KMK: Finding a Teaching Job in Korea

I’ve been in Seoul for a little over two years working as an English teacher. So I thought to myself it’s about time I put down my experiences to help those out there who are thinking about doing the same thing. I mean, finding a job in South Korea in the ESL industry is easy, but finding a good one is the tricky part. So I’ve come up with this little guide to give you the best shot at landing a great Job in South Korea.

Whether you are a recent college grad, a newly single divorcee, an office drone with wanderlust or whatever your present circumstances you all have one thing in common: a desire to work and live in South Korea teaching English. Now, the first thing you should ask yourself is why? Are you coming for the money, the cultural experience, or the adventure? Doesn’t really matter what your reason is, just be sure to have one because when you’re overseas in a foreign culture, thousands upon thousands of miles away from friends and family, and facing down a drunken Ajoshi screaming waegook you’ll want to have that reason firmly in mind.

What now? Well, to make your life easier I think the first thing you should do before you start even looking for a job is to get your documents ready. This means:

1) You’re Degree from a four year university or a notarized copy of it.
2) 2 official sealed academic transcripts ( get 6)
3) You’re Criminal Background Check with Apostil Seal
4) 2 Passport pictures (get 6)
5) An updated resume
6) Copies of the Inside front page of your Passport

Okay, you’ve got the ball rolling on getting all the items on the list and you’re wondering why haven’t you begun looking for a job? Well, first things first you need to answer a seminal question: Where do you want to be?

South Korea, you scream! Yes, I know, but where exactly in South Korea because it really is a big little country. If you don’t have a specific area in mind you might arrive and be pissed off, shocked and ready to do a runner. So it’s best to figure out where you want to be before you even start looking. So unless you have a specific city where you absolutely have to be then I think your best bet is to choose between the following four options.

1. Megalopolis: The big momma of mega cities: Seoul. If you are a diehard urban explorer who blanches at the mere sight of greenery then this is the place for you.

2. Big City: Busan, Incheon, Daegu the big cities of South Korea for the city boys and city girls.

3. Suburb: Bundang, Suwon, Anyang, Bucheon, these cities are around Seoul on the subway line but far enough away to offer some breathing room and easy access to outdoorsy activities.

4. Country: the perfect spots to live out your hobbit dreams. And you’ll probably stand out like a hobbit but if you want peace and quiet and beautiful surroundings then this is for you.

Keep in mind to target specific areas if you want to be close to certain things like mountain skiing, ocean beaches or things of that nature. Me, I’m a tried and true resident of the concrete jungle and couldn’t fathom being anywhere but Seoul.

Now for the main event, what you’ve been drooling with anticipation for: the job hunt! Get plenty of snacks, and a comfy chair because the computer will become your new best friend you’ll be spending lots of time with it.

As you begin your search keep in mind whether you want to go with a public school or a private hogwon. The advantages of a public school position are that you will be paid on time, guaranteed pension and health care, and will receive your severance after completing one year. The disadvantages are that you might be the only foreign teacher at the school also it’s the random luck of the draw if you get a great co-teacher and principal or someone out of a Korean horror movie. You also get much more vacation time with public schools though you do spend 8 hours a day at work. Some hogwons may offer higher pay and shorter working hours than public schools but you will only have 10 day vacations for the year and might have to deal with a shady director who withholds pension, medical or severance. Don’t worry though; hopefully this guide will go a long way in navigating past the hogwon director dictators.

Once you get online start with google and enter esl job in the search box. Starting hitting up the big ESL portal sites and sifting through their job ads. It’s up to you whether you use a recruiter, go the direct route, or a combination of both. A recruiter’s job is to place a teacher with one of his clients usually a mix of public schools and hogwons. Just remember that you don’t pay recruiters the employers looking for teachers do so they work for them. They’re job is to get teachers at the school asap and some may not be too concerned with your quality of life once you arrive, so don’t be bullied into signing anything. Not all recruiters are like that but if you don’t look out for yourself how can you expect someone else to?

