is my first choice but I will settle for something that is just far less hours. Normally I would just go with a public school but those have vanished.

zappadelta · Joined: 31 Aug 2004

I would go for a regular public school job if I were you. In most of those jobs, you teach from 9am to 12 then have free time after lunch to do what you want (except go home). Thats where I worked when I started my masters.

kimchijigijig · Joined: 27 Jun 2011

try the country universities, you will have a chance getting a position there with a BA. If you only want to work in Seoul (major city) don't like your chances even with contacts. I have contacts at many different universities in Seoul while I was doing my MA and had nearly finished it but even with those contacts I couldn't get in.

Give you an example of applicants for university positions: 200 applicants for one just recently many MA holders and PHD holders

After school gig should be your first option not university, and then public school

World Traveler · Joined: 29 May 2009

Unposter · Joined: 04 Jun 2006

I would say competition for university positions have increased dramatically but I don't think it is all the state of the economy in the West. A lot of the applicants I've seen are people who have come to Korea worked for a couple years, liked it, and then decided to start an MA TESOL or Applied Linguisitics from one of the ubiquitous on-line programs because they wanted a university position just like the OP.

I wouldn't be surprised if there were thousands, maybe even ten thousand of these people out there now.

My advice to the OP would be to apply to a number of positions in Kyunngi-do or even out to Chuncheon (?) or some other place near the end of the subway line.

I think unless you are very energetic teacher or have some other quality a university is looking for, it is nearly impossible to get a uni position in the Seoul area without an MA, extensive university level experience and/ or strong connections.

I would try the countryside.

Good luck!

Carbon · Joined: 28 Jan 2011

cdninkorea · Joined: 27 Jan 2006 Location: Seoul

Try one of the so-called "unigwons" (private language institutes at a university). There are a lot of them: Korea, Seoul Nat'., Sookmyung, HUFS, Seoul Women's, Yeonsei, etc. Most, if not all, advertise on this site's job board. Keep an eye out or contact them directly (a Google search and cold calling might yield some results).

litebear · Joined: 12 Sep 2009 Location: Holland

whiteshoes · Joined: 14 Apr 2009

I did a public school for the first half of my MA, then when I had a chance to interview I did pretty well because of the knowledge I'd gained in my MA program. I'm typing this from my office at a uni in Seoul. Know your stuff, and you will get a job.

*edited for clarity*

kimchijigijig · Joined: 27 Jun 2011

DaHu · Joined: 09 Feb 2011

If I KNEW people who had done this (as the OP has), I would ask them.

whiteshoes · Joined: 14 Apr 2009

Unposter · Joined: 04 Jun 2006

Last year, we had people with MAs and Ph.D.s in hand, who had been working at public schools, lookign for a uni position. Did they really have those degrees? Well, at least, they claimed they did.

We had a couple of hundred applications. 99% either had an MA in hand or were in the process of working on one.

I would say there is at least a thousand people working on an MA and I wouldn't be surprised if there were 10,000. Would you be surprised if 1/5 of all people teaching in Korea were at least working on an MA?