Korean Job Discussion Forums

[wigan4]

My son's a certified teacher in the US--high school history--but is thinking about going to Korea to teach. He doesn't have any sort of TEFL, however, and is a newly minted teacher--no teaching experience (other than his semester of student teaching, of course).

Just in perusing the boards it looks to me like most people think the best combination of a reasonable salary and reasonable time off is in a private school--but how does one go about finding such a job?

What (with his qualifications) should he be looking for? I get the feeling he'd be very happy to make 2.5 working normal school hours, with four weeks vacation to recuperate. Is that too high for him, too low? Are certified teachers in demand, a dime a dozen, or just irrelevant relative to ESL experience?

He's probably going over with his girlfriend so they'd probably make a reasonably attractive package for someone--I'm just trying to get a feel of what's reasonable for him to shoot for and how he goes about doing it.

Right now he's looking at the English Immersion Village--they work hard but he doesn't mind that, but I'm wondering if that's the best he can do or is appropriate for him.

Any help or just general thoughts would be much appreciated!

[peppermint]

2.5 and 4 weeks vacation is pretty high for someone fresh out of the gate. Particularly since the government seems determined to limit all regular school teachers to 2 weeks vacation per year.

[wigan4]

I read that, but I thought that only meant the summer break. Is there no break between semesters in the middle of the year? Somehow I thought it was 2 and 2.

The English Village will give him 2.6 and 4 but I think there are some drawbacks to it. Maybe for him, though, it's a pretty good place to start. In essence, though, I guess what you're saying is being a teacher doesn't really make much difference; I was hoping it might make him a bit more competitive for something more than a normal entry level job. Guess not!

In a way I don't think it matters that much--the main thing is for him to just get over there, get some experience, learn the lay of the land and then see what's best for him in a year.

[Gollum]

[JacktheCat]

If your son is a certified teacher in America and wants a job in Korea with a good salary and long vacations he should look at the private international schools. Here is a website with contact info for all the schools in Korea.

http://www.shambles.net/pages/Countries/kr_schools/

At any other job his teaching certificate will just be a fancy piece of paper, not worth all that much.

If you have any other questions feel free to PM me.

[wigan4]

I've sort of misrepresented him I think! He wants some vacation but mostly he's trying to get started and make a little money. The problem with most international schools is they want two years experience so it's hard to get started with them right off the bat. Personally, I think schools would be good for him because in the summers he can take a little break, then teach summer camps for a change of pace.

I think he's really been put off the hagwons based on some of the horrific stories you see here, and I don't blame him. I know some are very good but I don't know how you know that from America, so I think his idea is to come over initially in something a little more predictable and stable like a public school then adjust from there. Ultimately I can see him in a hagwon if he can find one that's rational. Right now he works from noon to about 9/10 PM so he likes that sort of schedule anyhow, and he's not afraid of working long hours.

I've gotten some nice PMs with suggestions--I appreciate them all!

[Nick Adams]

Wigan -

International schools are not where people start out. It is where they end up. In Korea there are two types of "international" schools: real international schools, and hagwons that throw in the word "international" as a marketing ploy.

Also, the "real" international schools vary quite a bit case by case. On the high end, some offer starting U.S. salaries of $45,000-$60,000. On the low end, $10,000-$15,000. Most include housing, insurance, and excellent benefits.

Many people teaching at international schools are qualified to teach university classes in their home country, or abroad, but prefer to teach at international high schools, because the benefits and working conditions can be that good.

Real international schools are the best, but they do require three, or sometimes two, years of teaching experience in the teacher's home country. However, some international school offer internship programs. Also, schools that are unable to fill positions with someone with three years' experience become more flexible as hiring deadlines get close. Usually this doesn't happen.

About half of the people who try for international school jobs get them. About half the people who apply have master's degrees or better and many years of teaching experience.

If your son is open-minded about the country he ends up in, he can probably get a job. Internships don't pay as well as full-time positions, but they are still decent. I bet he could get a job in China or South America, no problems. Europe or Japan, probably not. Korea is a maybe, because there really just aren't that many positions.

The hiring period for international school jobs begins in November and stretches to late March, with most positions being filled by December. Almost all are two-year renewable contracts.

Having a girlfriend will not make him any more attractive to schools, but might hurt him, especially if the school has religious affiliations. Having a spouse who is also a certified teacher is the best situation. He should represent himself as a single guy, then just have the girlfriend move out if he gets a job.

For now his best resource is http://www.tieonline.com/
Subscriptions are $33 per year, but well worth it. There won't be much info about specific jobs for a couple more months, but there are many school contacts. He can start researching individual schools via their web pages. Many schools post their salary and benefits online.

In August or September he should register with International School Services: http://www.iss.edu/ Their website isn't much to look at without a profile, but this is where most of the good jobs are advertised. They also arrange job fairs.

I'm moving to Korea in August to teach at an international school. The resources above are how I got my job. This was my goal since doing my student teaching year. In my case it was a nine year process: four years for my B.A. degree, two years for my teaching credential, and three years of full-time teaching experience.

Feel free to PM me if you have questions.

[Nick Adams]

I don't necessarily know what I'm talking about regarding English Immersion Village, but to me it does not sound like a "real" international school. Real international school will always have a traditional school year calendar (Thanksgiving break, 2-4 weeks off for Christmas, spring break, 10 weeks off for summer). Also, they will pay a yearly salary, not monthly.

That doesn't mean the private international schools are a bad place to work, especially for a first teaching job. I just think a lot of people overlook how good international school jobs can be.

[oxfordstu]

I'm a certified teacher as well (English), and I'm nearly done with my year here working at a hagwon. International schools can be great, but they usually hire from overseas, and want at least 2-3 years experience. Also, if you look at the qualifications most teachers have at those places (just go to any int. school website), I've noticed that a lot of them have masters degrees.

He could try to get a job at a high school here or maybe even a university -- but most of them want to interview you in person, and the window for both of those opportunities is closing soon because the semester will start in August.

Like the others have said, if I were your son I'd look for a job with low hours -- that seems to be what people care about here. He could always break a hagwon contract when the next semester rolls around if he was to get hired. Just my 2 cents.