If you choose to go the direct route you by applying directly to the school itself you may have a bit more negotiating power. Since you are bypassing the recruiter the school will not have to pay that 1,000 dollar finder’s fee to them. They might be willing to be flexible on key points in the contract and work with you to find something amenable to you both. You’ll never know unless you ask.

No matter which direction you go in once you have found a school that looks promising the next step is to ask for the contact information of a teacher working for the school so you can basically interrogate, I mean interview, them about their working experience at that job. Once you get in contact with the foreign teacher here are some key things to ask about.

Working Conditions

What is your work schedule?
How many hours a month do you work? Are there teaching hours and working hours? Do you get breaks? Is there prep time? Is it paid? Is your schedule set?How many classes do you teach?
Six classes per day is the usual max but it depends on the length of the class. For instance CDI has 3 hour long classes and you teach two back to back. Public school elementary classes are 40 minutes long. For the week 30 hours of teaching is usually standard in a hogown.

Is your pay on time and correct?
Your payday should be set with the appropriate amount of deductions withdrawn. If this teacher is dealing with crazy unaccounted for deductions then so will you, keep looking.

Is your overtime work paid?
Your contract will have an overtime rate. If the teacher you’re emailing isn’t getting what’s owed you should keep looking.

Do you have to make up national holidays?
This happened to me once; make sure it doesn’t happen to you. It’s hardly a holiday if you have to make it up is it?Do you have a health insurance card? You should be given this car within the first week of your arrival. You should also be sent off to immigration in mokdong to get your alien registration card.

Are you getting pension? The way this works is that every month you pay 4.5% of your income into a pension account and your employer matches it. It’s the law. If they don’t have it then keep looking. If they do then you’ll want to check that the money is actually being put into your pension account. You can do that by calling the National Pension Service: Call 1355

Are you getting paid vacation days? 10 days is the standard. Ask if they are five day consecutive blocks. Ask if the days are set by the school or if you are able to select your own vacation period.

Has your employer honored the contract? You want to know if the teacher has been asked to do things outside of the contract and if it was mandatory or not.

Is your school stable?
ng> Are students and teachers quitting? Are class sizes shrinking? Maybe you should keep looking if the answer is yes.

Has anyone been fired in the 11th month? Some schools do this to get out of paying airfare and severance. If the answer is yes, keep looking.

Is the director physically or mentally abusive? This does happen. Save yourself some grief and keep looking if the answer is yes.

Can the Korean staff communicate in English effectively? Someone on staff should be able to facilitate discussions if the director is not fluent. It makes life easier.

Living arrangement:

Did your employer provide you with the furnishings stated in your contract? Will you have a shared apartment or a studio? You don’t want to show up and have an unexpected roommate in your place. You also don’t want an empty apartment after a 16 hour flight. If you’re adventurous you might want to inquire if you can take a housing allowance instead so you can find your own place. But be warned if you’re new to Korea it may prove to be a bit overwhelming.

Do you live close to the school?
The closer the better for me, but it’s an individual choice.

What are the average cost of living expenses? This will be different for everyone but some things like gas, heat, water, electricity should be around the same amount. If the apartment is an officetel most of the fees should be included in a maintenance fee. They can vary wildly so be sure to find out.

After all that is done and you found the answers to your liking then the next step is to take a look at the contract the school emails you. Go over it thoroughly and make sure you have these key things stated explicitly:

Working Hours, Teaching hours, Breaks, Prep time
Class hours, number of classes per day,
Number of paid vacation days allotted and when you can take them
Sick days? How many? Personal days? How many?
Salary, the exact pay day,
Flight paid for by employer or reimbursed immediately upon arrival
Overtime rate
Is there a housing deposit? Get this removed from the contract if you can.
Pension
Health Insurance
Severance

Now is the time where you can do your contract negotiations and stand firm or compromise. If something is truly non negotiable for you then stand firm because you want to be happen for the year you’re here.

When you have a contract and school you are happy with then sign the contract and fedex that with the above items I listed earlier and wait for your visa confirmation number which you will take to the closest Korean embassy to get your E2 visa in your passport. After that you just have to get on the plane and voila, you’re a working English teacher in korea!

*teacher interview questions rewritten and amended by me from questions found on eslcafe.com