Starting your Korean Journey

2009-06-27T18:48:00.000-07:00

I had considered the possibility of teaching in Korea right from the start of my BEd. I'll have finished by August 12th, at which point I will be a certified Intermediate/Secondary teacher in Canada. That being said, there's no need to get a BEd if you are interested in teaching only in Korea or other international ESL schools. Korea requires a Bachelors degree from a University. A BEd is a nice bonus, and it will most likely get you a pay bump, but it is not essential to obtaining a teaching position in a Korean public school or private ESL institution (hagwon).

I began my search for a job in Korea three days ago, and was offered two positions almost immediately. I have several friends who have taught/ are teaching in Korea, so I already knew the basics of finding a position. For those of you wondering where to start, I would recommend the Korean Job Board at Dave's ESL Cafe http://www.eslcafe.com/jobs/korea/ . This is where I got my recruiter, who in turn got me a job. You can do the job hunting yourself, if you like, but I found it much easier to contact a recruiter to do the leg work for me. Recruiters get a head-hunting fee from the schools they supply with teachers, so you don't have to pay a recruiter anything. Make sure to be specific about what you want. My recruiters initially brought me jobs with much lower salaries than I requested. I refused interviews for the jobs and repeated my specifications, at which point I got much better offers. Two of the best recruiters I found are Sarah Fauset at sarah_fauset@yahoo.com and Jay Lee at opportunitykorea@gmail.com .

What you should ask for:

1. Salary: The lowest salary you should accept is 2.3 million Won per month.
This sounds like a lot, but translates to roughly $2000 Canadian. Chances are if you have decided to teach in Korea, you are not going to make your fortune. My trip is more about the experience than the cash. That being said, cost of living is low, so you will have the opportunity to save or pay down those student loans. Be firm with your recruiter when discussing salary; they will attempt to convince you to accept lower pay. If you have a BEd or are a certified teacher, the salary will invariably increase. My initial offer was for 2.5 million Won monthly, but when the director of the hagwon found out that I am a certified teacher, she increased the salary to 2.6 million per month.

2. Accomodation: Ensure that your housing is provided free-of-cost by the school. This is generally the case, but some schools do not include housing. If housing is not provided, keep looking. While food and utility costs are low, housing costs are very high in Korea, especially in cities like Seoul. Rent can set you back up to $1000 CAD a month. Most schools will provide you a free, single studio apartment. You most likely won't have to share an apartment, but make sure to read the offer and the contract carefully. Remember, you are a hot commodity. If this school is not willing to provide accomodation, another school most certainly will.

3. Weekly working hours: Know what to look for.
Many schools may expect you to do split-shifts, which can be a real pain in the bum. For example, you may work from 9am to 12pm, then again from 5pm to 10pm. This puts a time-limit on your non-school related activities. You should be able to find a job without split shifts easily. Again, be sure to read your contract carefully before you sign.

4. Vacation: Don't expect much of it.
Most schools are looking to get maximum value from their teachers, so don't expect an abundance of vacation time. The standard seems to be 10 days a year which are chosen by the school, usually with 5 days in winter and 5 days in summer. If you want to visit home during your time in Korea, you may have to accept a job that pays less money in exchange for more vacation.

5. Other foreign teachers: How many are in your school?
The other foreign teachers in your school will likely be your primary companions during your time in Korea, so you may feel it is important to know how many will be with you. Many job postings will list the number of other foreign teachers present in the school.

6. Severance pay: Legally mandated.
Upon successful completion of a standard 1-year teaching contract, your school is required to pay you a bonus of one month's salary. This is mandated by the federal government, so every school MUST provide these funds.

7. Research your school BEFORE you accept a contract: Don't get screwed.
Many schools in Korea are large franchises with many, many branches. Before you accept a position, try to find some information from a teacher who has worked for this chain or even this particular school before. Dave's ESL Cafe can help with this, as can a simple Google search.

I hope this has helped those of you looking to find a job in Korea.

korea_jinjurface

Starting your Korean Journey