Korean Job Discussion Forums

[TeflSearch]

Hello!

I would like to know what type of position, salary and benefits I might expect in South Korea with my experience and qualifications.
I have a Delta and 6 years� experience teaching a range of levels, ages (mostly teenagers and adults) and classes (Business, FCE, CAE, Ielts and General) in private language schools in the UK and Mexico. I am in the process of completing an MA in Applied Linguistics, final grade to be awarded in November.
Any advice would be much appreciated

[BigMikeAbroad]

You have a lot of qualifications and would have a lot of choices. Having a masters would give you a decent shot at teaching University level. University level doesn't always pay the best, but they do generally pay well and give more PTO. If you have sufficient proof of your years of teaching experience you could probably get around 2.5 for public schools. Hagwons are trickier, there may be one that would pay in the 3.0 range, but most are just looking for disposable fluent speakers, the owners wan't to keep cost low and profit high. Paying for teachers with your experience can hurt them there. Here is a link for public school pay scale.

http://www.footprintsrecruiting.com/money-and-banking-in-south-korea/777-korea-public-school-salaries

[ttompatz]

Truth be told your qualifications and experience are a disadvantage to you.

The vast majority of jobs that are advertised (here and elsewhere) are for entry level positions.

The better (pay and quality) jobs are found by word of mouth and connections within the country (it is more about who you know, who knows you and the type of work that you do).

You may have to bite the bullet, take an entry level job and network your way from there.

Entry level would give a salary in the range of 2.0-2.5 million krw plus airfare, furnished housing, basic medical (NHIC) and pension (NPS).

As a Brit the pension is a lost hole (under the treaty with the UK you cannot get a cash refund of the contributions) but the rest of the benefits add up to an overall remuneration package of 40-50 million krw per year (allows a decent lifestyle and SAVINGS of 7-8 thousand pounds per year).

As mentioned above, on completion of your MA, you could probably find a nice entry level uni level job. The pay rate per class hour is usually pretty decent but overall NET is usually low and they usually don't include benefits such as airfare, housing, settlement allowances, etc. Savings in the 3-5 thousand quid range are pretty common.

Pity you didn't have a QTS to go with all of that. A world of options would open up.

It might also be of note to mention that EFL jobs in Asia are typically NOT the same as those you have had experience with. The vast majority of people here (the general public at large or even newbie teachers) would have no clue what the IELTS, FCE, CAE, KET or PET are. Most of the work is for "conversational" American English.

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[edwardcatflap]

[TeflSearch]

Thanks for your help with this. That leaves me with lots to think about. Sorry for the late reply, have been away. Thanks again